Best humidifiers for babies: Tried and tested

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Soothe allergies, ease congestion and support your baby’s bedtime routine with these parent-approved humidifiers for babies

Establishing a good bedtime routine for your baby can be challenging, whether that’s juggling bathtime, settling your little one in a baby sleeping bag or deciding on a bedtime story. Just when you think you’ve got it mastered, your baby’s first cold makes an unwelcome appearance, wreaking havoc with their sleep and leaving you both feeling tired and irritable.

Hot summer days and central heating during the winter can dry the air in your baby’s nursery and exacerbate cold symptoms, leading to coughs, congestion and blocked sinuses that can disrupt even the most effective of bedtime routines.

The good news is that humidifiers can help add moisture back into the room, increase the humidity level and help your baby breathe more easily. From essential oil-compatible to budget-friendly, I’ve tested the best humidifiers so you and your baby can achieve that elusive good night’s sleep.

As a parenting content writer, I have over ten years of experience testing and reviewing products aimed at parents and families. Plus, as a mum of two — one of whom has asthma — I also know the impact that colds, coughs and snuffles can have on your baby’s bedtime routine.

To determine the best baby humidifier, I put every product through thorough, hands-on testing in two homes with varying humidity levels. I tested the impact in a small nursery with a 12-month-old baby and a larger bedroom with my eight-year-old asthmatic daughter.

I considered each humidifier's size, design and ease of use before reviewing mist type, tank capacity and running times. Where applicable, I also tested the timer and auto shut-off features.

I also used a digital hygrometer to monitor the impact on humidity levels after 30 minutes. I scrutinised additional features like aromatherapy oil pods and filters, and crucially, how easy each humidifier was to clean after use.

As experiences of humidifiers may vary based on surroundings, I also researched verified consumer feedback on each product, gaining additional tried and tested perspectives.

Finally, for valuable expert insights, I chatted with Dr Unnati Desai, National Lead of GP Services at Nuffield Health, and Dr José Costa, Senior Allergy Consultant at The Children’s Allergy Clinic.

The Dreo Smart Humidifier features a compact and stylish design, complete with a large, transparent water tank. I tested the sleek black model, but it’s also available in white — perhaps a more discreet choice for your baby’s nursery. While the LED display shares the real-time humidity of your surroundings, it also has an ambient light, which changes colour based on the room's humidity — yellow for dry, green for ideal and blue for damp.

The Dreo was quick and easy to set up and start using. Although there are several parts to piece together, assembly is intuitive. For convenience, the tank can be filled from the top (a big plus point), and its generous 4-litre capacity enables it to run all night long (and beyond). While you can clearly see the water level, the auto shut-off feature provides peace of mind, as it turns off automatically if the water level becomes too low.

This product was the best cool mist humidifier I tested, and it is whisper quiet, allowing my 12-month-old tester to drift off without being disturbed. Thanks to the long, thin nozzle that angles up to 30°, it creates a fine, cool mist and excellent coverage (up to three times larger than most humidifiers). The small aroma pad tray also made a great addition, with a few drops of eucalyptus essential oil subtly easing his congestion when lying flat.

I found the ‘auto’ setting easy to use. You simply select your target humidity and let the Dreo do the rest, turning off once your desired humidity has been reached. If the room becomes too dry, the humidifier will automatically turn back on.

The smart features on the Dreo are impressive, with the option to set timers and personalised schedules via the app. I loved turning on the humidifier for a few hours before bedtime to boost the room's humidity. If your baby's congestion has left you too tired to get up, you can even trigger it via Alexa without needing to move a muscle!

Dreo recommends you clean this humidifier after every 100 hours of use, but helpfully, there are cleaning reminders on the display to prompt you. While it does require more disassembly than some humidifiers I tested, the curved shape and cleaning brush (included) make this humidifier reasonably simple to maintain.

If you’re working with a limited budget, they don’t come more affordable than the Levoit Humidifier for Bedroom, retailing at less than £40. Offering excellent value for money, its compact, no-frills design is straightforward to use, even if you’ve never used a humidifier before.

While you won’t find any lights, essential oil ports or visible humidity readings on this model, I was impressed by how easy it was to set up and start using.

The 2.5-litre water tank can be conveniently filled from the top, allowing you to pour water straight inside without detaching or flipping the tank. This humidifier can run for up to 25 hours on the lowest setting; however, the auto-shut-off safety feature kicked in during testing after around ten hours on high.

At just 26dB, the running volume is quiet and discreet, and I love that the 360° nozzle can be angled to suit your surroundings, tilting away from furnishings or curtains. You can alternate between a subtle or significant mist using the central dial, although compared to others I tested, there was less noticeable variation between the settings. As such, I adjusted the dial a few times to find the perfect mist level for my tester’s room.

Levoit recommends cleaning this humidifier every three days. While it’s a little fiddly to disassemble and clean all the parts, the included cleaning brush proved to be an invaluable addition for removing any mineral buildup or residue inside the base.

Of the products I tested, this was the best portable humidifier for easing the symptoms of congestion, colds and stuffy noses. It is small, discreet and affordable, making it the best humidifier for small rooms up to 15m².

Although it needs to be detached from the base to fill, then flipped and gently clicked back into place, I found this humidifier quick and easy to set up, thanks to its large opening and a tightly sealed screw top that prevents spills and drips.

There’s no display or humidity reading, so you may want to use a separate hygrometer. However, I was impressed by the range of adjustment. With a simple turn of the central dial, I could switch from a subtle cool mist to a pretty substantial cloud, the latter of which had a noticeable impact in the room.

Regardless of the setting, the noise level was relatively low, creating discreet waterfall white noise sounds that are more likely to support than hinder your child’s sleep. The nozzle can also be adjusted 360°, making it easy to point away from your walls and furnishings.

The Vicks Mini Cool Mist comes with two Vicks VapoPads, which can be inserted into the side of the humidifier to provide up to eight hours of menthol and essential oil benefits. As these are only recommended for ages three and up, I tested this feature using their Rosemary Paediatric Vapopads (suitable from three months). When using the humidifier with the VapoPad, it made a noticeable difference to my 12-month-old tester’s congestion, who slept well despite his ‘fresh-from-starting-nursery’ cold.

The design of this humidifier, particularly the position of the stopper, made it challenging to drain every last drop from the tank. That said, I loved the light-up cleaning reminder, which stays lit up until you press it to clear — a great way to ensure that hygiene remains a top priority.

For small rooms, the Frida 3-in-1 Cool Mist Humidifier is a great choice, with a discreet ‘raindrop’ design that looked right at home in my tester’s nursery setting. As a humidifier, nightlight and essential oils diffuser all in one compact appliance, it offers excellent value for money.

While this humidifier can’t be filled from the top, it was really easy to set up. I simply removed the tank, filled it with water, and (cautiously) flipped it upright to slot it back into the base. Holding just under 2 litres of water, it’s smaller than some I've tested, but plenty for overnight use without needing a refill. Plus, the auto shut-off safety feature will trigger if the water level gets too low.

If your baby is over three months old, the essential oils outlet is a neat touch, letting you add a few drops of aromatherapy-grade essential oils to soothe your baby’s sinuses and aid the bedtime routine.

This humidifier uses ultrasonic vibrations to turn the water into a fine, cool mist. It’s relatively quiet during use, creating a calm and gentle waterfall sound. The nozzle can be angled a full 360°, and using a simple adjuster dial, you can alternate between a barely noticeable mist and a more significant cloud. On the highest setting, the Frida can provide an instant humidity boost on those extra dry days.

The optional nightlight is a great addition. At the touch of a button (literally), you can create a comforting ambient glow that’s perfect for checking on your baby or overnight nursing. While its glow is relatively subtle and non-adjustable, I love that you can choose from a selection of colours or leave it to rotate. The green shade was my personal favourite!

Frida recommends using filtered water to keep this humidifier running at its best, especially if you live in an area with hard water. While cleaning requires a bit of effort, I could easily reach every corner of the curved tank with a bottle brush.

Unlike ultrasonic humidifiers, which release mist, the Meaco is an evaporative model that uses two large evaporation pads to absorb water and distribute it back into the air. Thanks to the Silvertex filter, which helps prevent bacterial growth and limescale, it’s ideal for areas with hard water.

While the brand recommends replacing the filter annually, I found it reassuring to know that you’re not breathing in any nasties from the water. Due to the filter and pads, I found this humidifier a little more daunting to set up, as I wanted to ensure I’d positioned everything correctly. I also felt that it wasn’t as aesthetically pleasing as some of the models I tested.

Despite this, with three different ways to fill, adding water to the tank was simple once the setup was complete. My preference for filling was using the accessible flap opening on the side, and I loved the visual water window that helped me monitor the fill level as I poured.

The performance of the Meaco was also impressive. The easy-to-trigger night mode lowers the volume and dims the light, creating an almost inaudible sound in my tester’s room — ideal for babies and light sleepers. In fact, it was so quiet that I had to keep checking that it was still turned on!

There’s no mist with this humidifier, so finding a home for it was easy, without worrying about condensation or water droplets collecting on the curtains.

I was particularly impressed by the turbo mode, which, although more audible, made an almost instant impact on the humidity levels in the room. It also features a self-regulating mode, which automatically turns off when the default humidity level is reached. Not only does this save energy, but it also prevents overhumidification, so you can be confident your child’s room won’t get damp.

Meaco recommends cleaning this humidifier every two to four weeks, and although the evaporation pads don’t need cleaning, you should rotate their orientation up to four times before replacing them every three to six months.

Ideal for larger rooms and living spaces, the sleek and stylish Pro Breeze Ultrasonic humidifier features an extra-large water tank with an anti-bacterial coating, capable of running for up to 47 hours without needing a refill.

The design of this humidifier made it quick to set up (simply lift out the tank, unscrew to fill and flip to return to the base). For hygiene, the large ion exchange water filter is also great for peace of mind, removing impurities from the water before it becomes vapour.

It comes with a choice of cool or warm mist, and I loved the 360° nozzle, which offered complete flexibility when positioning it in my tester’s room.

While the touchscreen buttons needed a fairly firm press to trigger, I was impressed by the central dashboard, which displayed the temperature and current humidity level, and was also easily accessible for setting timers (up to 12 hours), adjusting the mist level or triggering the night and auto modes.

Although inoffensive, the overall noise level of this humidifier felt more noticeable than the other humidifiers I tested. In night mode, however, my 12-month-old tester still drifted off easily, comforted by the dim display light and gentle fan-like sounds. If your baby is older than three months, you can also add essential oils to the aroma diffuser pad. A word of advice — ensure you keep the extra diffuser foam pads somewhere safe, as their small size makes them easy to misplace.

For the most fuss-free use, ‘auto’ mode was my go-to, as it monitored the surroundings and shut off automatically when the desired humidity level was reached in my daughter’s room.

The diffuser pod was a little fiddly to disassemble, but cleaning the large tank of this humidifier was a breeze. I appreciated that a cleaning brush was included, conveniently attaching to the tank's base.

If you’re taking air quality more seriously, have children with allergies or are simply prepared to pay the extra for a top-notch product, the Dyson Purifier Humidify + Cool Formaldehyde is an impressive choice, with not one, but three powerful filters to manage the air in your surroundings.

Similar in appearance to Dyson’s bladeless fan design, the Dyson PH04 is a humidifier, air purifier and cooling fan in one stylish design, with a transparent water tank at the base. I loved the magnetic remote control, which can be clipped to the main unit to prevent it from getting lost.

In terms of scale, the Dyson humidifier sits at just under a metre tall, so bear this in mind if you’re buying for a box room. Assembly, although a little daunting, was actually very straightforward — clicking filters into place and filling the water tank. I loved that the tank has a sturdy handle, allowing you to carry and fill at the sink.

All functions of the Dyson can be used independently, so on hot days you can use the fan feature alone, flicking through ten fan speeds and optional oscillation.

Most importantly for my testing, the humidifier was extremely simple to use, allowing for either automatic humidity control or selecting a preferred setting between 30% and 70%. I was impressed by the sensors on the ‘auto’ feature, which adjusted the airflow speed and paused when the required humidity level was reached.

While noise levels are fairly significant on the highest settings, the night mode on the Dyson was fantastic, dimming the LED lights and using lower fan speeds to minimise disruption. During testing, I also activated the easy-to-use sleep timer, which automatically turned off after eight hours.

The data from the Dyson is a real standout feature. By simply pressing the ‘information’ button on the remote, I had real-time data about my daughter’s room on Dyson’s full colour display, including room temperature, humidity and a detailed breakdown of air quality. It was reassuring to see at a glance that my daughter’s room was ‘green’ for all. You can even follow trends and monitor any changes using the MyDyson app.

While I haven’t needed to do this yet, the Dyson alerts you when it’s time for a clean cycle (approximately once a month). While this does involve removing several parts and filling the tank with descaler solution, the majority of the hard work appears to be done for you.

Newborn babies are transitioning from the comfortable, warm and humid conditions of the womb, leaving their sensitive skin more susceptible to becoming dry and flaky, especially in central-heated environments.

According to Dr Unnati Desai, National Lead of GP Services at Nuffield Health, ‘A small amount of humidity in the air is essential for maintaining good health for areas such as our skin, sinuses and lungs. We need a little bit of humidity for our skin to protect the skin barrier, as it helps prevent dryness and flare-ups in conditions like eczema and psoriasis.’

Dr José Costa, Senior Allergy Consultant at The Children’s Allergy Clinic, further adds, ‘Higher indoor temperatures, both in winter (due to central heating) and in warmer summer months, can make the humidity in your baby’s room low. This can lead to dryness of your baby’s airways, occasionally causing irritation and inflammation and some difficulty breathing, as their airways are so small. Humidifiers put moisture back into a room to alleviate this issue.’

When used correctly and maintained properly, humidifiers can be a safe addition to your baby’s room or nursery.

Dr Costa explains, ‘If you use a hot humidifier, be sure to keep it at a safe distance from your baby to avoid burns and scalds. Cool mist humidifiers are safe for use around babies and children, but must be cleaned thoroughly and regularly to prevent bacterial growth.’

Other safety considerations include the following:

There are lots of humidifiers on the market, with some more suited to babies' and children's rooms. Here are some things to consider when making your choice:

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Mum of two Lucy Cotterill specialises in parenting and lifestyle content and loves helping parents find the best products to support their family. Creating content on her own blog Real Mum Reviews since 2012, Lucy has also written parenting content for top publications, including Mumsnet, Emma's Diary, Families Online, IndyBest and The Standard.

Dr José Costa is a senior allergy consultant who practices at Nuffield Leamington Spa, The New Foscote Hospital and The Royal Buckinghamshire Hospital in Aylesbury. He also runs his own practice — The Children’s Allergy Clinic, providing support to families affected by allergies across the UK.

Dr Costa specialises in childhood food allergies and eczema, and has a keen interest in the effects of airborne allergies, such as hay fever, dust mites, pets, and mould, as well as allergic asthma and associated conditions.

I also sought advice from Dr Unnati Desai, National Lead for GP Services at Nuffield Health, Safeguarding Lead for GP Services and Dermatology Lead.

Dr Desai has worked as a corporate GP within Nuffield Health since 2011. She completed her medical degree and postgraduate medical training at the University of Birmingham and completed her law degree at Nottingham Law School. She pursued a career in General Practice and incorporates her areas of specialist interest — dermatology, women's health, sexual health and family planning — into her clinical practice.

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