Life
When you first bring home your little one, it seems like there are so many things you need. But, honestly, veteran parents insist that babies only need a few key essentials, including the best nursery humidifiers. Why do babies need a humidifier, of all things, you ask? While they may not seem as important as a crib or changing table, the best nursery humidifiers moisten the air, especially in the winter months, which helps to keep dry coughs and other respiratory symptoms at bay. For your nursery, you'll want a cool mist humidifier that's easy to clean and has a run time of at least 12 continuous hours to cut down on maintenance and ensure you get the most out of it.
Before you buy, you also need to consider your nursery space. Since nurseries are often small spaces, you'll likely want a tabletop humidifier that fits right on a bedside table. You could even opt for a humidifier and night light combo to maximize your space. On the other hand, if your baby's nursery is roomy, you'll want to look for a larger unit that can hydrate the entire space without constantly needing a refill.
And, importantly, since the key to using a humidifier safely in a nursery is to ensure it's properly cleaned (so no bacteria gets into the air), finding an easy-to-clean humidifier will be essential.
No matter which way you go, it's important to choose the perfect nursery humidifier for you and your baby. Check out these high-quality, highly rated options to help you get started.
We only recommend products we love and that we think you will, too. We may receive a portion of sales from products purchased from this article, which was written by our Commerce team.
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Best Overall, All Things Considered: Crane Filter-Free Hippo Cool-Mist Humidifier
- Maximum room size: 500 square feet
This hippo tabletop cool-mist humidifier features a 1-gallon fill tank and runs for 24 hours continuously before it needs to be refilled. It's also designed with a 360-degree "misting lid" so you can place it literally anywhere in your baby's nursery and it will add moisture to the air in every direction. This humidifier comes in 17 different animal designs, so you can pick one your baby will love. It's also filter-free, and the bottom, water sensor level, and cap can all be removed for easy cleaning. Best yet, it offers various speed settings so you can control the room's humidity with just the twist of a dial. Plus, at less than $40, this fun and functional humidifier is a great deal.
According to one reviewer: "We love this humidifier and it has lasted us for a long time. It looks great, runs perfectly and is quiet as to not disturb a sleeping child. I would highly recommend this product and if this one ever stops working, I will definitely be buying a new one."
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Best Splurge: Hygro Plus Cool-Mist Humidifier
- Maximum room size: 220 square feet
A little pricier, this high-tech humidifier comes with a touch screen and an LCD control panel that allows you to easily adjust the humidity levels and the built-in nightlight. You can even set this tabletop humidifier to automatically turn off when a desired humidity level is reached. This cool-mist humidifier has a tank that can fit around a gallon of water, equaling a 22-hour run time. It also has a built-in nightlight that you can change to one of seven colors. And, while this is designed for nurseries, its sleek frame and ability to dispense essential oils makes this versatile humidifier a great pick for adults, too. The humidifier's filterless design is easy to clean, and it even comes with instructions for how to properly care for it.
According to one reviewer: "The coolest humidifier I’ve ever owned. Love how it displays the temperature and humidity level in the room. I use this in my baby’s nursery and it is perfect. Has a large water tank, so less need for refills."
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Best For Small Spaces: Cadrim Cute Diffuser
- Maximum room size: Not disclosed (but reviewers say up to 144 square feet)
This whale cool-mist humidifier packs a big punch in a small package. In fact, it's small enough to sit comfortably on a bedside table (just 8 inches in width and 1 pound in weight), yet it features a powerful misting nozzle that can hydrate the air in a nursery. A general rule? The smaller the humidifier the shorter the run time. But this filter-free humidifier has an 180-milliliter tank that operates for five to seven hours, which is still plenty of time for overnight use. This little whale also doubles as a night light and can change to nine different calming colors throughout the night. While this model is designed to function as an essential oil diffuser as well, by omitting any essential oils it can easily be used just as a humidifier. Bonus: Amazon reviewers noted that it's easy to clean.
According to one reviewer: "[L]ove it! I purchased this because my niece has really bad allergies and she gets a stuffy nose. After trying it out for a couple days we saw improvement in her breathing and she slept more comfortably. A plus was the fact that the whale lights up and doubles as a night light, it also offers a generous mist and is easy to use."
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Best For Restless Babies: Homasy 4.5-Liter Cool-Mist Humidifier
- Maximum room size: 538 square feet
With a super long run time and a fairly quiet operation (28 decibels), this tabletop humidifier is a great pick for babies who are restless, since not only will it work quietly, you won't have to re-enter the room as often to replace the water tank. It offers the longest run time of any humidifier here — an impressive 30 hours. This cool-mist humidifier is powerful enough to hydrate a 538-square-foot room, and it's also safe to place a few drops of soothing essential oils into the basin to create a diffuser on the fly. You can also set this humidifier to sleep mode to shut off all the lights. And, because it is filter-free and features an easy-to-remove top, it's simple to refill and to clean.
According to one reviewer: "This humidifier will not make any noise and able to hold good amount of water! Highly recommended! It is so easy to operate and no need to fill out water out for at least two nights straight! So quiet so we all able to have a good night sleep. Beautiful design and highly recommended!"
