Hello!

Hi Mums, my child has a cold but I’m confused whether to buy a diffuser, a humidifier or a steam vaporizer for kids? What do these devices all do and how are they different?

If you’ve got any experience with this, we’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.


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  • I had no idea there were so many options


  • They R all to big and cumbersome. They would need to sit still 4 to long and for this reason I won’t use one myself, but I buy a pack of Vicks Vapor Drops and they cleare me up perfectly while not restrcking me at all.


  • We have an humidifier – it seems to not only filter the air but take the really bad chill off it. It works for us.


  • A vapouriser seems to be the best choice to me


  • We always used the vaporizer with the eucalyptus for our son. And we rubbed Vicks on his feet. It seemed to do the trick.


  • I don’t even know the difference!


  • Especially when the kids are young cold symptoms can have a huge impact on the overall wellbeing, feeding and sleep. I have a vaporizer. It helps to keep the nose clear and improves the sleep.


  • We used vaporizer.Apart from that i used to give them steam water with lemon.I never throw away the lemon peels.Always used them to use when kids have cold.


  • Our daughters have Autism and one suffers ear aches and sinus issues regularly and my husband found using masonry spray once a day relieved the pressure in her ears and clears sinuses.


  • The diffusers are only good for aromatherapy so I would strike that off the list. Had a vaporiser years ago and it was quite good but I have not tried a humidifier yet


  • A lot of Mum’s I speak to prefer vaporizers. Humidifiers work by creating mist from cold water, whereas vaporizers heat water to create steam. I think it comes down to personal preference though! I’m yet to buy one but will definitely get the vaporizer.


  • We used a vapouriser because the menthol smell helped our kids best. I don’t actually know what the difference is between them though.


  • Definitely a vaporiser as number one. My little ones are battling a cold at the moment, and my youngest had a horrible night sleep the first night with stuffy nose and sore throat. The following night I set our Vaporizer up and he slept the whole night as it definitely helps to soothe the sore throat and clear the nose.


  • I would buy a Vaporizer as you have the special bottle of stuff they sell putting in it and it fills the air in the bedroom with vapours to help a child breathe. Steam is what helps with a child’s breathing and good for the whole family when they have a cold or asthmatic, so that is why I say a Vaporizer.


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