The Best Humidifier for a Baby

If you trust the research we put into our much-more-thorough guide to the best humidifier, you should trust us to make this recommendation as well. This guide may at times read as too cursory, but please look at it as a supplement that will almost definitely address any unanswered questions you have after reading that guide. Our purpose here is to answer questions for any readers looking specifically for advice on a humidifier for a baby or child’s room.

I edited the humidifier guide, and I wrote this addendum because I also happen to have three young kids and have spent many evenings for the better part of a decade cleaning and refilling humidifiers that we bought for kids’ rooms in New York City, Chicago, and Los Angeles. To help report this story, I reached out to Heather Felton at the American Academy of Pediatrics to discuss the medical concerns parents should be aware of when using a humidifier in a baby’s room.

The vast majority of our selection process occurs in our full guide to the best humidifier, including the rationale on how we chose the Levoit and other models as well as how we tested them. We did not do additional testing for this guide. Instead, we looked closely at what distinguished the Levoit as a humidifier in general and did additional reporting to determine what particular requirements we’d apply when choosing a humidifier for a baby’s room.

We also simulated the shopping process we felt most parents would go through when searching for a humidifier, beginning with a comparative look at the Honeywell versus the surprisingly vast selection of humidifiers you’d encounter at Buy Buy Baby. We combed through Amazon, looking at models that seemed designed for parents and children, and we considered the humidifiers that came up as related suggestions on those products’ pages. In all, we looked at hundreds of new models, dismissing most for having little to no customer feedback. Others were dismissed for specific reasons outlined in the Competition section below.

We’d recommend the Levoit LV600S Smart Hybrid Ultrasonic Humidifier in a baby’s room for the same reasons we’d choose it for any other room: It’s easier to live with than almost any other humidifier, and it performs better than most of them, too, with built-in smart features that help prevent from over-humidifying a room like other ultrasonic models. But perhaps most important, its wider tank opening is far easier to fill and clean than competitors’. While we admit it doesn’t look nearly as cute as many of its competitors, this is an instance when health and performance are the priority, even when the alternative is as adorable as this little penguin model.

To get first to the question of performance: the LV600S performs among the best of any humidifiers we tested. We’ve been recommending a version of the LV600 since 2018, and year after year, it’s proven itself capable of quickly and effectively humidifying spaces up to 400 square feet. Although it’s not the only machine that can accomplish that, we feel it is a better choice than other similar top performers (as well as a large field of average humidifiers) for a few key reasons.

The main reason the LV600S is the best choice for a baby’s (or anyone’s) bedroom is that it’s easier to clean than most any other humidifier. Its fill hole is larger than most other humidifiers, and there are no hard-to-reach corners or crevices on the inside, making it easier to scrub clean. Even the reservoirs in the lower basin have been simplified to prevent the water from hiding out somewhere that it might get moldy (though you still need to clean it, just to be sure). Since the LV600S uses an ultrasonic mechanism for humidifying, that means there are no filters to worry about or replace over time either..

The ability to keep a humidifier clean is a big deal if you’re using one at all, and in the room of a baby, with a developing immune system, it’s even more important. We’ve reported the risks of a dirty humidifier in detail; the short version is that the growth that can build up inside a poorly maintained humidifier poses a valid health risk that anyone should take seriously. Cleaning represents a significant long-term upkeep chore you should account for when deciding to get a humidifier.

In reporting our humidifier guide, experts recommended it be cleaned with a frequency that would probably surprise many people—the EPA, Honeywell, and the Association of Appliance Manufacturers advise you clean and dry it at least once a week. Asked about the health risks of humidifiers and babies, the American Association of Pediatrics’s spokesperson Heather Felton went even further, saying, “Bacteria and mold will grow in the humidifier, so it is recommended to clean and dry it every day because it could make your child sick.”

That’s right: Every day. And that’s before you factor in the deeper disinfecting clean you’ll have to do every 3-7 days, depending on your water quality. (The Levoit app, VeSync, can send you reminders, if that helps).

All the other factors take a distant second to cleaning, but across the board, the LV600S has advantages. We think most parents, given the option, would prefer not to worry about whether they’re over- or under-humidifying a child’s room. We believe they would also prefer not to have to go into the baby’s room to check the humidity levels or adjust the machine in the middle of the night. The LV600S is one of the only ultrasonic humidifiers we’ve tested that won’t over-humidify a room, thanks to its built-in smart home features. Normally, we’d think a wifi-connected humidifier might sound a little ridiculous, but in this case, it pays off. The fact that you can also monitor or adjust the humidity level remotely through the app is another helpful bonus, especially when you’re dealing with a child who’s sleeping in the other room.

Another basic requirement we wanted for a baby’s humidifier was the ability to run all night. The same reasoning as above applies: You probably don’t want to have to go in there and refill it. And, baby or not, we believe people would want to refill the tank as infrequently as possible, which led us toward humidifiers (in our main guide) with tanks sized at one gallon or larger. We found the six liter (about one and half gallons) tank on our Levoit could run for about 12 to 16 hours on a high or medium setting or before needing a refill, easily covering a full night’s sleep for most babies and children.

We wanted a humidifier that would not be disruptive to a sleeping baby. Most humidifiers are not especially noisy or distracting, so it was not a surprise that the Levoit met this requirement. But it also has a “sleep” mode that shuts off all the LED indicators and LCD display screen, so there’s no distracting glow to keep your baby awake (or to tempt them to play with the buttons when they’re awake).. Some folks—parents, or not!—prefer the white noise that comes from evaporative humidifiers, rather than the near-silence of an ultrasonic model like the Levoit. If you’re concerned about disruptive noise within the home (whether or not they’re using a humidifier), we suggest adding our pick for white noise machine to the baby’s room as well.

Have we mentioned how much you have to clean this thing? Parents face an endless list of obligations to protect, feed, clothe, and supervise children, and throwing a humidifier into the mix might just be the thing that tilts your whole life over the edge into complete chaos. Kidding. But seriously: You’ve got to clean this thing a lot.

It’s also worth reiterating that the idea of buying a smart humidifier with wifi-capabilities may sound a little absurd and unnecessary. In this particular case, it’s worth it for the smart-enabled “auto” setting that prevents the LV600S from over-humidifying the room like ultrasonic models. The app itself is easy to set up, though it is confusingly named after Levoit’s parent company, VeSync, which makes it a little confusing to find on your phone. It also requires you to register your email and create a new account with the company. While this is a fairly standard practice in the world of smart technology, it’s still a little annoying.

One last “flaw” is that the sleek, simple design might not complement the aesthetic some parents may choose for a child’s nursery. Many of the competitors are admittedly cuter than the LV600S as well. But the problems in owning and maintaining these models far outweigh their looks.

The vast majority of the humidifiers a parent would find shopping at a store like Buy Buy Baby are ultrasonic humidifiers, which we dismiss because they, unlike our pick, can potentially overhumidify a room if left on too high a setting overnight. Many are also more difficult than our pick to clean and maintain. We did want to address a few of the most prominent options by name, with the reasons we would get the Honeywell before each of them.

To see how our pick measures up against humidifiers that aren’t specifically marketed toward parents, there are many more dismissals in the Competition section of our guide to the best humidifier.

Crane Hello Kitty Humidifier

Crane’s line of animal-themed humidifiers are all ultrasonic models, which can overhumidify a room and create puddles, meaning they must be placed on a shelf. Ultrasonic models can also promote mildew and mold growth unless they have a built-in humidistat, which this model does not. The Crane humidifier’s warranty lasts just one year, while the Honeywell’s lasts three. Several other models in this line have the same internal design and different animal shapes on the exterior:

• Crane Adorable Cow Ultrasonic Humidifier
• Crane Ultrasonic Cool Mist Hippo Humidifier
• Crane Adorable Pig Ultrasonic Humidifier
• Crane Adorable Penguin Ultrasonic Humidifier
• Crane Adorable Polar Bear Ultrasonic Humidifier
• Crane Ultrasonic Cool Mist Train Humidifier
• Crane Ultrasonic Cool Mist Adorable Bumblebee Humidifier with Bonus Filter
• Crane Ultrasonic Cool Mist Adorable Ladybug Humidifier with Bonus Filter
• Crane Ultrasonic Cool Mist Adorable Ladybug Humidifier with Bonus Filter
• Crane Ultrasonic Cool Mist Monkey Humidifier
• Crane Adorable Elephant Ultrasonic Humidifier
• Crane Adorable Owl Ultrasonic Humidifier

The ultrasonic Vicks Sweet Dreams Cool Mist Humidifier can project three dream-inspired images of a sea, a safari, or a starry night. It can last up to 24 hours on the lowest setting and can accept Vicks VapoPads. It is an ultrasonic model, however, and to quote its manual, it “should not be left unattended in a closed room since air could become saturated and leave condensation in front of unit, on walls and furniture.” Our pick avoids these problems.

The Vornadobaby Huey Nursery Evaporative Humidifier can humidify up to 180 square feet, which is less than half the Honeywell's 400-square-foot reach. It can operate for 16 hours, which is comparable to the Honeywell, and it has a five-year warranty, which is better than the Honeywell's three. But it gets mediocre reviews on Amazon, with people complaining about molding wicks and a leaking tank. The machine starts to glow when you need to refill, which some reviewers find annoyingly bright. Unlike the Honeywell, the tank does not sit upright when you fill due to a ring around the tank.

The myBaby SoundSpa Ultrasonic Humidifier claims to last up to 24 hours before needing a refill on its one-gallon tank. It also has an optional nightlight and can play up to four "soothing sounds," which some reviewers thought simply added to the overall noise of the machine. However, it has all the shortcomings other inexpensive ultrasonic models share, and Fakespot gave its Amazon reviews an F grade, with most of them likely fake.

The Motorola Smart Nursery Humidifier + has a 1-gallon water tank and can run for 10 hours, roughly on par with the Honeywell. It's a smart product and meant to be connected via app to your Motorola smart home, which is great if you have a Motorola smart home. It also claims to both humidify and purify the air. But a lot of user reviews complain about the shrill beep it emits when you press any buttons, which can wake up a baby.

We tested the Levoit LV400CH which is billed as a nursery/bedroom model and has a night-light function. But as we concluded in our main humidifier guide, "It’s well-made, but it failed to humidify our 200-square-foot test bedroom very well." Another larger model by Levoit became our pick for an ultrasonic humidifier.

We also checked out many humidifiers that were popular on Buy Buy Baby, even if they weren’t explicitly designed for nurseries.

The Crane Ultrasonic Cool Mist Drop Shape Humidifier claims to run for 24 hours on a smaller water tank than the Honeywell. It can also only cover rooms that are up to 250 square feet, and the warranty is just one year. The opening to fill the tank (opposite the pointy end) is narrower than a soda can, making it impossible to clean past the first inch of plastic.

The PureGuardian 10-Hour Ultrasonic Humidifier’s water tank is a measly .21 gallons (it’s meant to be portable). Based on that tank size, we doubt it would meet our requirement for continuous all-night operation.

The Vicks Warm Mist Humidifier was our former (reluctant) budget pick but we’ve found other options in the same price range that don’t look or feel nearly as cheap.

The PureGuardian Cool Mist Ultrasonic Humidifier is rated for up to 200 square feet, half the Honeywell's 400. Like the Honeywell, it has a three-year warranty and 1-gallon capacity. It claims a 70 hour runtime, but on the lowest speed, and it would not likely humidify well at such a low rate.

We also looked at 64 other humidifiers for sale on Buy Buy Baby’s site—who knew they had so many? Among them are the Dyson AM10, which we reviewed and dismissed in a separate guide, and the Venta LW15, which is a smaller version of a model we address in our guide to humidifiers. Many, many more are obscure models that have no reviews, and a handful of others overlap with the dismissals of mainstream humidifiers we considered in the Competition section of our guide to the best humidifier.