Keeping the Air Clean for your new
Baby
Bringing home a baby can be an apprehensive time for new parents. In addition to everything else, a new parent worries about things that might impact the health, comfort, and safety of their baby. A parent wants to ensure that their baby sleeps well and breathes easily so that their lungs and immune system have time to rest and rejuvenate. Investing in an air cleaner or purifier can remove up to 95% of the pathogens from your home’s air. The fact is, babies and children are vulnerable to both indoor and outdoor pollutants/ contaminants. The reasons aren’t surprising – infants and children have less developed immune, neurological, and respiratory systems; their small body mass and higher rates of respiration make the inhalation of air toxins more dangerous than for an adult body (obviously); and (no surprise here) babies often in-
Photo by Prince Prints
50 | Oh Baby!
hale more indoor air particulates because they spend more time closer to the ground where concentrations of these particles are much higher. When considering an air cleaner, ask the following questions: Do you want a whole home solution? How much maintenance does your chosen air cleaner require? How does it work in conjunction with your heating and air conditioning units? What is the noise level? There are several additional ways to improve the air quality in the nursery (and your home). Use a vacuum cleaner with a HEPA filter (and use it regularly). Wash bedding and baby’s clothing in hot water to cut down on dust mites. Dust frequently. Keep pets out of the baby’s room. Don’t smoke in the house (ever).