Do you need a humidifier for nursery?
When you live in an area that has low humidity and you have a baby, consider getting a humidifier to increase the level of moisture in the air.
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So, do you need a humidifier for baby? The best humidifier for baby is a cool mist unit if the baby has chapped lips, dry skin and other indicators of dry air. A warm mister is also good for a baby with congestion. You can also add de-congesting pads or medicated liquids that pass in steam and help baby deal with de-congestion.
It would be easy to say that the best humidifier for baby’s room is Honeywell HCM350W humidifier that you can buy on Amazon.com. However, that would just be a shortcut to the solution. Many people do not even know that they need a humidifier in their baby’s room.
What kind of humidifier is best for baby? Why you need one
With so many humidifiers in the market, it can be hard for a newbie buyer to get the best. However, with the information I am going to give you here, it should no longer be hard.
First things first though … you should know the reasons why you need a humidifier in your baby’s room.
There are many reasons for this. Health is the main reason definitely.
Let’s read about it below:
An adult’s nasal cavities and membranes are soft and delicate. Well, you guessed right … a baby’s is many times softer and more delicate.
Because of this delicate nature of the nasal cavities of the baby, if the air is too dry in the room, it can hurt your baby.
Winter is notorious for causing dry air indoors. You can be sure that your baby will feel much better with a humidifier.
Of course, it is OK to feel a little extra cautious when it is about your baby. You can always ask your pediatrician whether it is OK to have a humidifier in your baby’s room.
Now, dry air has many ill effects on you and your baby as well. For example, it is the main cause of sore throats, sinuses and other uncomfortable conditions in winter.
What happens is that as you power up the HVAC to keep the house warm, it sucks all the moisture from the air.
Now, if you have ever had sore throat, sinuses and congested nose, you can just imagine how many times more the baby is going to be uncomfortable. But there is a respite, and this is in the installation of a humidifier in the baby’s room.
When the baby inhales dry air, the mucus cavities dry up. This makes it very uncomfortable for the baby to breath.
What the baby needs is some moist air to help dislodge the dry mucus from the walls of the nose interior.
Dry air can also cause dry skin on the baby. Now, dry skin can crack easily and allow bacteria in. This could be the start of skin conditions for the baby.
If you live in a place with air that is too dry, your skin can lose its natural moisture. This happens to the baby too, leaving them with chapped lips and dry skin that is susceptible conditions.
Big or small humidifier for baby’s room?
Buying a small or big humidifier for your baby’s room? This depends on a few things. One of them is the size of the room. Another thing is whether you think your baby will outgrow the humidifier any time soon.
The age of the baby also determines what kind of humidifier you buy. Some are small and portable. You just need to place it on the table. However, such might endanger the safety of your baby once he grows to a toddler.
Wall mounted would be better, but again, even this option does not suit all homes. What you buy depends on your needs entirely.
Qualities of a good humidifier for baby
Since humidifiers for baby’s room are not made equally you might want to consider a few important things when buying one.
To start with, you can buy either a warm mist or cool mist humidifier for your baby’s room. It will depend on the age of your baby and the air conditions.
It should be quiet
A good humidifier for the baby’s room should be quiet. Apart from the ability to moisturize the air, the noise level is the next most important consideration in a humidifier.
Manufacturers know just what kind of noise would actually be good for the baby. That is why humidifiers come with a white noise that lulls babies to sleep. It is a soothing noise.
If you buy a warm mist humidifier, it could be noisier than the cool mist one because there is some sort of hissing noise that comes from the boiling water.
Fan humidifiers are also noisier but there are humidifiers that do not use fans. Such use ultrasonic process for humidification, thus keeping the gadget quieter. They are called ultrasonic humidifiers. Unfortunately, they can cause white dust.
There will be definitely some form or other of noise from humidifiers. Thus, you had better choose the quietest one because a low level of noise is easier to deal with.
Cool mist humidifier – best for large rooms
Pediatricians recommend that you get a cool mist humidifier for baby’s room. There are some reasons for this.
First, as we have aforementioned, cool mist humidifiers are quieter than their warm mist counterparts. There is no boiling water, thus there are no hissing noises in the background. Your baby can sleep much better.
Cool mist humidifiers produce a cool mist that is at the optimum room temperature. Thus, your child will not feel cold. Just as cold dry air is not good for the baby, so is cold and wet air also not good.
Using ultrasonic vibrations, these humidifiers suck air inside and release it in the form of a nice cool mist. This cool air will contain an optimum level of moisture.
It will be gentle on the nasal lining of the baby and on the skin of the baby too. No more chapped lips!
Another benefit of using the cool mist humidifiers is that they do not make the bedroom hot. Thus, they are best for homes in areas that have dry climate.
You do not have to worry about the safety of your toddler when it comes to the cool mist humidifier. This humidifier does not heat up.
It is safe in case your baby touches it. However, note that you should not allow your baby near electronic appliances.
But toddlers can be a handful especially when they are two years and older.
Warm mist humidifier – best for small rooms
Just as the name suggests, these are humidifiers that boil water to produce a fine steam, which is then released to the room.
While doctors do not recommend such humidifiers for baby’s room, well, there could be some special cases where you must use a warm mist dehumidifier and no other.
Warm mist humidifiers are very good for baby’s suffering from dry throat and nose. They can also help the baby to clear congestion or stuffiness of the nose.
Warm mist humidifier for babies makes room warm
The warm mist has another benefit too – it makes the room warmer. A night of using the warm mist humidifier leaves the room warmer, but in most cases, not uncomfortably warm.
These humidifiers come with dials so that you can select the level of warmth and that you want. Thus, you will still be in control of how high humidity you get in your room.
Always attempt to create a humidity level that is equal to what is outside, or what is recommended for your area.
Warm mist humidifier kills germs
One of the main benefits of using a warm mist humidifier is that it can kill bacteria. Thus, as your water is boiled using an element in the humidifier, germs and bacteria are neutralized.
This is the best and simplest way of sanitizing your baby’s room.
Warm mist humidifiers have another benefit. They are quiet. Some people say they are quieter than cool mist humidifiers.
They do not have a fan, but the boiling water could produce some noises. Just figure out which is quieter for you – the fan of the cool mister or the hoosh sound of the warm mister.
You can use a warm mist humidifier for a small room. In fact, it is recommended that you do that instead of using it in a large room.
These humidifiers may have a few disadvantages too. One of them is that they are costly to run as they need more energy to boil water.
Another disadvantage is that the boiling water will leave mineral deposits. This means that the warm mist humidifier may require more frequent cleaning.
You may also want to consider the safety of your child. As it boils water, this humidifier gets hot. If your toddler touches it, he/she could burn. This is why parents are always advised to use cool mist humidifiers in their baby’s rooms.
As you can see here, both the warm and cool mist humidifiers have their benefits. Thus, as to the question of what kind of humidifier is best for baby, you now know the answer.
Water choice for your humidifier
For you to create the fine mist that you will release into baby’s room, pour water in the tank of the humidifier.
The water that you use in the humidifier affects the quality of the air that your baby breathes.
Find out whether your tap water is clean and free of too many minerals. This should be easy to do, you just need a water test, or you can find the information online.
The bad news is that a lot of local water contains minerals. Now, when you use this water in the humidifier, your baby will breathe in the same minerals.
To avoid that, just use distilled water. It is not expensive and besides, a humidifier should not consume a lot of water. It is a seasonal need anyway.
Easy to clean humidifiers
It is not all about cool mist or warm mist humidifiers, but the one that you buy for your baby’s room should be easy to clean.
Because of the moist atmosphere that they create, even the best dehumidifier for baby can cause some serious infections.
It is important to ensure that humidifier is cleaned often. When the baby has been unwell, the last thing that you want to think about is that you could be pumping bacteria into the air. Thankfully, it is pretty easy to avoid this.
Because your humidifier has a tank, you should make sure that it does not harbor mold. Mold is one of the most serious indoor allergens that we all contend with today, perhaps only second to dust mites and pet dander.
It is easy to clean a humidifier. Just use a bleach solution, but make sure that the bleach makes only 10 percent of the solution.
Do not use any harsh chemicals or soaps. Also ensure that you rinse the tank thoroughly to get rid of all the bleach traces.
Remember, where your baby is concerned, you can never be too careful. Before you can buy a humidifier for your baby, read a few reviews to find out whether it is easy to maintain.
Size of the room
This is another important factor that you should consider when considering what kind of humidifier is best for baby. Usually, nurseries are small, but if you have that big country house, then you could have a huge rustic nursery.
The bigger the room that you want to inject with some humidity, the bigger the humidifier should be. The vice versa also applies.
Conclusion
Do you need a humidifier for nursery?
Knowing what kind of humidifier is best for baby is very important if you are a parent. As the baby’s immune system is still developing, use the best humidifier to inject some moisture into the air.
Moisturized air will be good for the tender lungs and airways of the baby. You can buy a good humidifier for baby from any of the most popular brands.
