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Do Babies Need a Humidยญiยญfiยญer? Nothยญing makes parยญents hapยญpiยญer than knowยญing their baby is getยญting a lot of solยญid, deep sleep. Sleep is a key ingreยญdiยญent of well-being, and a baby who sleeps soundยญly at night is far likeยญliยญer to be a hapยญpy baby.But babies often come down with colds and minor upper resยญpiยญraยญtoยญry infecยญtions as they grow and develยญop, parยญticยญuยญlarยญly in the winยญter. When the furยญnace is runยญning 24 hours a day, the air in your home can dry out badยญly, which can be tough on infants. The soluยญtion is often putting a humidยญiยญfiยญer in the nursยญery, which helps your baby breathe more easily.How else do humidยญiยญfiers work to make your baby more comยญfortยญable? Are they as benยญeยญfiยญcial as peoยญple say? Are there any drawbacks?This artiยญcle offers tips for choosยญing a humidยญiยญfiยญer for your babyโs room, tips for makยญing it work most effiยญcientยญly, and where you should place it. For more info on this helpยญful piece of equipยญment and how it can benยญeยญfit your baby, read on!
1- First, Do Your Research
There are sevยญerยญal types of humidยญiยญfiers on the marยญket today, includยญing cool mist or warm mist modยญels. Before going shopยญping to buy one, do a deep dive into the variยญeties and modยญels availยญable, includยญing the kind of mist they emit and what sizes they come in.Your choice should be deterยญmined, in part, by how much room is availยญable in the nursยญery. Itโs fine to begin this research online, but you should check them out at the store before buyยญing. Speยญcialยญty stores, those that specifยญiยญcalยญly carยญry heatยญing and coolยญing equipยญment, usuยญalยญly have the widest array of prodยญucts for you to choose from.
2- Talk To Your Pediatrician If Youโre Unsure Whether To Buy One
If your baby has a chronยญic conยญdiยญtion relatยญed to the resยญpiยญraยญtoยญry tract, talk to your docยญtor. Ask them what they recยญomยญmend for dealยญing with your babyโs resยญpiยญraยญtoยญry issues.Should it be a warm mist humidยญiยญfiยญer, for examยญple? Do they think itโs a good idea to install one at all? If they recยญomยญmend one, do they sugยญgest you run it year-round or only when your baby is stuffed up?Your pediยญaยญtriยญcian knows your babyโs health, so getยญting their opinยญion will help you feel more cerยญtain youโve made the right choice.
3- Is The Nursery Roomy Enough?
When you install a humidยญiยญfiยญer in the babyโs room, be sure itโs placed, so that moist mist does not blow directยญly onto the bed or the baby. While moisยญture in the enviยญronยญment is suitยญable for your baby, havยญing it blow right into their face is defยญiยญniteยญly not.Choose a modยญel of the approยญpriยญate size โ big enough, so the mist covยญers the entire roomโs square footage, but not so big that it creยญates a drafty breeze into your babyโs face. Placยญing it in a spot that lets it blow air into the whole room but not directยญly in the path of the bed or crib is the ideยญal place to put the humidifier.
4- Be Sure Minerals, Mildew & Mold Donโt Build Up
Once you purยญchase a humidยญiยญfiยญer, itโs cruยญcial that you keep it clean. Check the manยญuยญalโs direcยญtions on cleanยญing it and what soluยญtion you should use. Often warm water and soap or a mild deterยญgent do the trick. And donโt forยญget to unplug it before you begin!
5- Some Humidifiers Come With Washable Filters
Obviยญousยญly, the goal is to ensure that the emitยญting water moisยญture is as clean and germ-free as posยญsiยญble. To that end, humidยญiยญfiers have filยญters, some disยญposยญable and some washable.Humidยญiยญfiers that come with washยญable filยญters are usuยญalยญly a litยญtle more costยญly upfront but may save you monยญey over time because youโre not replacยญing filยญters as freยญquentยญly. This is one facยญtor you should invesยญtiยญgate thorยญoughยญly before makยญing your selection.Any humidยญiยญfiยญer you purยญchase nowaยญdays is bound to have a filยญter sysยญtem. The key is knowยญing which one is best for your home and your baby.
6- Choose One With a Built-In Humidistat
A humidiยญsยญtat informs you of the levยญel of humidยญiยญty in the air, and most modยญern humidยญiยญfiers are equipped with one. Pediยญaยญtriยญcians recยญomยญmend baby rooms stay at a 50 perยญcent moisยญture levยญel. Choosยญing a humidยญiยญfiยญer with this feaยญture built-in elimยญiยญnates guessยญwork โ a quick check each mornยญing lets you know whether the unit needs a top-up.
7- Donโt Put Scents Or Other Additives Into The Water
When a baby is stuffy and havยญing difยญfiยญculยญty breathยญing, itโs temptยญing to add (for examยญple) menยญthol of some kind in an attempt to increase the effecยญtiveยญness of the humidยญiยญfiยญer. But experts say no to this.Most pediยญaยญtriยญcians and othยญer docยญtors say that unadulยญterยญatยญed warm mist is fine for the baby and doesยญnโt need an addiยญtive. These donโt cause any harm, but they arenโt necยญesยญsary and will cause you to have to clean the humidยญiยญfiยญer more frequently.
Benefits Of a Humidifier In Your Babyโs Room:
There are many! Here is a roundup of how much good a humidยญiยญfiยญer can do in your nursery.
1- The Steam Makes Breathing Easier
It isnโt just babies with resยญpiยญraยญtoยญry issues who benยญeยญfit from the warm moisยญture in the air. All babies benยญeยญfit, parยญticยญuยญlarยญly when their enviยญronยญment is dry in the winยญterยญtime. You know that wonยญderยญful feelยญing you get in a steam room or sauna at the gym after a tough workout?You sit and breathe in the moist air, and it feels like your lungs have opened wide! Thatโs the feelยญing your baby gets once they begin inhalยญing the warm, moist air creยญatยญed by a humidยญiยญfiยญer. And when they breathe more easยญiยญly, you do too.
2- Humid Air Softens Skin
Babies have the softยญest skin on earth, donโt they? The expresยญsion โsmooth as a babyโs bumโ is right on! But even litยญtle ones can feel the effects of dry air on their skin, and thatโs what a humidยญiยญfiยญer comยญbats. Because the humidยญiยญfiยญer conยญverts warm water into steam, soothes, softยญens and reduces itchiness.Babies are less apt to scratch at their skin when it doesยญnโt feel irriยญtatยญed and dry. This goes for chapped lips, too โ a humidยญiยญfiยญer relieves flaky, dry lips and softยญens the skin under a babyโs nose and around their mouths.
3- The Sound Helps The Baby Sleep
In addiยญtion to all of the physยญiยญcal benยญeยญfits for your baby, the hum of a humidยญiยญfiยญer can help them nod off. Just like cerยญtain sounds help adults fall asleep โ a fan runยญning, a clock tickยญing โ babies are lulled to sleep by cerยญtain sounds too.The low, steady sound of a humidยญiยญfiยญer operยญatยญing masks noise from othยญer rooms and creยญates a kind of aurยญal cocoon that helps your baby block out those othยญer sounds.
4- Humidifiers Donโt Only Benefit Sick Babies
Some parยญents plug in a humidยญiยญfiยญer when their infant gets sick with a cold or lung infecยญtion. Howยญevยญer, childยญcare experts and sleep speยญcialยญists agree that leavยญing a humidยญiยญfiยญer runยญning in the babyโs room is smart in all casยญes, not just when the baby is ill.The steam makes breathยญing easยญiยญer, and it soothes their skin. And as everyยญone knows, a comยญfortยญable baby โ whether they are sick or not โ sleeps more soundยญly. And the more rest babies get, the more conยญsisยญtent and deep sleep they get each night, and the more rest parยญents get, too!
Our Final Thoughts
We did a lot of research into whether putting a humidยญiยญfiยญer into your babyโs room is benยญeยญfiยญcial and worth the cost. After all, humidยญiยญfiers donโt come cheap, and we wantยญed to be sure we are recยญomยญmendยญing a wise purยญchase for your babyโs room.The answer is yes โ installing a humidยญiยญfiยญer in your nursยญery is defยญiยญniteยญly a good move. It can help your baby breathe more easยญiยญly, which in turn helps them sleep betยญter and more soundยญly. It relieves dry, itchy winยญter skin and even easยญes chapped lips and flakยญing nasal pasยญsages. If a babyโs nose dries out too much, it can occaยญsionยญalยญly cause nose bleeds. This is parยญticยญuยญlarยญly true in the cold winยญter months.Humidยญiยญfiers cost anyยญwhere from about $100 (USD) to as much as $1,000 for highยญer-end modยญels. The cost depends, in part, on how big an area you want the humidยญiยญfiยญer to covยญer. But ultiยญmateยญly, the cash outยญlay is well worth it because your baby will sleep betยญter and more consistently.We know that all parยญents want their babies to be as comยญfortยญable as posยญsiยญble. Thatโs why we think buyยญing a humidยญiยญfiยญer for your nursยญery is the best way to go. When they sleep betยญter, moms and dads sleep betยญter too, and that makes for a hapยญpiยญer and healthยญiยญer family!
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