Vaporizer

The brand we like to use is a Vicks warm mist humidifier. You can pick them up at Target. It keeps the room nice and warm and is easy to clean. It has a medicine cup on it where you can put Vicks vapor medicine in it to fill the air also. It is a quiet machine and has a night light on it.

I would recommend a humidifier for the baby's room and either a vaporizer or humidifier for your room. (Having two units is great if you're like me and you seem to get sick every time the baby does -- and vice versa.)

So far I've been happy with both units. (I think they're Vicks brand.) Since the vaporizer can make the room feel like a swamp, and the unit itself gets hot to the touch, I put the vaporizer in my room. Then I don't worry about the soon-to-be toddler getting out of bed and touching the hot unit. Plus, the baby can't get up and open a door or turn it off if she gets uncomfortable, but I can.

I've found that having these units is very useful during cold/flu season. It helps us both breathe easier and it seems to help us get better more quickly.

My friend, who is the NICU coordinator at the U of Utah Hospital has told me to only use cool mist humidifiers, NOT warm mist, and use distilled water rather than tap water, too. We have a cute penguin one that we got at Target. Here's the link: http://www.target.com/Crane-Penguin-1-Gallon-Humidifier/d...

I actually use a cool mist humidifer that helps my son. I just purchased it at Wal-Mart. He too goes to daycare and catches all the viruses. I hope this helps.

I also have both a cold mist vaporizer and a steam vaporizer, and I prefer the steam variety.

There are pluses and minuses to each type. There is an obvious risk of burns with the steam vaporizer, but not so much as you would think. Their designs have been greatly improved since the one I used as a child. The outside body of my vaporizer doesn't get hot at all, and the steam escape is designed to keep steam from rolling out in a way that can burn easily. The only real burn issue is if it gets tipped over, and as Cindy pointed out, it's not that hard to make it safe.

A cool mist vaporizer works by making water vapor through a rapidly turning disk within the water of the humidifier. There's not the risk of burn, but the cool water can be an excellent breeding ground for mold and bacteria. Therefore, it is very important to follow the manufacturer's instructions concerning cleaning which usually includes cleansing the tank on a daily basis with soap and water. Cold mist vaporizers can also disperse the minerals with the water, which can cause health problems, so that's why you have to use distilled water with them. Because of all this, and the fact that the cool mist vaporizer was much noiser and less calming than the steam vaporizer, I prefer to use the steam one.

As far as how it works, I've really appreciated having mine. We, too, have had a spate of colds lately, and the vaporizer offered the only real relief I could give my daughter for several days.

Hi S., I bought a vick's brand from walmart and put the vics liquid stuff that is recommended to put in the medicine cap. It worked great for our son's cold/cough. Its a warm mist vaporizer also so better then a cool mist and it really does get warm in the room! The cost was about $12.00.
You just have to use commen sense and not let your child touch the vaporizer if you get the warm one. For my son hes in bed before it went on so he couldnt touch it and when he was free to crawl/walk it was put up so he couldnt get to it plus it wasnt running so it wasnt warm. So for your child if hes in a crib and cant get out of it yet either it would be safe to run it after hes in bed. So a warm mist vaporizer isnt bad at all as long as you have commen sense, and it does work way better then cool mist I have used cool mist myself and have had no relief and with a warm mist it just worked best for my son. Hope this helps just wanted you to know that a warm mist isnt as bad as people seem to make it out to be if your smart about it. L.

I have a frog shaped cool mist humidifier (does the same thing as a vaporizer just safer, NO HOT STEAM). My girl loves it. The water last for about 3 nights.
I place it by her bed side. It seems to help a lot; she is also in DC and gets everything, on top of her asthma and allergies.
I have seen them in all kinds of characters at target, even a train! (I looked it up on target.com "searched for crane”-the brand name) link below!

http://www.target.com/gp/search/601-###-###-####-###-###-...

Get a COOL MIST humidifier.(Kids have been burned by the warm mist vaporizers when they put their hands or face in front of the steam, or if they accidentally knock it over) They all work the same, so it doesn't matter the brand. Look for one that has a larger holding tank for the water, otherwise you might have to refill it often.

When my youngest was still a baby, one of her colds developed into croup and she had to have a steroid shot. And the Children's Physician's ER doctor recommended getting a humidifier based on the size of the room. They are all pretty similar. But he also suggested getting some Eucalyptus oil and putting a couple of drops of that into the water in the humidifier. The doctor also suggested steaming up the bathroom (door closed) and then sit with the child in the bathroom for 15-20 minutes (5-6 times per day) to help break up the congestion. Just consult with your pediatrician to see if this would be helpful for your son. Hope this helps.

Only use cold air ones. Linnins and Things has really cute ones for childrens rooms and the usually have a 20% off coupon in the Sunday Paper too.

You can't add the Vick's to anything but a steam one so that is what I got for my son. It was a Vicks brand name plain Jane, but I think they are all manufactured by the same group, just have different logos.
You don't have to be a brain surgeon to use a steam vaporizer, just make sure it is up out of reach and no cords are hanging where they can be pulled. Personally I have used both and I don't think the cool mist works a well.
Good luck-
C.