Anyone who follows me on twitter or who regular reads this blog, will know about the problems I’ve had with MasterB’s breathing. He has always been snotty, gunky, wheezy and generally a bit of a sickly child bless him. We ended up in hospital twice with him over the winter and regularly need to use inhalers to control his breathing when he gets bad. Everytime he picks up a bug it ends up on his chest and we worry it’s going to mean another hospital trip.

We’ve been sent a Mini-Ultrasonic Humidifier as recommended by Vicks to try out to see if it helps at all. I’ve heard a lot about these and have had them recommended before so I was eager to see if it made a difference to MasterB.

What They Say

This latest generation cool mist humidifier will help to reduce the survival of flu viruses and ease conditions such as a dry nose, throat, eyes and skin discomfort.
“Part of the reason for increased respiratory illnesses during this time is because humidity levels in the air reach a yearly low,” said Ricardo Novella, Brand Manager Healthcare at Kaz Europe SA, manufacturer of Vicks humidifiers under a license to the Vicks trademark. Studies show that keeping indoor air at a relative humidity level of 40-60% reduces the survival of flu viruses on surfaces and in the air.

“One of the first things doctors recommend when a child comes down with a cold is to use a humidifier, as this can help loosen congestion and soothe a sore throat. Proper humidification is especially important for children since their smaller nostrils get bunged up more easily,” said Ricardo Novella.

The Vicks VH5000 Cool Mist Mini-Ultrasonic Humidifier is compact, ultra quiet, makes the room feel warmer and demonstrates efficiency through visible mist which can be directed with a 360° nozzle. The VH5000 runs for up to eight hours per filling and is suitable for a child’s room due to its silent technology and as cool mist avoids risk of burns. The humidifier can be used with Vicks menthol scent VapoPads, a soothing smell that helps relieve congestion and cold symptoms. Demineralization cartridges can also be used to soften the water and avoid white dust and can also be used with Antibacterial cartridges to kill bacteria and viruses because of its active carbon properties.”

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What We Think

We’ve been using the humidifer in MasterB’s room now for a couple of weeks and overall I’m impressed. MasterB’s room is only small but it always feels very dry, especially over the winter when we have the central heating on pretty much constantly. The first thing I like about the humidifier is that you can adjust the direction of the flow of mist so I can aim it in the direction of his cot, I also love that you can adjust the flow. I’ve read reviews of other products which say that they release too much humidity into the air and damage the walls etc but with this one I can keep it on a low setting so that it introduces enough humidity into the room but not so much that it damages anything.

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The humidifier does make a low humming sound, (as do most electronic appliances) but it isn’t loud enough to affect MasterB’s sleep and to be honest I think he finds it quite soothing. I do have to make sure it is out of his reach though as now he is big enough to reach over the cot, anything within grasping distance is dragged into the cot with him!

The first thing I noticed when I walked into his room after having had the humidifier on for a while is the freshness. It’s hard to put into words but you know that lovely fresh feeling you get when there has been a storm after a long dry spell and everything just feels fresh? Well it felt like that! MasterB hasn’t had as many colds/breathing problems recently, of course I can’t guarantee that it’s directly related to using the humidifier but I like to think it’s helping!

We were supplied with some Vicks Vapour Pads to use in the humidifer. I don’t use them all the time as most of the time I feel the mist by itself is adding enough to the air quality in his room but when MasterB does seem a bit more bunged up or wheezy than usual then I pop one of the pads into the humidifer and it diffuses it into the air. Now I do find them a bit strong personally but they definitely help and MasterB wakes up with a much clearer nose and chest than when I put him down. I tend to leave his nursery door open when I use the vapour pads though as they do get strong when used in such a small nursery like his.

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Would I recommend the Mini-Ultrasonic Humidifier? Yes I would, I like to think it’s made a difference with MasterB, it hasn’t completely stopped him being poorly but it’s certainly not been as bad these last couple of weeks since the humidifier has been in his room :)

The VH5000 Cool Mist Mini-Ultrasonic humidifier has a two year warranty and is available from many retailers at the recommended price of £49.99. I found it on Amazon for around £37 which I think is good value for something that helps MasterB :)