The best baby humidifiers 2024

best baby humidifiers

by Samantha Ball |
Updated on

You may be wondering if your baby needs a humidifier. Baby humidifiers have many benefits for your baby, including helping them to breathe easily, especially in those colder months, and are one of the best aids to help your baby sleep. They're fairly new to the parenting world, so many may be confused on whether humidifiers are safe for babies, but we're here to give you all the facts.

There's nothing worse than seeing your little one struggling at night when they have a cold. It can cause them to be tired from lack of sleep and uncomfortable from the difficulties of breathing. The best baby humidifier that will keep your bubba breathing easily is one of the best solutions.

The best baby humidifiers at a glance:

• Best overall baby humidifier: Vicks Sweet Dreams Cool Mist Humidifier -buy for £48.28 on Amazon
• Best quiet baby humidifier: Babymoov Hygro Plus Ultrasonic Humidifier - buy for £64.99 on Amazon
• Best baby humidifier with app control: ASAKUKI Wi-Fi Smart Essential Oil Diffuser - buy for £33.99 on Amazon
• Best baby humidifier with sound machine: Crane Humidifier with Sound Machine - buy for £99.99 on John Lewis

• Best baby humidifier with adjustable mist levels: Maxi-Cosi Breathe Humidifier - Buy on kiddies kingdom for £99.99

Humidifiers are a great way to help keep moisture in the air therefore make the perfect sleep aids. It will stop the space from becoming too dry and prevent mould or bacteria build-up. This means that you can sleep better at night, knowing your little one can breathe more comfortably through cold and flu season. Yes, this is particularly helpful to your baby's breathing and skin in the colder months. It is especially noticeable when the cranked-up heating could dry out the air more than usual.

While it might not be necessary, there are certainly many benefits for you and your baby from using a humidifier in the home. There are a number of different types of humidifiers, including aromatherapy, cool mist and warm mist humidifiers. Some humidifiers even double up as a white noise machine to help your baby sleep.

Best baby humidifiers 2024

Best quiet baby humidifier

Description

Made with parents in mind, this humidifier allows you to effortlessly monitor temperature, humidity, and even diffuse essential oils. Particularly handy for alleviating your tots congestion and flu symptoms, it's also easy to use, with one reviewer praising how easy it is to adjust the air direction. Parents also loved how simple it was to maintain and there's no need for filters. In terms of downsides, some parents wished it was easier to control steam levels and wanted some clearer instructions.

Pros

  • Has built-in night light
  • Cool mist technology

Cons

  • Some reviewers thought it was quite noisy

Best baby humidifier with app control

Description

This humidifier is best suited to larger nurseries or bedrooms, and has the capacity to operate for up to 16 hours to infuse your space with the soothing scents of your favourite essential oils. It's also a very convenient diffuser to control thanks to the smart app control where you can easily adjust settings, activate mood lights, and set timers to suit your preference. While it offers relaxation, stress relief, and allergy alleviation benefits, it's very important to research essential oils for baby safety, generally waiting until the baby is over three months old before use. One parent loved how simple this was to use and loved how it created a calming ambiance with the scent of lavender. The main downside was the limited capacity compared to others.

Pros

  • Can be controlled via an app on your smartphone
  • Tailored for light sleepers

Cons

  • Capacity could be bigger

Best overall baby humidifier

Description

The 2-in-1 Vicks Sweet Dreams Cool Mist humidifier offers a safe solution for children's congestion and coughing issues, ensuring a peaceful night's sleep. Designed with child safety in mind, it eliminates the risk of burns and is compatible with Vicks VapoPads, helping to clear airways for easier breathing. Particularly beneficial during cold seasons, it helps promote overall wellness for little ones. Satisfied parents found it helped alleviate cold symptoms and enhanced the sleeping experience for children.

Pros

  • Includes 2 menthol VapoPads
  • Operates quietly
  • Helps with congestion

Cons

  • Water capacity is bigger in others

Best versatile baby humidifier

Description

Suitable for almost any room in the house, this versatile humidifier would be a fitting choice for a modern nursery. Aesthetically pleasing, the DUUX Tag 2 will blend right into your decor. It has variable humidity settings, and speed settings, is super quiet and has a large 2.5-litre tank that will indicate when it's low on water. Testers loved how easy it was to clean and how easy it was to use.

Pros

  • Red light indicator to tell you when the water has run out
  • It's super quiet
  • More energy-efficient 

Cons

  • Not the smallest

Best baby humidifier with adjustable mist levels

Description

Specifically tailored for nursery use, it helps ensure your little one enjoys restful sleep. Featuring a sizeable water tank, it can run for up to 24 hours. Operated via the user-friendly app, mist levels can be adjusted, auto-timers can be set, and the device can be remotely controlled. You'll also receive low water level alerts. Parent testers particularly loved this during UK heatwaves as it helped them maintain a cool and pleasant room environment for little ones. They found the app easy to use and they loved that the tank's large capacity reduced the hassle of nightly refills. You also get the added benefit of using essential oils if wanted to aid in congestion relief.

Pros

  • Modern design
  • App controlled
  • Large tank capacity

Cons

  • Could be stronger

Best baby humidifier with sound machine

Description

This award-winning design offers coverage for up to 500 sq. ft. and 24 hours of moisture to alleviate dryness and congestion. Featuring a large 3.8L tank, it doubles as a sound machine with three calming sounds and an optional nightlight, ideal for lulling baby to sleep. Some parents found it a lifesaver when it came to sinus relief and they loved how multifunctional it was. The main downside parents found was that it needed refilling regularly when using for prolonged periods.

Pros

  • Long run time
  • Optional night light
  • Option white noise features

Cons

  • Have to refill regularly

Best novelty baby humidifier

Description

We love this adorable whale design humidifier that's specifically tailored for children, serving as both an aromatherapy diffuser and a humidifier to maintain room moisture levels. There's also 7 colour changing lights that little ones love while the auto shut-off function ensures safety after five to seven hours of operation. Parents loved how it operates silently, making it ideal for bedtimes, and it's particularly effective for a child's chesty cough at night, offering relief without the discomfort of traditional remedies. The main downside was that the tank was only small in capacity compared to other models.

Pros

  • Cute animal shape
  • Seven colour changes
  • Essential oil diffuser

Cons

  • Small water tank capacity

Best baby humidifier for design

Description

Despite many parents worrying about its smaller size compared to previous models, mums and dads found it surpassed expectations, operating for 12 hours on a 500ml capacity. The compact design minimised water spillage concerns, making it ideal for use around children. Testers loved its automatic shut-off feature which adds an extra layer of safety for use with children. Simple to operate with just a button press, it provides flexibility with options for continuous or intermittent misting, along with an ambient light feature for relaxation.

Pros

  • Ultrasonic quiet option
  • Water-less auto-off
  • USB powered

Cons

  • Some reviewers have mentioned the USB cable is quite short

Best baby humidifier that's easy to clean

Description

Ideal for aiding your little one's nighttime comfort, the soothing cool mist helps ease nighttime coughs, cold, and flu symptoms. Additionally, it helps combat dry skin, making it ideal for the winter months. One parent even noted how it helped soothe her daughter's tonsillitis, ensuring a restful sleep despite illness. They also loved how quiet it was when in operation so that it didn't wake baby up. The main downside parents found was the light inside the humidifier when using at night as many found it a bit too bright.

Pros

  • Easy-to-clean filters
  • Low energy consumption
  • Large water capacity

Cons

  • Some reviewers felt the light inside was quite bright

Best baby humidifier with projection

Description

Aroma diffuser, humidifier, and night light in one, this device is designed to create a tranquil environment for your baby's restful sleep. Producing a gentle mist to soothe them, the soft colour-changing nightlight adds to the calming ambiance. You can also incorporate essential oils like lavender for an added level of relaxation. The only thing parents wished they could change is the run time as it was a little shorter than others.

Pros

  • Projects soft moon and starlights
  • Colour-changing LED lights
  • USB powered

Cons

  • Could have a longer runtime

Best compact baby humidifier

Description

Offering soothing mist for up to 12 hours of continuous operation, multifunctional humidifier offers a mist adjuster, nightlight with various colours, and automatic shut-off for added convenience and safety. With a generous 1.9-liter tank capacity, it effectively covers up to 320 square feet, ensuring good room coverage. Parents loved that it doubles up as a night light when not in use. The only thing they wished is that it came with batteries included.

Pros

  • Night light function
  • Cool hydrating mist that runs for up to 12 hours

Cons

  • No batteries included

Baby humidifiers - All you need to know

Are baby humidifiers safe for babies?

Babies come with a lot of products, and finding room for more might be difficult. However, adding a humidifier to your list of 'baby must haves' will show benefits for the whole family and not all will take up that much room on the shelf.

It might seem like a big investment, but if you're wondering how to know if your baby needs a humidifier, the benefits of a humidifier are great. Benefits include the fact they help ease a range of symptoms from allergies and eczema to colds and flu.

Humidifiers are also very safe to use with babies as long as they're used correctly. Sleep Consultant Lucy Wolfe says, "They can be helpful to add moisture to the air that can support clearer breathing and avoid drying out your fragile skin, especially when the air is dry due to climate and central heating. It is certainly becoming a more popular parent purchase. But I don't typically recommend them unless the parents themselves feel strongly about them.

The best humidifiers to keep your baby breathing easily

"My understanding is that moisture is gently distributed into the environment that helps to avoid the mucus in the nostrils from drying up, which may help to avoid congestion or avoid common coughs and colds. As a result of the moisture that is balancing out a dry atmosphere, largely caused by insulation and central heating, this may also help to avoid their baby's skin from also drying out and becoming itchy.

"So helpful for children prone to coughs, colds and congestion and maybe also children with skin irritation. Some models make a slight sound too, and this may act as a 'white noise' background sound that can be comforting for some children as it is reminiscent of the womb. I don't feel that there are any disadvantages per se, but whether it is a necessary purchase, I can't say."

Where is the best place to put baby humidifiers?

You want to place it somewhere in your baby's room where they will not accidentally knock it over or be able to reach any wires. You'll also want to place it somewhere where the mist can disperse well into the room. So you don't get a build-up of moisture on any surfaces or the ceiling.

Be sure to check what size room your humidifier is made for. If your room is too small, you could find the humidifier causes condensation and dampness. If the room is too big, it could be ineffective.

How often should you clean it?

As with anything in our homes, it's important we keep it clean to reduce the spread of bacteria. To keep our humidifiers and our rooms clean, it's important to clean out the water tank every one to three days and to change the water daily. Follow Paediatrician Sara Connolly's advice on how to clean your baby's humidifier efficiently:

What to consider when shopping for the best humidifier for a baby?

Room size: Without a doubt, we all want a humidifier that can fit anywhere. Bear in mind, if you have little space, be wary to not over-humidify the room either, which can cause germs and mould.

Time: The run-time of a humidifier's varies and depends on its tank size and release rate. Some can last up to 24 hours before involving a refill, while some must be refilled every couple of hours.

Design: Of course, every humidifier needs refilling, tank design is vital. Look for choices with huge openings to make refills simpler and think about glowing options so you can always keep an eye on water and its level.

Cleaning: Make sure you consider the design, so that cleaning days will be easy.

Meet The Expert

Lucy Wolfe is a Sleep Consultant, Co-Creational Relationship Mentor and Mum of four children. She is the former European Director of the Association of Professional Sleep Consultants. As well as a member of The International Association of Child Sleep Consultants.

Samantha Ball is a Product & Lifestyle Writer for Mother&Baby and freelanced for the website for two years before joining the team full time. She's a mum of two and loves browsing for the best products and cute outfits.

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