Humidifiers: Why you may be poisoning your baby
Introduction
In spite of the hype about the effectiveness of humidifiers in enhancing the health of babies, and people in general, the latest information by professionals is pointing to the reverse. Humidifiers may not cure your baby’s cold at all. Instead, they may be causing more harm than good to your baby and you as well. If your baby develops colds, you had better seek alternative methods of easing breathing and treating the ailment. Although doctors used to recommend them for colds and other respiratory problems, the same doctors are now developing a second thought. Humidifiers may just turn out to be the greatest indoor health hazard to your baby. Therefore, before you think of purchasing a humidifier for your baby, consider the following:
Doctors’ findings
Recently, doctors published a shocking article in the Pediatrics Journal. The article details how humidifiers can cause the spread of mold, toxic metals, and dangerous pathogens. If this information is making your skin crawl, you have not seen anything yet. A humidifier in the room may be the culprit behind the incessant lung problems that your baby is currently experiencing. You will have to think more than twice before resorting to the use of humidifiers in your house, especially in the presence of a small baby.
Doctors have added further chilling details in the same article. They argue that the steam-emitting versions of humidifiers may cause burns to your baby. It is getting rather scary. If you leave the humidifier working in the baby’s room and you continue with your daily routine, you may be in for a rude shock. You will find your baby screaming their lungs out due to the pain from the scalding caused by the humidifier.
Driving the last nail in the coffin, doctors conceded that they really were not sure whether humidifiers can help in the treatment and management of colds. You cannot afford not to be sure about the health of your baby. Consequently, you will have to unplug the humidifier currently installed in your baby’s room and throw it into the cellar – you may not really need it. If doctors, who know better about health matters, are not sure, then you can be sure no one else is. The reason why you purchased the humidifier for your baby was to help in the treatment of colds. You were not to mind the dangers associated with the machines so long as they were soothing your baby. Now, the experts are not too sure. You may be poisoning your baby.
Natural humidifiers
It may never have occurred to you – babies already have natural humidifiers fitted to their faces: the nose! You may wonder why an artificial one is necessary. Dr. Gelfand, who chairs the Department of Pediatrics, National Jewish Health, seeks to debunk the myth that humidified air makes breathing easier. The nose can do the job perfectly well. The nose has hairs that filter out the air and humidify it adequately before leading it to the lungs. To cap it all, using the nose has no adverse side effects.
Artificial humidifiers pose a danger to children. This is because they introduce foreign matter into the air if they are not properly maintained. For instance, if they are not well cleaned, they may churn out harmful bacteria which, when inhaled by babies, can lead to respiratory problems. Consequently, by using humidifiers, you may be innocently poisoning your baby. What will make your skin crawl, even more, is the fact you may never know when bacteria are gathering on the humidifiers.
Too costly
You can ensure that the humidifier in the baby’s room is safe for use. However, this requires a high level of maintenance and attention which may not be possible all the time. Consequently, however much you try, there is very little you can do to prevent the machine from poisoning your baby. Too much of something, as they say, is poisonous. If the humidifier is not fitted with a hygrometer, it may not be possible to tell whether there is too much humidity in the air. Too much water vapor in the air will hamper the breathing of the baby by clogging its nostrils. A hygrometer is an additional cost of the use of humidifiers. It can become very expensive in the long run.
Humidifiers require the use of distilled water – and this is yet another cost. You will need lots and lots of pure water since you have to keep changing the water in the reservoir. You are likely to incur heavy costs and this may lead to the temptation of using tap water. Tap water may have residue metals that may be released into the air alongside the humidity. This will poison your baby’s respiratory tract. So, if you are not sure you can comfortably bear the additional costs of ensuring the safety of your baby under the humidifier, don’t plug it in.
You may not be able to afford to replace humidifier filters regularly. Sometimes, we operate on tight budgets which may force us to consider priorities. Humidifiers may not feature on the list of priorities. Consequently, the baby will suffer the brunt since old filters cannot do their jobs efficiently. In addition, they may become breeding grounds for bacteria which are also released into the air. Your baby will get poisoned if it breathes air laden with harmful microbes.
Conclusion
You are poisoning your baby by using humidifiers. This is the hard truth and you have to get used to it. One reason you use humidifiers for the baby is to help in the treatment of colds. However, doctors are not sure if the machines offer any medical help. Consequently, you need to learn to live without these machines. Furthermore, if not well maintained, mold, bacteria, and toxic metals accumulate in the humidifier and release into the indoor air. Your baby will definitely be poisoned if it breathes such contaminated air. All in all, humidifiers cannot be safe for your baby.