It’s not uncommon for your child’s doctor to recommend using Humidifier if your child has an upper respiratory infection (a cold)

Humidifiers help add moisture to the air and may alleviate dryness and irritation as well as loosen secretions.  Therefore helping you and your child breathe better. However, there is actually no good evidence to support its use in the treatment of upper respiratory infections.

One of the common questions asked is which is better and which is safer? (Scroll down for my community favorites).

The simple answer: Pediatricians recommend Cool-mist humidifiers over Warm humidifiers for safety reasons. They are less likely to lead to burn injuries in children

But, how do humidifiers work? Cool versus Warm humidifiers

Cool mist humidifiers

There are 2 types of cool mist humidifiers based on the technology used.

The evaporative humidifier basically use a built-in fan to speed up the evaporation of water into the air and that pushes out as a mist of spray into the air and increases humidity 

The ultrasonic type is usually more expensive and works by using high-frequency sound vibrations to produce an micro-fine cool water mist that is then expelled to add moisture to the room.  (I do not personally endorse any of these, images used for easy identification- talk to your pediatrician for choices)

Warm mist humidifiers use a heating element to boil water and make steam, and can slightly (but noticeably) warm a room’s air in the process.  Since they use boiling water, it is risk of injury because kids can easily tip over these humidifiers or place their hands over it and run a risk of getting burnt

Warm-mist and cool-mist humidifiers are equally effective in humidifying the air. By the time the water vapor reaches your child’s lower airways, it’s the same temperature regardless of whether it started out warm or cool.

IGA little more comparison

Which is quieter?   Warm mist humidifiers

Since warm mist humidifiers operate without an internal fan, they tend to be quieter than their cool mist counterparts. Disclaimer, this doesn’t mean the cool mist humidifiers are too loud to use. Some ultrasonic cool mist humidifiers may be quiet

Which uses less electricity or energy?  Cool mist humidifiers

Because the water is not heated before it is dispersed, these humidifiers typically use less electricity.

Which is considered healthier?  

Warm humidifiers are often considered healthier since the boiling process kills waterborne bacteria and mold, which prevents them from entering the air you breathe. However, this is not necessarily true and every humidifier should be cleaned as often as possible

Which needs more maintenance (cleaning)? Cool mist humidifiers

Bacteria and microbes can grow and get dispersed into the air and make you and your child sicker if not cleaned. 

Humidifiers that hold standing water, particularly cool-mist humidifiers, can disperse these materials into the air. Warm-mist humidifiers generally disperse less, if any, of these materials into the air.

It is recommended to clean all your humidifiers every 1-3 days and change the filters weekly or as recommended by the manufacturer. 

Do not clean with bleach

Which is safer? 

Cool mist humidifiers are considered safer for kids for the reasons given above. However, according to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, humidifiers may worsen symptoms for kids with allergies to dust mites. This is because dust mites tend to grow where there is moisture. 

Here are some of my IG community favorites  (images are clickable affiliate links to shop)

If you have kids (and pets) always choose the Cool mist humidifiers.

Disclaimer: (I do not personally endorse any of these, images used for easy identification- talk to your pediatrician for choices).