When you expect your baby angel to come home soon after a wait of 9 long months, you will start preparing your home for them. However, preparing your home for the newborn baby isn’t an easy task. You need to decide many factors, and some can be tough. One of such key decisions is to find the right air-controlling device for the babies.
You might want to control your baby room’s humidity and dryness level and thus, decide to get a dehumidifier. But are dehumidifiers good for babies?
Dehumidifiers are essential to regulate the moisture level in a good position so that the room for your baby isn’t too dry or humid. Ideally, the humidity level of the baby’s room should be below 55%. It stops mold and mildew growth and prevents dust mites from ensuring a healthier interior for babies. Thus, you might need a dehumidifier to control the humidity, mold, and dust mite of your baby’s room, especially if you live in high-humid and tropical regions.
Nonetheless, a dehumidifier isn’t mandatory for your baby. The use will depend on the humidity level and the location of your baby’s room in the home. Continue reading the article to know more about the benefits, setbacks, and uses of dehumidifiers for babies.
How to Work Dehumidifier?
You should understand the functioning of a dehumidifier to know whether or not a dehumidifier is good for babies. That’s why we have decided to break down the working procedure of the dehumidifying device so that you can decide if it is ideal for babies or not.
A dehumidifier works with a fan. The fan will draw the air inside the dehumidifier. There the air passes through refrigerated coils. As the refrigerator works on the warm air, the water becomes cold and condensates gradually. The dehumidifier will then start collecting the condensation water droplets one by one in its storage tank. The storage tank will be behind or underneath the dehumidifier, and its size varies depending on its capacity.
As the tank collects water droplets, the air becomes dehumidified. After that, the machine will release the dehumidified air into the room environment. Usually, the dehumidifier will release cooler air in the surrounding through mists.
Since it delivers cooler mist in the air, it is known as a cool mist dehumidifier. On the other side, a warm mist dehumidifier will release warm air after dehumidifying it.
The dehumidifier should be able to dry the air effectively. Ideally, indoor space shouldn’t contain more than 40-45% humidity level. It means the dehumidifier must be able to lower the humidity level of your interior space at 30% to 50% relative humidity level.
These days, most dehumidifiers come with a hygrometer or standard meter to measure the humidity level and showcase it in the LED display. You can even set the humidity level you want inside the room, and the dehumidifier will work accordingly. Once it reaches the required relative humidity level that you have set, the machine will shut off automatically. Again, when the humidity rises above the suggested level, it will turn on automatically and dehumidify the room. Plus, you can easily use a remote to control the dehumidifying machines.
Are Dehumidifiers Good For Babies?
Now, to the vital question, “Are dehumidifiers essential for babies?” Or, is it a good way to install a dehumidifier in babies’ room?”
Technically speaking, installing a dehumidifier in your babies’ room will help you achieve the desired humidity level with ease. So, you remain in full control of the room’s humidity level and regulate it depending on the season. But how effective is a dehumidifier for babies?
The answer lies in your baby’s room location and where you live. If you live in a tropical area where the relative humidity level often goes over 50% to 60%, you might need a dehumidifier for babies. Also, the basement of your home is the most vulnerable to humidity. Often the relative humidity of the basement will be over 50%. Thus, you need to control the humidity level there.
Nonetheless, it is highly unlikely that you will keep your baby in the basement. Thus, you won’t need a dehumidifier for the baby’s room unless you live in a tropical or sub-tropical region where the humidity level hits well above 50% during the warmer days.
Also, note that too drier air might also dry out the skin of your baby. It can be problematic for them since babies have sensitive skin, and when it becomes dry, they can suffer from rashes and other issues. In fact, you should never keep your babies in too dry condition.
Nonetheless, you can still use a dehumidifier in your bay room to control the relative humidity level at 30% to 45% to reduce mold and mildew growth. It will prevent dust mites too. Thus, the dehumidifier will lower the humidity and save your baby from dust mites and allergens too.
However, there’s a catch. Do you need a dehumidifier or humidifier for babies? We will answer it in the following section.
You can watch this video to learn about the benefits of installing a dehumidifier in your baby’s room.
What Does a Humidifier Do for Baby?
A humidifier will control the humidity level. But it increases the moisture level of your room, unlike the dehumidifier that decreases the humidity. Thus, the humidifier will boost the humidity in the baby’s room during the cold days when humidity is lower.
Also, many babies suffer from nasal passage irritation and congestion due to dry air. A humidifier will help your baby get relief from nasal congestion. Plus, dry skin will start irritating soon. So, installing a humidifier to boost the moisture during winter and cold days will prevent skin irritation.
As the humidifier will improve the humidity level, it will relieve babies from nasal congestion and skin irritation. Thus, the baby will enjoy a peaceful sleep.
Happy time! Happy Sleep!
What Features to Consider When Choosing a Dehumidifier?
When you decide to get a dehumidifier for kids, you can’t just pick any device and expect it to deliver optimal performance. You need to look at a few crucial factors of the dehumidifier to get the best service without spending much on it.
1. Determine your space requirement
First off, decide how much space your dehumidifier will need to cover. The coverage of the machine is expressed in square feet, and you need to fix it. Do you want a dehumidifier to cover a single room or entire home?
A dehumidifier with 150 to 200 square foot coverage will work fine for single rooms. You may choose a whole-house dehumidifier if you want to cover your entire home. Thus, you should check the space of your room and choose the dehumidifier accordingly.
2. Pint capacity
The print capacity of the dehumidifier refers to the amount of moisture the machine can remove from the air in 24 hours. Usually, the higher the pint capacity, the larger the dehumidifier will be. But, a larger dehumidifier isn’t always essential for you, especially for the baby’s room.
For residential use, a dehumidifier with 39 pints to 70 pints capacity will work fine. You don’t need the larger dehumidifiers for the kids’ room as these rooms are often small. Also, a large dehumidifier will cost you more in the electricity bills.
3. Hygrostat vs. hydrostat
Both hygrostat and hydrostat will read the humidity level of the indoor air. But, there’s a big difference in their working procedure. A hygrostat will only measure the moisture level and show it to you. On the contrary, a hydrostat is a modern appliance. It will read the relative humidity level and display it on the LED panel.
What’s more, dehumidifiers with hydrostat will control the machine automatically. It means, with hydrostat, you can set the humidity level of your baby room at the desired level. The hydrostat will measure the moisture level and start the dehumidifier when the humidity level reaches beyond your expected level inside the room.
4. Auto or manual control
Manual control of the dehumidifier will allow you to control the settings and adjustments through a dial knob on the device. On the other side, electric controls allow you to use buttons or even remotes to adjust the settings. It includes humidity level, auto turns off, etc.
Thankfully, these days, most dehumidifier models offer electronic control. So, you don’t need to think much about it.
5. Tank capacity and drainage
The drainage capacity of the dehumidifier is an important consideration. It is linked with the water tank storage capacity. If the storage tank is too small, you need to drain it frequently. It can be problematic since you need to remove the tank for draining it frequently. Thus, you should go for a dehumidifier with large tanks to need less drainage. Also, it should be easy to disassemble the tank to remove the accumulated water.
6. Air filter and noise level
The last thing you won’t want is to see your baby waking up due to the dehumidifier noise. So, it would help if you chose a dehumidifier with a reduced noise level. We recommend getting a dehumidifier with less than 30dB sound for a quiet and noise-free room interior.
The air filter is an optional requirement for a dehumidifier. Many machines these days come with HEPA or activated carbon filters to purify the room. Nonetheless, if you want to ensure a healthy surrounding for babies, you should choose an air purifier for the bathroom and other rooms. It will safeguard the baby from germs and offer him an odor-free pleasant environment.
We considered all these facts and found that the hysure Dehumidifier with its 700ml tank capacity and 215 square feet coverage will be an excellent option for your babies. It works pretty silently at 33dB, too, for a noise-free environment.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do humidifiers help babies sleep?
Yes, humidifiers with the optimal humidity level in the room will help babies sleep better. It stops skin irritation and nasal congestion to help babies enjoy a sound sleep.
How can I increase humidity in my baby’s room?
If the baby’s room is low in humidity, you can stop the dehumidifier from increasing the humidity level. Also, you might use a diffuser or humidifier for this purpose.
Do babies need a dehumidifier in summer?
During summer, mold and mildew grow rapidly due to increased humidity in the air. It can cause allergic symptoms and rashes on the baby’s skin. Hence, using a dehumidifier to control the moisture level during summer will help babies enjoy a better ambiance.
Do babies need cool or warm dehumidifier?
You should always use a cool-mist dehumidifier for babies. It is safe for kids as it doesn’t release warm mist in the air. Plus, hot water from the warm dehumidifier might burn your babies’ hands.
Final Thoughts
So, are dehumidifiers good for babies? Yes, a dehumidifier will stop mold and mildew growth by regulating the humidity level inside the baby’s room during the summer days. Also, it is essential if you live in a tropical region.
The key is to choose the right dehumidifier with optimal coverage, pint capacity, and reduced noise. It will ensure healthy living and better sleep for babies.