Best Humidifier for Toddlers Cough – A COMPLETE Guide
A toddler is an endless fount of unsteady, stumbling energy.
Since they tend to stumble around, toddlers grab onto all sorts of surfaces to swipe up all the dust and grime before putting their hands in their mouth.
You most likely won’t even notice all the surfaces the toddler has swiped and tasted until a couple days later.
You’ll be tucking in your ball of love, only to hear hoarse coughing like they’re about to cough up a fur-ball.
The hoarse cough keeps going and soon enough, your precious toddler is producing green snot and phlegm from the nostrils and the mouth.
You turn around to the worried spouse peeking around the door jamb and say, “I will need a young priest and an old priest”.
Hold off on the exorcism for now; first, let’s take a look at the best humidifier for toddlers cough.
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At a Glance: Our Top Picks of Humidifiers for Toddlers Cough
What causes a toddlers cough?
Toddlers cough for the same reason adults do – dry, dust-filled air that clogs the sinuses and lets bacteria seep into the lungs.
As bacteria grows unchecked, the lungs start to produce a lot of mucus that’s meant to trap and push them all out through coughing; the same thing happens in sinuses but with sneezing.
Best Humidifier for Toddlers Cough
- Powerful mist output is able to run for 24 hrs
- Auto shut-off to prevent safety hazards
- Our choice for Toddlers
- Huge coverage of up to 290 ft²
- Peaceful Sleep: Quiet at 30 dB & features an optional soothing blue night light
- Amazon's choice
- Adjustable nozzle allows for 360° humidification
- Sleek & lightweight
- Ideal for narrow spaces
- Efficient: 2.2 l tank capacity lasts up to 24 hrs
- Ultra-Silent: Humidifies air as quiet as 27dB
- Excellent for light sleepers
- Run time: Up to 20 hrs
- Compatible for aromatherapy use
- Low maintenance choice
It’s when the lungs and sinuses get stuffed that the toddler starts coughing and coughing and coughing, with no end in sight.
If you too are weary of your toddler’s cough, read on to see what causes it and check out our best humidifier for toddlers cough.
How does dry air cause cough?
Toddlers and adults typically breathe the same air year-round, which often contains enough moisture for the gentle mucous membrane around and inside the face.
It’s during the winter that the air dries up and we start feeling itchy and scratchy inside the throat, mouth and nose, right where there’s a gentle mucous membrane.
As the dry air chafes against everything, including our skin, it shaves off flakes of dust that accumulate all around the house to get kicked up and breathed in.
Once inside the airways, the dust triggers coughing and sneezing that kick up even more dust.
For toddlers, the itchiness and scratchiness is much worse.
It forces them to pick their nose and rub their face to spread the bacteria all around.
By the time you notice the symptoms, they had already become a chronic cough.
Don’t expect any help from the doctor regarding the symptoms right away – children's' cough is treated with antibiotics when it becomes chronic.
This is when it’s been going on between 3 and 12 weeks (and at least 8 weeks for adults).
The doctor’s trick is to listen to the cough and hear if it’s:
If both are true, then there’s some phlegm inside bursting to get out but if the cough intensifies during night, there’s a 30% chance asthma might be involved.
How to resolve your toddler's cough
Trying to humidify the air during the winter can feel like a game of cat and mouse, with your efforts constantly being thwarted by the relentless exchange of cold and warm air.
A single gust of cold air that enters your home is enough to sap the moisture and warmth, and since the cold air sinks, also hitting the poor toddler right on the face.
Unless you have a reliable way to moisturize and warm up the air, you’ll constantly battle the cough and other symptoms of airway irritation.
By adding moisture to the air, you make it less harsh to breathe and if it’s also warm moisture, you’ll get a bit extra heat to lessen the impact of the cold gust of air.
Now that you’ve been informed of the basics of coughing, let’s move on to the qualities of the best humidifier for toddlers cough.
(Related: Best Humidifier for Respiratory, Lung, & Breathing Problems)
Key Considerations When Buying the Best Humidifier for Toddlers Cough
Small dimensions
Having the ability to quickly move the humidifier where needed means a lot to busy parents who have to juggle so many duties and gadgets; the last thing you need is a bulky humidifier.
Small dimensions will be favored in this buying guide.
8+ hour runtime
For bouts of nighttime coughing, an 8+ hour runtime humidifier is a must.
Otherwise, you’ll have to take turns with your spouse refilling it, which is not a pleasant argument to have in the middle of the night.
Keep in mind that the figure listed in the comparison table represents maximum runtime.
Volume
If you know the volume, you can estimate how long the tank will last.
Instead of getting up in the middle of the night and possibly waking your coughing toddler, you can schedule a refill when it suits you.
Nightlight
If you can get through the night without turning on the light fixture, you’ll get much more melatonin in your brain and a much more relaxing sleep for wrestling with your toddler the next day.
Any humidifier that has rich nightlight features gets extra kudos.
THE BEST HUMIDIFIER FOR TODDLERS COUGH:
#1 Pure Enrichment MistAire Cloud
It’s not easy when your dear child is going through a coughing fit so every little bit helps.
You just want something (anything!) to entertain and soothe the toddler so there’s a break in this pattern of coughing and wheezing.
Pure Enrichment's child-friendly cloud design fits perfectly in any setting and is pleasing to the eye.
The manufacturer thought of more than idea on how to distract the toddler, seeing how its 8 nightlight colors help one to relax and drift away without your assistance.
Thanks to this humidifier, you might finally get some respite from all the chaperoning.
It’s the little tricks that count in the long run, especially if you’re a weary parent who’s at his wits’ end due to all the coughing and producing phlegm.
The nightlight colors and the look combine to produce an amazing impression of a colored cloud spurting out wafts of clean, fresh mist.
Some parents in the customer reviews mention the fiddly nightlight settings due to the buttons not giving clear enough feedback when pressed.
Everything still works but figuring out how to get the right nightlight color might take a while before you get used to it.
This was enough to land it as a con in this review.
Overall, the MistAire Cloud is a reliable and effective unit that justifies itself as the overall best humidifier for toddlers cough.
Other Great Humidifiers for Toddlers Cough (Honorable Mentions)
#2 LEVOIT Classic 100 Ultrasonic Cool Mist Humidifier
Quiet humidifiers are nothing new but it takes something special to create a unit that the manufacturer proudly calls “silenced”.
In this case, the units patented silencer ensures quiet humidification, allowing your coughing toddler at least some respite and sleep.
Humidifiers tend to emit at least a tidbit of light but this unit goes an extra mile with its totally dark display allowing your child to recuperate in total darkness.
In addition, this humidifier is BPA-free, which is great as BPA is the kind of plastic that has been showed to be toxic!
However, if you are living outside of the states, you will find that the power plug may not be suitable for use. Nothing an adapter can't easily solve of course.
Check the voltage provided by your power supplier before buying this unit or have a power outlet adapter handy.
Some Amazon customers also complained that they couldn’t figure out how to use the unit based off of instructions, which seems to be the case of a botched translation.
This video was particularly helpful for those who require help in understanding the humidifier's ins and outs.
#3 TaoTronics TT-AH026 Small Humidifier for Babies
Filters are great but can also mean fiddling to replace the old ones and forking out to order new ones that fit.
The TT-AH026's filterless design ensures the unit is ready to go whenever the toddler gets a fit of coughing, without you having to change filters or order new ones.
When it comes to cleaning, we have to use all sorts of dangerous chemicals or the bacteria keep growing on everything.
Luckily, that’s not the case with this unit, which can be cleaned completely using water and vinegar.
The vinegar cleaning method recommended by the manufacturer avoids harmful cleaning chemicals that would aggravate your toddler’s cough.
As soon as toddlers start eyeing something, you can count on them trying to touch, swipe or move it.
Thankfully, the manufacturer thought ahead. The unit was designed to be minimize the chances a piece being snapped off.
Eventually, you’ll just want to change places and get some rest and respite.
Regardless of where you end up, you’ll find it easy to fit this unit, seeing how it’s suitable for small- and medium-sized rooms, affording you great flexibility as you move locations with your coughing toddler.
There are some cons as well but they can be worked around. Namely, the manufacturer advises using only distilled water for operation, so you’ll likely have to cart around bottles and jugs of it to support the humidifier.
If it satisfies your and your toddler’s needs, that’s perfectly fine, but it’s another burden that needs to be considered.
In addition, the unit does not support essential oils, denying you the chance of dispersing some wonderful aromas around the house.
Regardless if you subscribe to the idea of essential oils curing all sorts of diseases, they are great to have around and breathe in on occasion.
#4 Homasy Ultrasonic Cool Mist Humidifier
Listening to your little one cough incessantly can make you feel helpless but at least now there’s a way to make a difference.
Thanks to this unit's adjustable mist output, you can ramp up the humidity whenever the toddler gets a coughing fit.
It’s hard to overstate just how much a single toddler can make your hands full, let alone when said toddler is having the cough.
Thankfully, the anti-slip handle and grooves let you carry and refill the unit without the worry of dropping it.
You’ll get a lot of utility from this humidifier as long as you keep it clean, which isn’t all that hard to do too!
While you don’t HAVE to use distilled water for the unit, the manufacturer suggests using distilled water for optimal that mist output.
Not everyone is a jar opener par excellence but some ladies with dainty hands struggled to open this unit, so be advised – small hands may be an impediment to opening this unit safely.
#5 Vicks Mini Filter-free Cool Mist Humidifier
Intrabrand synergy is always great, especially when you can smell it in action. With Vicks VapoPads, you can get some instant nose- and sinuses-unclogging going on.
This humidifier is able to combo with the Vicks VapoPads for an added level of comfort for your coughing toddler.
Spread your favorite aroma throughout the house but do note they don’t seem to last the entire night or even as much as the entire tank of this unit.
The humidifier also has a stable design makes it less likely the thrashing, coughing toddler will knock it over.
On the cleaning front, once the deposits grab hold of the tank’s inside, it’s very hard to shake them loose or clean them out, even if you use a dishwasher.
In addition, the fan can squeal when starting up so try to warm it up before bed.
Bottom Line - Best Humidifier for Toddlers Cough
Ideal for Narrow Spaces | Amazon's Choice | Best Overall | Best for Light Sleepers or Night Owls | Low Maintenance Choice | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cell | |||||
Cell | TaoTronics TT-AH026 Small Humidifier for Babies | LEVOIT Classic 100 Ultrasonic Cool Mist Humidifier | Pure Enrichment MistAire Cloud | Homasy Ultrasonic Cool Mist Humidifier | Vicks Mini Filter-free Cool Mist Humidifier |
Price | |||||
Volume | 1.8 L (0.48 gallon) | 2.4 L (0.63 gallon) | 1.8 L (0.48 gallon) | 2.2 L (0.58 gallon) | 1.8 L (0.48 gallon) |
Dimensions (inches) | 8.4 x 5.1 x 10 | 8.5 x 6.7 x 10.2 | 9.8 x 5.5 x 6.7 | 8.8 x 7.5 x 10.2 | 9.5 x 9.6 x 10.6 |
Run-time (hours) | 23 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 20 |
Nightlight | No | Yes | Yes | No | No |
A toddler is an endless fount of unsteady, stumbling energy but that shouldn’t be an endless fount of wheezing, coughing, snot and phlegm.
If you’re about to give up, try humidifying the air!
By humidifying the indoor air, you minimize the airway irritation and subdue the dust floating in the air.
Instead of chafing and irritating the gentle mucous membrane, the humid air glides over and caresses the skin, soothing the wheeze and the cough while helping the toddler expel snot and phlegm.
Out of the humidifiers shortlisted in this article, Pure Enrichment's MistAire Cloud came out on top as the best humidifier for toddlers cough.
This was because of the minimalistic design coupled with useful features at a reasonable price.
Despite being 15% smaller than the slim TaoTronics TT-AH026, our second best product, the MistAire Cloud still holds enough water to run up to a day.
Everything in MistAire Cloud has been packed tightly to squeeze out as much utility and save on space, giving you a compact, reliable and amazing humidifier.
Based on all the features listed above, Pure Enrichment MistAire Cloud is the best humidifier for toddlers cough.