When it comes to taking care of a child, parents do so much to ensure the child is comfortable. Humidifiers are one of those gadgets that create a serene environment that is conducive to the well-being of a child. However, before you run to your nearest store to get one, you need to put into consideration a few things that will affect your purchasing decision. Below are 10 tips to guide you in choosing the best humidifier.
-
Warm or Cold Mist Humidifiers
If you live in an area with a cold climate you may want to choose the Vicks Warm Mist Humidifier. If not, the cold one would be practical. However, your personal preference matters as well. There are people who find the room temperature vaporized water to be too cool and feel that it may contribute to creating new infections in the child’s breathing system so they opt for the warm one.
Others prefer the warm one because they kill all bacteria in the water as it boils, therefore, eliminating any chances of developing any harmful infections as well as the fact that it does two functions once, warming and humidifying the room.
-
Budget
The most important thing to look at when purchasing a humidifier is your budget. Yes, you may want to get the best humidifier on the market but is it worth the cost? Is your spending decision going to hurt your finances or family plans? You do not have to break the bank when it comes to this.
If your budget is limited to a certain amount, then it would be wise to shop within your spending range. You will be surprised how many unlimited you maybe even with limited finances. However, if you have the financial ability to go overboard, nothing should hold you back from getting the best for your little one.
-
Noise
This may come as a surprise to many but some humidifiers especially the cool mist humidifiers tend to make noise. If your child is sensitive to noise and movements, especially when asleep, you may need to pick something from the ultrasonic humidifiers section. Normal humidifiers that have fans produce an uncomfortable blaring noise when they emit the steam into the atmosphere.
Ultrasonic humidifiers, on the other hand, are of a higher quality, which is why they cost more. The fan installed inside them does not make a loud noise as such. It is more of a slow and smooth one which can even be useful when soothing a child to sleep.
-
Energy Saving
Nobody likes to get a bill in their mail that is high. If you are one of those environmental enthusiasts who love to save on energy as much as they can then choosing the cool mist humidifier will be the better option. Unlike its counterpart, it does not use the extra power for boiling water. Really all it does is just spray the water vapor into the room.
The warm mist humidifier boils the water first. This process uses a lot of energy for this process and for a person who uses this gadget every day it may add some extra costs which you may not have anticipated.
-
The Size of Humidifier you Need
If your nursery is relatively small then you may only need to get a small, portable humidifier. If it is big, you may need to consider getting a room humidifier which would work effectively even if you want to extend to other rooms. For the parents who only keep their babies in the nursery when it’s time to sleep, a whole-house humidifier would be convenient. You will not have to move your humidifier from one room to the other when you move the child as well.
-
Tank Capacity
This is the amount of water the humidifier tank can hold. Purchasing a humidifier with a big tank capacity will reduce the number of times you will be required to refill it. However, if you get one with a smaller tank, be prepared to make trips to and from the nursery several times during the day and at night.
-
User-Friendly
This boils down to a number of things. Is the humidifier easily portable? Or do you need several other hands to assist you to take it to the sink when refilling? Another thing, does it fit easily in the sink or do you have to tilt it into a certain position to get it to fit so you can refill or worse use a container to fetch water from the tap then refill your humidifier? As much as you may want to get a big humidifier, you need to ask yourself whether it will make your life easy or if it is going to increase your workload.
-
Germ and Bacteria Control
Using a gadget for long periods of time to keep water may cause it to be a breeding site for bacteria and germs which when exposed to the child’s weak immune system may lead to contacting body rash and respiratory-related complications. However, if you can get one that has nano or silver eon technology, which is good at reducing the level of bacteria this could be easily avoided.
-
Easy to Maintain
There are some humidifiers which may need you to clean on a daily basis while others would work well with a weekly maintenance routine. How easy is it to clean? Do you struggle when it comes to reaching some parts of the humidifier? Does your machine stain easily, therefore, causing you to do regular clean up which may take some time? Well, a good humidifier should be easy to clean and maintain. Every part that has contact with water should also be easy to reach so that you can wipe effectively to avoid the accumulation of micro bacteria.
-
Additional Features
While it is okay to have a humidifier that works well as long as you set it properly, it is good to know if it has any additional features that make it easy and convenient to use. For example, it would be nice to know that your humidifier can turn itself off automatically once the room is humid enough, especially at night.
With all these guidelines to help you choose a humidifier, it should be easy to pick one now. Happy shopping.
