Infant Humidifiers

Cold air worked better when my kids were younger. We found that warm air humidifiers dried out the air too much.

Whichever humidifier you decide to use, make sure you set it on a heat resistant tray that can catch any water/moisture that will drip from it. The drippings can cause damage to your floors and furniture, and that will cost you a lot more than the most expensive humidifier you can buy! Fortunately, we caught the problem with ours BEFORE it did any permanent damage!

As far as whether to use "warm" or "cold", our pedi said it really doesn't matter. They both give you what your son needs, which is more humidity in the air. On nights that it is going to rain, though, you won't need to turn it on, because there is already a lot of moisture in the air, even if your heater will be on.

Oh...and now that his first 2 teeth have come in, the others will be coming in like an avalanche of snow!! LOL :) Have the infant Tylenol/Motrin ready, cuz you're gonna need it! Your pedi will also have a "dosing" chart, because dosing at this age is based on the child's weight.

Good Luck on your hunt for the humidifier!
~J.~

I have one I found at Target. You can find them in the pharmacy area. It's shaped like a kitty (Hello Kitty). And it has a nightlight with it. There is also a penguin, Thomas the train, and a few others. Surprisingly, they seem to hold up and work better than the expensive ones we've had.

Check this site out:

http://coldflu.about.com/od/medications/a/humidifiers.htm

You want a cold humidifier......
K.

I always used a cool mist, but I would also do a steam shower and sit there with my infant. Hard to say, but using saline drops up the nostril definetly made them feel better, they got use to it after awhile, I would do it, as well, and we would make a game out of it. For my self, the saline was the best.

It's almost always a cool mist. Every pediatrician I have had says to use it. Not only is it good for noses but it is good for skin conditiond like Eczema. Which both of my boys do/have had.

Hope this helps. I love babies! LOL

Doctors recommend cool mist humidifiers for stuffy noses. They are much safer.

My son had the same problem in our previous home because it was old with poor insulation. It was just get stuffy at night. We bought a warm air humidifier to use during the winter months, and a cold air humidifier for the warm months. He just needed moisture back in the air. I think they really helped a lot. We don't use them anymore because we have carpet now and the floor underneath the humidifier tended to get wet. I got a really cute one at Wal-Mart that was also a light, so it was great because I could see at night. Also, I recommend using the ones without the filter. Because if you don't change the filter as needed, it can actually work against you and keep the germs in the room. Good Luck!

I have never used a humidifier to be honest. I have kept an air purifier in my children's roon since the day they were born so they don't see it as a toy just another piece of furniture. It keeps the air clean and because of the fan in it, it keeps it cool and comfortable. But some differences between the 2 types of humidifiers are:

WARM:
All warm air humidifiers use a heating element to heat the water. This does mean that they use more electricity than cool air humidifiers, but the cost is no more than boiling a kettle. Air can be made to feel 'muggy' if overused.

Steam/Vaporizer
Quite simply, the water is boiled and sent out as steam. The advantage of this is that the boiling process kills any mold and bacteria. The disadvantage is a risk of burns, which makes these units unsuitable for use with children. This is the simplest type of humidifier, and is therefore very cheap to buy.

Warm Mist
Similar to steam, the water is heated to make it evaporate, but most units cool the air slightly before it is released. This reduces the risk of burns.

COOL:
These do not heat the water, so there is no burn risk and they can safely be used with children. They also use less electricity, can humidify a larger area, and do not make the air feel 'muggy'. The disadvantage is that they generally make more noise, and some require regular filter replacement.

Evaporation Wick
A wick or filter is used to absorb water, which is then evaporated by a fan. This is a more natural form of evaporation, which is a big plus. As the humidity of the air increases, the evaporation rate will naturally slow, making these units, to a large extent, self regulating. The persistent noise of a fan blowing puts a lot of people off this design. A few people actually prefer it though! They say the sound is relaxing, and even that it helps them sleep. Again, this is down to personal preference.

Impeller
With these models, it is a spinning disk in the water that creates the mist. This process is generally a lot quieter than a fan.

Ultrasonic
A more modern design, these use ultrasonic sound waves to vibrate the water and create a mist. They are very efficient, and almost silent to the human ear.

We have a warm air one that you put Vicks into. It's great, but I haven't compared it to the cold ones.

I pondered the same question when shopping for a baby humidfier. I figured since my nose always clears up in the bath, that warm air would be best, but I could be wrong. I ended up getting the Vicks Warm Mist. Whenever I breathe in cold air(like at the mall or on a cool windy day) my nose burns so I reasoned that warm air would be more soothing. Anyway, when he's stuffy,I rub a little baby Vicks on his chest in conjunction with the humidfier. The combo works great for him!

cold air humidifiers are safer (baby can't get burned.)