Baby Humidifiers — A Nursery Necessity!

Young children—especially babies—are very susceptible to upper-respiratory tract infections. Of course, no parent wants to see their precious baby sick, but there are a few things you can to do help keep them healthy. Adding a baby humidifier to your baby’s nursery is a huge step toward promoting their overall health; humidifiers have a number of great benefits for babies that will help prevents colds and infections.

If the air in your baby’s nursery is too dry, which is very common in the cooler months of the year, this will lead to the drying of his or her mucous membranes. Viruses and bacteria thrive in dry air, and the combination of the two makes it very easy for your baby (or you!) to get sick. Humidifiers can be extremely important in helping to fend off sickness, and they should be a part of every nursery.

This guide should hopefully tell you everything you need to know when it comes to selecting a humidifier for your baby!

The Four Types of Humidifiers — Which Is Best For Babies?

There are four types of humidifiers, and each work in different ways. Here is an overview of each.

• Evaporative humidifiers — These humidifiers work by absorbing water into a wick and then expelling it into the room with a fan. If you purchase a console humidifier, it is most likely an evaporative humidifier. This is a more natural form of evaporation. Some people find that the persistent noise of these humidifiers is annoying, but others like it. For babies, it might not be the best choice; it will depend on how loud it is and whether it has a “quiet” setting.
• Impeller humidifiers — These humidifiers use a spinning disc that disperses droplets of water into the air in the room. Unfortunately, these humidifiers are known to expel micro-organisms and minerals into the air if used with regular tap water. Demineralized or distilled water should prove to be no issue, though.
• Warm-mist humidifiers — Generally the least-expensive of all humidifiers, these use a heating element to evaporate the water into a steam. These tend to be quieter than everything but ultrasonic humidifiers, but they also use by far the most electricity. These are also not recommended for any room where babies or children will be around, because the heating element exposes a burning hazard.
• Ultrasonic humidifiers — (Most recommended for babies) —These are the most modern type of humidifier. They use a high-frequency sound wave to vibrate the water, in turn creating a mist. These humidifiers are very quiet as they use no fan at all. Also of note is the fact that ultrasonic humidifiers generally don’t use a filter, but instead use demineralization cartridges that need to be replaced every few weeks.

Why a Cool-Mist Humidifier is Best For Babies (and Warm-Mist Isn’t Recommended!)

As mentioned above, one of the various cool-mist humidifiers would be best for a baby’s nursary; these include evaporative, impeller and ultrasonic humidifiers. While ultrasonic humidifiers are the optimal humidifier for most households, you might choose to go with one of the other types instead. Here are the

• Generally safer for babies — Since warm mist humidifiers use a heating element to warm the water, it is possible for a baby to burn himself by touching it — ouch!
• Less expensive to run — This is because they don’t have to run the heating element that warm mist-mist humidifiers use.
• No difference in humidifying ability — There is really no difference in how well a cool-mist humidifier works compared to a warm-mist humidifier; they are both equally-effective at humidifying the air.
• Ultimately no temperature difference — While warm-mist humidifiers warm the air, by the time it makes it to your baby’s lower lungs, it’s going to be the same temperature anyway.
• Ultrasonic models are near-silent — Since you will be using the humidifier in your baby’s nursery, you’ll want one that is quiet. Ultrasonic humidifiers are almost silent when compared to the other types of humidifiers, making them optimal for a nursery.

Features To Look For in a Humidifier For Your Nursary

In general, there are a few features that most parents would love to have in a humidifier for their baby. There are also some very important issues that you need to think about. Here are some of the things you’ll probably want to look for in your search.

• Quiet operation — While most new humidifiers are quiet, you’ll definitely want one that is near-silent on any setting. You wouldn’t want it to interfere with your baby’s sleep!
• Auto-shutoff — A good humidifier for a baby’s nursery should have an auto-shutoff feature so that humidifying stops when the desired level is reached. This will help maintain the perfect level of humidity, and also save electricity and avoid any possible damage to the humidifier.
• Adjustable humidistat — Any good humidifier will have an adjustable humidistat to keep the level of humidity in the room at an optimal level.
• Easy to clean and refill — A humidifier with an easily-removable water reservoir will make cleaning it, and refilling it with water, much easier. Other similar features to look for include a wide mouth for filling, and a carrying handle.
• Antibacterial features — These include either filters, cartridges, or ultraviolet lights.

So, Which is the Ideal Humidifier?

In the coming weeks I will be writing up a report on which humidifiers are ideal for babies and which to avoid. You know now what you should be looking for, so you’ll now be able to make a well-informed decision!