6 Benefits of a Humidifier For a Baby

A humidifier is a simple but clever device used to add moisture to the air.

Dry air in the house can be uncomfortable in many ways. From cracked lips and itchy skin through sore throats and respiratory problems, regulating the moisture levels in your home is a smart way to fight back and triumph.

We will look today at some of the chief benefits of a humidifier for your baby.

First thing’s first, though…

What Is a Humidifier?

There are two types of humidifiers, and they are classified into two broad categories:

  1. Warm Mist Humidifier
  2. Cool Mist Humidifier

Warm mist humidifiers use an internal heating element to boil the water before it’s released into the environment. There is no internal fan, so they are whisper-quiet when in use. However, they should be used with caution around your baby because of the heat involved. Warm mist humidifiers are more expensive than cool mist humidifiers.

Cool mist humidifiers are used to disperse a constant output of room-temperature air throughout your living space. An internal wick filter absorbs water. A fan blows this air out through a filter.

This type of humidifier brings a cooling effect to the surroundings. As well as using less electricity, you can avoid the risk of a hot water spill in your nursery or baby’s bedroom.

The choice seems clear: opt for a cool-mist humidifier to get maximum benefits for your baby without any danger. And pay less into the bargain: win-win.

Don’t write off warm mist humidifiers completely, though. They do have certain upsides; you just need to be extremely careful. If your budget will stretch, pick up one of each style to cover all bases.

​Most Common Benefits of a Humidifier for a Baby

With the basics locked down, we will now look at some of the specific advantages of using a humidifier in a house with a newborn baby…

Protect Your Baby’s Skin With a Humidifier

​One of the most significant benefits of a humidifier for a baby is safeguarding their soft and precious skin.

Remember that warm air causes dehydration and skin burning, which results in your baby’s skin drying out.

This is where a cool-mist humidifier comes fully to the fore. Cold air reduces that dehydration and skin burn and offers great protection for your bundle of joy.

Keep that skin looking as soft as it is!

Humidifiers Can Prevent Sickness

​The presence of intense moisture in a room increases the chances of bacteria and virus growth. Both are instrumental when it comes to making your baby sick.

A warm mist humidifier helps eliminate these bacteria and viruses by introducing hot air into the equation.

Humidifiers are also great for staving off nosebleeds because they ensure that your baby’s nose remains moist, not dry.

Also, humidifiers play a key role in lessening air pollution, leading to various illnesses. They are used to separate and eliminate harmful by-products from the air. In this way, the air becomes fresher and healthier for the child to breathe.

Humidifiers Can Provide Your Baby With Warmth

​Sometimes the room temperature is simply too low for comfort. As you know, a baby’s skin is extremely sensitive to temperature changes.

Low temperatures can be a particular menace when it’s time for your baby to go to bed.

Very low temperatures are not ideal for maintaining proper health in youngsters either.

Warm moist humidifiers are perfect here because they help balance the room temperature by increasing it to an optimum level.

Humidifiers Are Great For Developing a Baby’s Voice

​Baby’s vocal cords are highly sensitive to changes in temperature.

For instance, if the temperature is too high, this leads to dryness in the throat. Conversely, when the temperature is too low, it can result in bacteria and viruses spreading to the vocal cords.

Either dryness or the growth of bacteria can lead to a variation in the way a baby makes sounds.

A humidifier is brought to play to ensure that temperatures are moderate and controlled. This way, the sound cords will be lubricated by moisture to sidestep problematic dryness.

Humidifiers Can Ward off Asthma

​Allergies are common in children. Breathing can be affected adversely in the case of asthma.

The presence of a humidifier will boost moisture levels in the air, which enables enhanced breathing. The increase in breathing rate cleans the respiratory system, which means less chance of asthma.

Important Note: You should always thoroughly clean your humidifier so that it spreads fresh moisture only in the air.

Dirty humidifiers are prone to producing pollutants in the air. These negatively affect your baby. Proper maintenance is absolutely paramount.

Improved Sleeping

As you know, sleeping is one of the driving factors contributing to a healthy body.

Just as a reminder: warm air can aid the way your baby sleeps considerably.

However, it is still important to decide on the type of humidifier you will use…

The best option, finance permitting, is to have both types of humidifiers in the room, but you only need to switch on one at a time, depending on the temperature you are angling for. For example, if the room is too cold, it is better to switch on the warm moist humidifier to hike up the temperature to something more comfortable.

Remember, too, to bear these handy hints in mind at all times:

  • ​Dirty humidifiers can release pollutants into the air
  • Warm mist humidifiers can lead to skin burn when wrongly used or hazardous spillages if left unattended in your baby’s room
  • Cold mist humidifiers can contribute to the growth of bacteria and viruses if used in already cold rooms

We hope you have found this look at some of the benefits of a humidifier for your baby to be useful. If you have any questions on anything related to air quality, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. We always welcome feedback, and we’ll get back to you as quickly as possible.

Mas Broto

Written by: Mas Broto

Mas Broto is a small business owner with 30 years experience in the real estate industry. He is the founder and editor of theDailyThrive.net, the most comprehensive free home improvement website on the planet!