How to Help a Congested Baby by Using a Humidifier?

If your little baby is suffering from allergies or the common cold, he or she is probably experiencing congestion.

Congestion is a miserable feeling that forces the sufferer to breathe out of the mouth, which can cause snoring, dry mouth and other undesirable symptoms.

As a loving parent, all you want to do is help your baby to ease the symptoms of congestion.

The good news is that you and do that with a humidifier, and it won’t be that expensive for you.

Here’s some information on how you can use a humidifier for baby congestion.

Contents:

How Can I Determine if my Baby Needs a Humidifier?

If you have a new baby, especially if you are a first time mom

you’re probably very concerned about making the right decisions related to the health of your baby.

If you are wondering if your baby is congested and could use a humidifier, there are a few signs you can be on the lookout for.

When your baby is congested, you might notice that they have developed a cough.

Another symptom to be on the lookout for is your baby’s mucus.

If you notice their mucus is thicker than normal or is discolored, it is likely that they are congested.

If your normally quiet-sleeping baby is all of a sudden sounding like they are snoring or snorting while they are asleep

this is another indicator that they may be congested.

Sometimes, congested babies will even have some difficulty eating.

When they are congested, it can make it harder for them to effectively suck and drink milk.

If your baby is showing you signs that they are congested

setting up a humidifier can help provide them some relief and make it easier for them to breathe!

Why a Humidifier Works

Congestion occurs because the sensitive membranes inside of your baby’s nose have become inflamed, swollen, dry and irritated.

In some cases, those membranes literally close up the nose and restrict any air from going through.

What a humidifier does is put moisture back into the air so that your baby can breathe it in.

The air is usually very kind to the nasal passages.

It can be quite soothing for your congested newborn and can resolve the dryness that your baby has in the nasal lining.

Saline Drops and Eucalyptus

You can add something to the humidifier to help the baby congestion at night.

Saline is popular for nasal congestion because it has been a proven effective remedy for generations

(Please watch the short video below to learn how to use Saline to help a congested baby).

Another popular solution to add to the humidifier is eucalyptus. It works well to open up the nasal packages.

You can put just a small amount in the humidifier so that your baby will have that extra help.

However, you cannot put the item near the baby’s face or allow him or her to drink the solution.

The eucalyptus should only be used in the humidifying system, and you should have the system a good distance from your child.

You should see results in your baby’s breathing shortly after you add the solution.

The way you do it is to put about four drops of it into the humidifier’s reservoir.

That’s all you have to do for it to work.

It will turn into a vapor along with the water that you put in it.

But keep in mind:

All substances are poisons; there is none which is not a poison.
The right dose differentiates a poison from a remedy.

– Paracelsus

I also suggest to you to read “Is Eucalyptus safe for children?”

What Kind of Humidifier for Baby Congestion Should I Choose?

You are probably wondering what kind of humidifier to use for your baby’s congestion.

There are two main types of humidifiers. They are cool mist humidifiers and warm mist humidifiers.

Cool mist humidifier

Pumps room temperature steam throughout a room.

This can help add moisture into a room that is dry.

There are two different forms of cool mist humidifiers.

One type is a cool mist evaporative humidifier.

This type of humidifier works through the use of an internal filter with a fan blowing air through the filter.

Evaporative humidifiers can be a little louder than other humidifiers because of the noise the fan makes.

A cool mist ultrasonic humidifier is the other type of a cool mist humidifier.

This type of humidifier uses ultrasonic vibrations. These vibrations work to very quietly release cool steam in to a room.

Warm mist humidifier

This is the second main type of humidifier.

Unlike a cool mist humidifier, a warm mist humidifier first has to boil the water before releasing it.

This creates a warm mist.

These types of humidifiers work best in a smaller area so the warm steam doesn’t get too diluted in the air to be effective.

There are two different types of warm mist humidifiers.

A traditional warm mist humidifier works by boiling the water in the tank first to warm it up before dispersing warm steam.

A vaporizer is similar to a traditional warm mist humidifier, since it also has a dispenser so it can release a medicated vapor in addition to the steam.

Some people prefer a warm mist humidifier over a cool mist humidifier because they are sometimes considered more hygienic since the water is boiled first which kills any possible bacteria.

When selecting a humidifier for your baby’s room, it is important to choose a cool mist humidifier.

These are safest for babies and young children since there isn’t the risk of your baby or child getting burned by the hot water in a warm mist humidifier.

You can decide whether you’d prefer to purchase an evaporative or ultrasonic cool mist humidifier.

How To Use Humidifier For Baby Congestion: How Can I Help My Baby Get Relief?

Now that you’ve made a decision about which type of humidifier to purchase, you need to know how to use the humidifier for baby congestion.

When it is time to set up a humidifier in your baby’s room, there are a few key things to consider.

First, you’ll want to consider where to place the humidifier.

You want to choose an area of the room that will allow the steam to flow freely throughout the room and reach your baby

you don’t want or need the steam to be aimed directly at your baby’s crib.

Next, you need to determine what setting to use on the humidifier.

You want to be careful not to set it to a level of humidity that is too high and will moisten areas of the room.

When using a humidifier, proper maintenance and care is also very important.

Each day after you have used the humidifier, it is important to empty any water that was left in it and to let it thoroughly dry.

You want to be careful to avoid having stale water or creating a breeding ground for bacteria or mildew, as these can cause additional health concerns for your baby.

You should also consider using distilled water as it does not have minerals like tap water that can be left behind in your humidifier.

When your humidifier is not in use, store it in such a way that allows air to circulate around it.

Where You Can Find a Humidifier

You can find a humidifier for baby congestion in a variety of places.

One good place to look is in a reputable online pharmacy or store that had many good reviews and a strong reputation.

You’re likely to get a good deal by buying online as online vendors are constantly trying to give their customers a break.

You can also go to a physical location or ask a medical specialist where to find the best humidifier for baby congestion.

Physical stores have a variety of humidifier types for people who are looking for baby congestion remedies.

Or you can read this post where I shared my opinion about four great cool mist humidifiers.

Ease Your Baby’s Discomfort Today

You can clearly see that you don’t have to be helpless when it comes to baby congestion remedies.

You can find the perfect solution at a fairly low cost, and you can see your baby smile when the airways open for him or her.

Additional information:

Videos credits: IntermountainMoms