Are Humidifiers Safe for Babies?

When you have a newborn, it’s normal to question the safety of products. You want to be certain that things are safe for your child, with no chance of harming their well-being. At the same time, you may want to incorporate new things into their care, such as humidifiers. Humidifiers have many benefits, which we’ll outline below, but are they safe for use around and with your child? 

Benefits for Your Baby 

There are many benefits associated with using a humidifier. If you have one in your home, everyone can expect to experience its many benefits, including your baby. Because humidifiers affect everyone in the home, it’s important to know that they’re safe for your child before use. 

Humidifiers are great for preventing dry skin, especially in cold climates. Babies are extremely prone to dry skin, so it’s important to protect their skin from becoming flaky. Your humidifier can also help keep them free from infection, as the use of a humidifier is known for helping to prevent the transfer of viruses and illness. 

A humidifier will also help your baby feel better if they’re already sick, easing their cough and making congestion more bearable. As babies can’t take traditional cold medication, a humidifier can be a great help. 

Different Types of Humidifiers for Your Home

When deciding to use a humidifier for a baby, the type of humidifier you choose is incredibly important. There are so many different types of humidifiers, such as: 

• Evaporative cool mist humidifiers

• Ultrasonic humidifiers

• 2-in-1 purifier & humidifiers 

• Warm mist humidifiers 

• Vaporizers 

When choosing a humidifier for your home, you should choose one that emits a cool-mist as opposed to a warm-mist. Warm-mist humidifiers may emit a vapor that’s too hot for children, causing burns. You should also avoid warm-mist humidifiers in homes with pets. 

Recommended Features for Use With Children

When picking out your humidifier, there are some things you should keep in mind. When you have a newborn baby, you may not have time for all the things you used to. To make your life easier, you may want to invest in a higher-quality humidifier that requires less cleaning, less refilling, and automatic shutoff. Let’s delve deeper into each of those features, and why they’re vital for your home. 

Cleaning

Realistically, you should clean your humidifier after every single use. Doing this prevents mineral buildup, which can help prevent that annoying “white dust” that some humidifiers leave behind. You should choose a humidifier that’s easy to clean and that doesn’t require major disassembly. Humidifiers with filters are often the easiest to clean, as they require a change in the filter and a rinse. Humidifiers without filters may require a deeper clean. 

Size

You should also keep in mind the size, as to how large it is will determine how long it will run. If you’re looking for something that will run unstopped throughout the night, make sure to choose one with the capacity to do that.

Humidity Control

Over-humidification may also cause problems. For example, when the air is too humid, it can make it harder to breathe. Make sure to choose a humidifier that shuts off when it gets to a certain level, or regulates the humidity in the air easily to prevent this. 

Lights and Sound

If you’re looking for a humidifier to run overnight in your baby’s room, you may want to keep in mind the amount of light and sound that it produces. A loud, bright humidifier may keep your baby awake. Choose something softer and quiet to make sure they sleep soundly. 

How to Choose the Best Humidifier for Your Baby

Make sure to keep all of this information in mind when looking for a humidifier. With the right choice of humidifier, you’ll be able to ensure that your baby receives all the benefits and none of the risks.