Simple Solutions So Your Baby Breathes Better Air At Home

baby in crib with white defender

You wait a long time to see your sweet baby’s little face, and prepare in numerous ways for their grand arrival. After putting together the crib, rocking chair, dresser, and diaper genie, you can’t help but notice how your baby’s room smells different. It’s not bad, but smells like “new products” or kind of chemically…

You’ll be using all those baby products nonstop, and the scents matter because they’re often from harmful pollutants. As a parent, you want the best for your baby. At home – that starts with good indoor air quality.

Improving indoor air quality can be as simple as opening a window. But to remove all the harmful toxins from everyday products we use, you need an air purifier.

Learn more about how to protect the newest addition to your family with better indoor air.

Does My Baby Really Need Cleaner Air in Their Room?

Simple answer? Yes. We don’t often think about air circulation and toxicity, and many common household items introduce dangerous fumes to our homes. Poor indoor air quality can cause negative health consequences, and when you think of your tiny baby, they’re about as defenseless as they get.

Children are more susceptible to harmful air, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). They inhale more oxygen relative to their body weight.1 This also means they’re breathing whatever else is in the air. Although we don’t see toxins floating around, growing evidence shows indoor air quality is troublesome, especially for our kids' little lungs.

Babies spend much of their time sleeping in cribs or bassinets (or we hope for your sake they do!).  Studies show crib mattresses expose children to elevated concentrations of harmful toxins, like volatile organic compounds (VOCs).2 VOCs come from the mattress itself and even the cover! VOCs seem impossible to avoid because they’re in common products like cleaners, paints, and furniture. They emit chemicals directly into the air or transfer onto your baby’s skin.

Your baby obviously needs a crib, mattress, and all the other infant stuff … but who thinks of them as harmful? You don’t want another thing to worry about, but understanding and insight help you make informed decisions about your kids' health.

Luckily, we have two simple solutions to improve indoor air for your newest arrival.

Easy Solutions to Promote Better Air at Home for Your Family

We completely understand the mental load of being a new parent or adding another child to the family. You already have a million things to worry about: feeding, diaper changing, bathing, milestones, sleep, and everything in between.

Check out these simple ways to enhance the air at home.

Get Fresh Air Inside

Ventilation is immensely valuable in improving indoor air quality. It helps disperse concentrations of toxins, pollutants, and allergens, which lowers the risk of viruses, like SARS-CoV-2.3 

Uncomplicated ways to get fresh air inside?

Open the windows or use a screen door (let’s try to keep the bugs out). Fans help move air around, but opening a window or door brings fresh air inside — which is the whole point. Put a fan right by a window for the optimal effect!

Exhaust fans take indoor air outside and increase ventilation. (They’re often placed in bathrooms and kitchens to avoid excess moisture.) Make sure to always use them when cooking and using cleaning products to reduce harmful airborne particles hanging around.

Use an Air Purifier to Clean Indoor Air

When ventilation isn’t an option — air purifiers improve indoor air quality for your baby.

The best air purifiers remove harmful toxins — without having to open a window or door. When air moves through an air filter, pollutants get trapped, and only clean air is released back into your baby’s room. When they breathe easier, so can you.

Keep reading to learn more about how air purifiers protect your growing family.

Key Points When Choosing the Best Air Purifier for Your Baby’s Room

Nursery with new parents and air purifier

As a parent, certain features stand out when purchasing products for your baby. You need to know what’s important when buying an air purifier.

Remember these 5 key points:

  • Make sure it’s an EPA-recommended technology. HEPA filters are the standard for removing toxins from the air (at about 99.7% down to 0.3 microns).
  • It’s important your air purifier doesn’t produce ozone or use UV light. Both of these create harmful pollutants and aren’t good for the environment. (And yes, some air purifiers on the market use them!)
  • Check the recommended run time. Toxins never take time off — so you want an air purifier that can safely stay on 24/7.
  • Look for low maintenance (like only having to change the filter once or twice a year). It’s an added feature for busy parents and will save you money over time
  • Choose an air purifier that is an FDA-cleared Class II Medical Device.  You want to know that your air purifier can remove bacteria and viruses, not just the big stuff.

In an uncertain world, it’s nice to ensure your baby is breathing the best air. We all know how much time you spend at home — especially with a new baby.

The Defender air purifier checks all the boxes, and more!

Keeping your baby safe is number one — and we’re here to help make it easy for you. The Defender is the best air purifier to add to your baby’s room. It gives peace of mind that those little lungs get the best right from the start.

We stand by our Defender air purifier with a LIFETIME perpetual warranty and the best customer service you’ll find. We’ve been helping people live healthier lives for over 90 years by alway incorporating the latest research into our products. We invite you to learn more about how we can help protect your family here.


Sources:

  1. https://www.epa.gov/childcare/resources-about-indoor-air-quality-parents
  2. https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/es405625q
  3. https://www.epa.gov/coronavirus/ventilation-and-coronavirus-covid-19