Vaporizors

My wood floor was ruined by a cool mist vaporizer. I don't know if it was not working properly but the mist traveled down the side, down the storage bin it was sitting on, and onto the floor where it ate away the finish in one night.

I've had great luck with the Vicks warm mist vaporizer. As with any vaporizer you do need to clean it regularly to keep it from getting cruddy but most of the parts are dishwasher safe.

Would there be allergy issues in your home? Mold, animals, plants, etc. that could effect your son? Vaporizers don't produce much steam anymore. When my granddaughter has been stuffy at night-we have used the Vicks close enough to her bed for benefit, but not close enough that she could get at it and burn herself. Warm or cool? I think it might depend on the child and how they tolerate either of those. I felt that warm did a more effective job with my kids. Good luck with everything. By the way, doctors will tell you that babies don't get allergies-but there have been things that have happened over the years in my work with my children and others that makes me believe differently.

I have been told get a cool mist (safe for baby)... I have gotten 2 and both were horrible and seemed to do nothing for my daughter. Granted I spent $12 on one and $20 on the other so on the cheaper end of the vaporizors. I wish I remembered the names of them (I would be able to identify by look)... the $20 one leaked water everywhere if not completely level.

My hubby and I got the cheap VICKS one and it stopped working properly within a few months (we even cleaned it often just as the directions said).

This year I am going to do my research and spend more then $20 to get one or 2 that will work well! I am going to go with the warm mist, or sit in a steamy bathroom with my daughter. That is the only advice I can give at this time, sorry I am not much help.

I did some research on epinions.com and consumerreports.com and went with a Honeywell Warm Moisture Humidifier 3 gallon. No filter is needed, no wicks to change, it has a medicine cup, multiple control settings and a safety auto shut-off. It also has a humidity level control.

I think cool is safer if kids were to mess with it but with education and keeping it high up I haven't had issues with my kids getting hurt.

I think the cool requires more maintenance and since hot kills most bacteria there's no need for wicks to change.

I would say to only use one when he needs it! They are a breeding ground for mold and bacteria. I used one with my son and his nose and cough seemed to last forever. I took it out and put in a little fan (for the white noise) and he cleared right up! Don't buy the american red cross ones...the filters can only be ordered online! (At least that's the issue that I have run into). Buy one that you can easily buy replacement filters. Put it about 10 feet away from crib and don't point it directly at him. Keep door opened a little so that it doesn't get too humid in there. Not sure about the hardwood floor issue...most do not have visible vapor anymore, which is nice cuz then not everything ends up damp! And not sure about the vicks...I never used it.
Good luck!

I have a cool mist one that i put in my sons room at nite when he is stuffy and i just set it on the floor. I dont remember the brand but i got it at target and it was under 20 bucks, and it works just fine. i also have a warm mist one with vicks that i use during the day in the living room when hes playing. that one i really like and is also just a regular cheaper on from target but i do that during the day so i can make sure my son dont go near it. good luck.

I don't have a recommendation on the type to get, but I would be very careful about the floors. I used to run one when my son was a baby and I set it on the carpeted floor, but the mist damaged the finish on his wood dresser.

I have tried cool & warm mist & have beeter results with the warm mist.

I have the Vick's brand one & it has been workign great for 3 years. I also use the Vick's Vapors when colds are really bad. You just pour some of it in the water. Works great for congestion. & you can use it in conjunction with the Vapo rub.

You place it across the room from the crib, not next to it. Also as he gets older & starts getting mobile you may need to switch to cold vapor unless you can put it in a place where the baby cannot get to it as it does get hot.

As for the floors, as with anything that contains water there is a risk. You can alway get one of the rubber mats used under pets bowls just incase there is overflow

Warm mist vaporizors work better, but doctors recommend the cool mist if you don't have a way of putting it out of baby's reach. We have a warm mist Vicks and it's worked great. If my daughter is especially stuffy, I add the Vicks Vapor to it (it has a special area to put it in). The mist itself shouldn't be enough to ruin your floors, just be careful of having any spills.

Any type of standing water is a breeding ground for bacteria.

I remember when my son was in need of one as a baby. He had a upper respiratory infection(like bronchitis). I wondered the same thing/question. My Dr. told me to use a cool mist.

I would put it somewhere close where your little one would benefit from it, yet somewhere out of reach so you won't have it fall and have a mess for your hardwood floor.

I hope your son feels better soon.
~SR

I would suggest looking into just a Humidifier. Nothing that gets Hot. Even a Cool mist gets hot. It just has a guard on it to cool the steam before it hits the actual air. Its safer than the regular ones but not safe enough in my opinion. My son was 3 and Knew NOT to touch the Vaporizer. He would tell me to be careful not to bump it on my way out of the room. I had it out of his reach so I thought on top of his bookshelf. He all of a sudden one morning decided to reach up and touch it. he said he was checking to see if the smoke was hot. He had seen on TV about putting the back of your hand to the door to see if it is hot. He saw the smoke and decided to see if it was really hot like I had said. He got almost 3rd degree burns to the back of his finger. He had touched it with the back of his hand. it had literally melted his skin off!!! I was horrified when I saw his hand. I was sleeping in the next room. He had actually pulled the stepstool out of the bathroom and brought it up stairs and stood on that to reach it. He wanted to make sure we were safe. It took nearly 2 weeks to for it to even look somewhat healed. he still has a red mark on his finger and he is almost 5. I would never put another HOT thing in a child's room ever. No matter how many times you tell them it is hot they just sometimes have to see for themselves I guess. Its just not worth it to me. If you have the money I would deffinately invest in a Humidifier. One that covers the whole house is the best. That way the air is not so dry and keeps everything in the nose moisturized and flowing like it should and cuts down on infections. if you need steam to help then just close yourself and baby into the bathroom and turn on the hot shower and sit outside the shower. the steam from the shower should be enough to get those nostrils flowing. and its tons safer than having the child alone with a vaporizer. If you should get one then i Highly suggest putting it up high and away from the crib. Not certain about the floors. I don't have hardwood floors. laterz.

R., I'm a big Vicks fan, but you shouldn't use it with kids under 1. It can make their hearts race. You may have to do the old fashioned "elevate their head and keep the room moist" method. And lots of "snot sucking". Good luck!

R., we purchased one from the Brookstone store that is a warm mist humidifier that doesn't put out a big spray of water, it distributes it slowly & evenly. It also has an ultraviolet light. It was about $100, but I have bought 4-5 cheaper ones over the years & gotten rid of them because they broke or they were a pain in the rear to clean. I would check it out, they only sell one or two kinds at that store, so it should not be hard to find. If you need more info, e-mail me. THanks

I agree with Tamara. I dont think Vicks Vapo Steam is recommended for use with babies, unless it is the baby rub. I have read the Vicks packaging(a few years ago) and they advised against using on infants. Although things may have changed since then. I would read the packaging and ask your ped before using it.

We use a cool mist vaporizer and have had good luck with it. We also use a separate plug in thing-y that puts the menthol vapors in the air.
About the floors...I put the vaporizer in the middle of the room and bought a Neat Sheet to put underneath it. The Neat Sheet is water proof so it protects my wood floors from all the moisture. This has worked great for us. Good luck!