Best Humidifiers For Baby
Whether you're a first-time parent or have years of experience raising children, if you are expecting a baby, you will need the help of several devices to ensure the health and comfort of your new bundle of joy. Though you may not think a humidifier is necessary while you're setting up your baby's nursery, it is an essential purchase. People use humidifiers to add more moisture to the air in a room.
Sometimes indoor air is too harsh on infants' nasal passages, especially when an HVAC system is continuously running. The dryness often leads to scratchy or sore throats, clogged nasal passages, and dry sinuses. This problem is uncomfortable for adults, but since infants' respiratory systems are more vulnerable to infection, they need additional help preventing congestion and keeping nasal passages clear.
With a humidifier in the nursery, a baby will inhale air that contains more moisture, which will help loosen any mucus in their sinuses and allow them to sleep comfortably at night or during naptime. This device will also help relieve skin irritations caused by dry air, such as chapped lips or eczema. Without harsh air to aggravate the baby's delicate skin, it can retain its natural oils and moisture.
Humidifiers also have the added benefit of helping your baby sleep by providing white noise. They give off a gentle hum just above a whisper that is comforting to the baby. It's not loud enough to keep the baby awake, but it is usually sufficient for drowning out other noises in the home that could otherwise disturb the little one at night.
Types of Humidifiers
When the time comes to choose the best humidifier for your baby, you'll likely decide between these two types:
- Warm Mist Humidifier: Devices in this category introduce a warm mist into the air that's strong enough to kill germs and viruses without harming anyone in the room. Parents should position these machines in an out-of-reach location for extra safety. They are also effective at reducing mucus build-up.
- Cool Mist Humidifier: These devices have no heating element, so the mist they expel is either room temperature or cool. This system works well for babies, but it is ideal for older children or toddlers who are active because they cannot accidentally scald themselves. It's also the recommended choice for a baby with croup -- an upper respiratory infection that affects breathing -- because it makes breathing easier.
Both types of humidifiers effectively reintroduce moisture into the air, but parents can choose between many options. Selecting the right one for your baby is an important decision, so to help you make that choice, here are some of the market's best baby humidifiers.
Six Best Baby Humidifiers
Crane Adorables Ultrasonic Cool Mist Humidifier
Offers under $38.
One of the most visually pleasing baby humidifiers available is the Crane Ultrasonic. This brand's Adorables series comes in 15 fun shapes and colors resembling animals, including a duck, an elephant, and an owl. This baby humidifier will blend nicely within any nursery.
Cuteness is not the only factor with the Crane Adorables Ultrasonic Cool Mist Humidifier, though. It comes with a one-gallon water tank, sufficient to run 24 hours uninterrupted, with an automatic shut-off feature when the reservoir is empty. This model is about nine inches long and 13 inches high, but it can cover rooms up to 500 square feet with a cool mist.
This humidifier isn't loud by any means. On its highest setting, it remains almost whisper quiet and won't disturb your child. You can control the humidity output with a knob on the front of the appliance.
Another fantastic feature of the Crane Adorables Ultrasonic Humidifier is its antimicrobial base. Its design allows it to resist most mold and bacteria growth despite the machine producing humid conditions.
Honeywell HCM350W Germ-Free Cool Mist Humidifier
Currently unavailable.
This humidifier takes up slightly more space than the Crane Adorable, measuring in at 11 inches high and eight inches wide, but it makes up for its bigger size with convenience. It's one of the best humidifiers with easy-to-clean features, such as a removable, dishwasher-safe water tank and tray.
This baby humidifier uses a filter to prevent unwanted particles from circulating throughout the room. Routine upkeep includes an annual filter replacement to ensure that the machine runs smoothly and keeps the room's air quality high.
The Honeywell generates a cool mist capable of filling a 400-square-foot room and uses sanitizing technology to remove up to 99.9% of bacteria from the tap water added to the tank. The mist is fine enough not to produce a visible vapor, but it effectively increases the humidity in the room. According to Honeywell, this humidifier also includes an evaporative technology to prevent the device from over-humidifying a baby nursery.
Vicks Filter-Free Humidifier
Offers under $40.
As one of the larger-capacity cool-mist humidifiers on the market, this Vicks model is easy to use and ideal for medium-sized rooms between 250 and 400 square feet. Its tank holds 1.2 gallons of water and can run continuously for more than 30 hours.
As the name suggests, this Vicks ultrasonic humidifier doesn't require a filter. It works by releasing water onto an ultrasonic nebulizer to create a subtle, visible mist. Parents can control the humidity levels with user-friendly controls. The humidifier also includes a nozzle to direct the flow of the mist.
One of this Vicks humidifier's best features is its ability to accommodate two Vicks VapoPads in its scent station. These pads release a pleasant menthol vapor to help soothe the baby's lungs, sinuses, and nasal passage. They help to reduce congestion and make breathing easier.
TaoTronics Cool Mist Humidifier
Offers under $50.
This humidifier may not be the most visually appealing unit on the list, but it is still one of the best. It features two mist nozzles with 360-degree rotation for maximum coverage for a room with around 325 square feet. It is eight inches wide and 12 inches high, making it suitable to fit easily in any size room. With a 3.5 liter tank, it boasts a run time of up to 10 hours, which is enough to help your baby sleep through the night.
This TaoTronics humidifier uses its built-in ceramic filter to sanitize the water in the tank. Near its base, it also has indicator lights so that you can make sure you fill the reservoir to the appropriate water level. The unit has an auto shut-off feature that stops operations before the tank dries out completely to prevent it from running on empty and damaging internal components.
Though this model is not dishwasher safe, you can keep it clean by removing the water reservoir from the base and rinsing it with a bit of detergent. It comes with a brush to thoroughly clean the machine's nooks and crannies.
Safety 1st 360 Degree Cool Mist Ultrasonic Humidifier
Offers under $30.
This Safety 1st humidifier is filter-free and contains a large water tank to provide a steady mist stream for up to 24 hours. Among the best defining features are the dual mist outlets with 360-degree rotation to ensure an even distribution of humid air throughout the entire room.
This model is an effective nursery humidifier because users can adjust the room's humidity with easy-to-use mist control settings and an automatic shut off when the unit's tank is dry. It also includes LED lights that turn on when the reservoir needs refilling. This feature is especially beneficial to new parents who may not always be aware when their child's humidifier runs out of water.
The Safety 1st 360 model is quiet, thanks to its ultrasonic operations. Though babies are sensitive to noise, you can be confident that your child will rest comfortably while this machine is running.
Vicks Warm-Mist Humidifier
Offers under $35.
This humidifier by Vicks is one of the best warm-mist humidifiers to help soothe your child when they aren't feeling well. The unit can hold one gallon of water and produce a comforting warm mist in a medium-size nursery with a run time of 12 hours. It features two humidity settings, a night light that creates a soft glow, and a water filter to remove impurities.
Unlike cool-mist humidifiers that you cannot use with essential oils, this unit has a medicine cup and a pad slot for Vicks VapoPads. When using a humidifier with a medicine cup, some parents fill it either with their favorite calming essential oil or Vicks VapoSteam to further reduce congestion and soothe sore sinuses.
Please note, however, that doctors caution parents against the use of essential oils either topically or in steam diffusion around babies and young children, so be sure to research first--and never use such oils around infants under six months of age.
This humidifier is incredibly easy to clean. Not only is it dishwasher safe, but the design of its base allows the device to drain completely. Without standing water accumulating at the bottom of the machine, parents don't have to worry about mold or bacteria growing in their humidifier and contaminating the air.
