Sound muffling headwear

A method for protecting hearing of an infant, the method comprising:

• providing headgear containing an earmuff, the earmuff being formed to have a shell portion, a liner portion contained completely within the shell portion, and a housing portion covering the shell portion completely outboard of the head of a wearer;
• the shell being formed of an elastomeric polymer material sized and shaped to deflect in beam bending in response to compressive loads imposed by tension in the housing;
• placing the earmuff over the ear of a user;
• securing the earmuff against a head of a wearer by tensioning a strap securing the housing to a wearer;
• and
• conforming the shell to the shape of the head of the wearer in response to compressive loads imposed by the tensioning in the housing.

A method comprising providing headgear for a wearer, the headgear comprising:

• an earflap, a shell, and a tensioning member;
• placing the headgear on a user to position the earflap over the ear of a user;
• tensioning the earflap to substantially seal the shell against the head of a wearer;
• and
• blocking, by the shell, sound propagated from the environment surrounding a user against impingement of air in the sound wave in the environment upon the eardrum of a user.