OVERVIEW

Adding a humidifier to your nursery is an important step in promoting your baby’s overall health. After all, it only makes sense that you want your new baby breathing the highest quality of air into his precious little lungs. If the air in your nursery is too dry, which often occurs during cold weather when heating units are in use, it can cause problems for baby such as colds and respiratory infections. Humidifiers not only improve air quality and add moisture to dry air, but they can also keep baby safe from allergies, dry skin, swollen nasal passages and problems with asthma and sinuses. Humidifiers don’t take up a lot of space, come in different types for your preference and are relatively easy to clean and maintain. Humidifiers are an inexpensive addition that could provide excellent results for your baby’s health and quality of life.

HOW DOES IT WORK?

Basically, humidifiers moisturize dry air. If the air in your nursery is not humid enough, it can cause a number of risks for baby. Air that is too dry can cause colds, sinus infections, nose bleeds or scratchy and sore throats. By running a humidifier in your baby’s nursery, you can help reduce bacteria and dust particles from the air, allow baby to enjoy cleaner air, decrease static electricity and even protect the interior of your home. Germs also spread more easily in drier air, which is definitely what you want to protect your baby from – especially during flu season.

Humidifiers are stand-alone units that work in a very simple process. Water is placed in a holding tank within the unit that feeds to a filter. When the water passes through the filter, it is separated into a mist and a fan blows the mist into the air and it circulates throughout the room, increasing the overall humidity.

So how humid should your nursery be? The optimal level of humidity is between 30% and 50% for overall healthy air. You can monitor the level of humidity that your humidifier is producing by purchasing an inexpensive humidity gauge called a hygrometer. If the hygrometer is reading humidity levels below 30%, you want to increase the moisture. However, humidity levels above 50% can be just as unhealthy, promoting the growth of mold, bacteria, fungi and dust mites. If you don’t have a hygrometer, you can tell if you have too much humidity if your windows develop condensation. If you cannot control the output of moisture from your humidifier, increase the ventilation in the room to lower the humidity level. It is helpful to purchase a humidifier with a humidistat that allows you to adjust the level of humidity that is being added to the room from your humidifier. Set the humidistat on your humidifier to a level between 30% and 40% for the most comfortable air.

Humidifiers also protect your home’s interior and structure, particularly if you own a newer home. Expensive hardwood is often used for floors, staircases, hand railings, cabinets, trims and moldings inside your house or nursery. Most hardwood is manufactured in a controlled environment that has about 50% humidity. When any of this wood is suddenly exposed to much drier air, the wood can unavoidably shrink or crack. 
 

WHAT SHOULD I CHOOSE?

There are two main types of humidifiers that are used in baby nurseries: warm mist humidifiers and cool mist humidifiers.

o Warm Mist Humidifiers: Colder climates often lend themselves to the use of Warm Mist Humidifiers, since the humidity they emit is heated to some degree. These humidifiers use a heating element to boil the water in the holding tank, which then causes a warm steam to rise into the room, adding moisture.

o Cool Mist Humidifiers: Water is also held in a holding tank in Cool Mist Humidifiers, and absorbs into a wick filter that sits inside the holding tank. When a fan blows air over the wick, the water in the wick evaporates and is released into the air, adding humidity into the room. The released mist is slightly cooled and lends itself well to warmer climates.

The two different humidifier types have several important differences that should be considered when choosing a humidifier for baby’s room.

Most humidifier users and manufacturers will tell you that the best humidifier type is based on personal preference. However, more and more pediatricians are recommending the use of a cool mist humidifier for safety reasons. Since warm mist humidifiers use a heating element to boil the water inside, baby could be accidentally burned. There are several other pros and cons that should be considered before you make your purchase:

ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES:

o Benefits of Cool Mist Humidifiers: As noted above, these units are typically safer for using around baby. These humidifiers can also be easier to clean and manage than warm mist humidifiers. If you plan on using a humidifier during the summer months, cool mist humidifiers are a good option for cooler, more comfortable air. Cool mist humidifiers use very little energy to run, and are better suited to humidify larger rooms than warm mist humidifiers. The amount of white dust produced by humidifiers and emitted into the air is less in cool mist humidifiers than in warm mist humidifiers.

o Drawbacks of Cool Mist Humidifiers: The fan from cool mist humidifier can sometimes cause noise that may or may not be acceptable to baby. If the noise is too loud, it can even hurt baby’s ears. However, some babies do appreciate the white noise to drown out other noises around the house to help them sleep better. Some models do offer different fan speeds to give you some control over the amount of noise.

Cool mist humidifiers require frequent replacement of their filters, which can add up monetarily over time but is necessary to prevent minerals from the water to be blown into the room. Also, the paper-based wick that sits in the water can encourage mold, bacteria and fungi to grow inside the humidifier, and antibacterial cartridges should be purchased and added to the water tank to prevent this from happening. These add-ons need to be changed every couple of months.

o Benefits of Warm Mist Humidifiers: Warm mist humidifiers do not require filters, so there are no filters to be replaced. Also, virtually no noise is produced from warm mist humidifiers, except for the occasional gurgle of water that is being boiled. Because these machines use distilled water, the mist is cleaner and more hygienic, offering additional protection against bacteria and germs.

o Drawbacks of Warm Mist Humidifiers: The heating element within a warm mist humidifier can increase energy costs, but produces a warmer mist that can be nice during the colder months. Keep in mind that the water is boiling, so accidental burning and scalding can pose a threat to babies and toddlers. These humidifiers generally require more cleaning and maintenance than cool mist humidifiers. The moisture from these machines does not cover large areas, so they are most beneficial for smaller rooms.

Here are a few other things to consider when thinking about your humidifier purchase:

o It is a good idea to purchase a humidifier with an automatic shut-off feature that turns the humidifier off when the room reaches the humidity level set by you or when it is empty. This will also keep the motor from burning out.

o Bacteria-free models are offered and are a smart choice that deliver extra protection from bacteria that could cause sickness in your child.

o Some warm mist humidifiers come equipped with a mineral absorption pad that can collect mineral deposits leftover from the heated water so they don’t blow into the room. If the water used in your house has a lot of minerals, this should be a consideration for you.

o There are types of humidifiers that double as air purifiers. These can be expensive, so research their performances before purchasing.

Most stand-alone humidifier units cost between $20 and $60, and the replacement filters can cost between $10 and $15.