Are you expecting a baby and thinking about how to set up a safe environment inside your nursery? Or is your bundle of joy already at home and you now want to make sure the baby room stays as healthy as possible?

In either case, you’ve come to the right place. In this post, you’ll learn how to find the best air purifier for baby that will last well past the toddler years.

By the end of this guide, you’ll have everything you need to keep your child safe and to make the best decision possible for getting a top quality nursery air purifier. We’ll also suggest a top-rated air purifier that you can use for other rooms in the home as your child grows, which will keep your entire house safe from airborne pollutants.

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Best Baby Room Air Purifiers: Overview

Here’s a quick comparison chart showing the top baby air purifiers for nurseries. We’ll cover each aspect of these units in the reviews section below, but this gives you an idea of what’s available and an easy way to compare them.

ImageAir Purifier DetailsPrice
PureZone 1-in-1 Air Purifier
  • Best overall air purifier
  • Filters: True HEPA, Activated Carbon, UV-C Light
  • Coverage: 200 sq. ft.
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GermGuardian AC5000 Air Purifier
  • Good alternative to the PureZone unit
  • Filters: True HEPA, Activated Carbon, UV-C Light
  • Coverage: 180 sq. ft.
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AeraMax DB55 Air Purifier
  • Top baby air purifier for large rooms
  • Filters: True HEPA, Activated Carbon
  • Coverage: 400 sq. ft.
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Vornadobaby Purio Air Purifier
  • Most affordable option for a nursery
  • Filters: True HEPA, Activated Carbon
  • Coverage: 125 sq. ft.
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GermGuardian AC4150BLCA Air Purifier
  • Includes a nightlight projector
  • Filters: True HEPA, Activated Carbon, UV-C Light
  • Coverage: 78 sq. ft.
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Rabbit Air MinusA2 Air Purifier
  • Best air purifier for other rooms
  • Filters: Pre-filter, Medium, BioGS, Customized, Activated Carbon, Ionizer
  • Coverage: 700-815 sq. ft.
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Best Baby Air Purifiers

This list will save you a ton of time (and money) because you won’t have to hunt around trying to find and compare different products. We’ve already done all the research for you.

No matter which device you choose below, you’ll rest good at night knowing that each one will keep the air inside your child’s room clean and healthy to breathe for years to come.

PureZone 3-in-1 Air Purifier

PureZone 3-in-1 Air Purifier

If you’re looking for the best air purifier for baby room, this is it.

This product has everything you need to ensure maximum protection for your newborn’s health all the way up through the toddler years.

It’s compact size also means it won’t get in the way of the play area or prime walking paths.

With this high-quality air purifier you’re going to get:

  • True HEPA Filter for capturing 99.97% of airborne toxins and allergens that cause respiratory issues in children
  • Activated Carbon Filter for eliminating harmful volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and nursery odors (i.e. diaper pail)
  • UV-C Light for safely destroying microorganisms that are known to make children sick (bacteria, viruses, and fungi)

Another standout feature of this baby air purifier is that it’s whisper quiet.

In fact, the noise level is around 30db which is practically inaudible to human ears. You’ll never have to worry about this device disturbing your child while he or she is asleep.

Additionally, the LED lights on the top control panel can act as a soothing night light.

Finally, this air purifier can handle a space up to 200 square feet which is a great size for most nurseries and baby rooms. For the money, you won’t find any other air cleaner that’s as good as this one for such a low price.

Check Price and Reviews


GermGuardian AC5000 Air Purifier

GermGuardian AC5000 Air Purifier

If you liked the idea of our #1 review, you may want to consider this air purifier as well.

This unit includes all of the same air purification features as the PureZone air purifier; a 3-Stage air filtration system with a high-quality True HEPA filter, UV Light technology, and Activated Carbon filter; but has a different shape and color.

It also has 3 quiet fan speed settings (low, medium, and high).

Either air purifier is a good choice for baby rooms between 180-200 square feet, but you may just prefer the look (or size) of this air cleaner over the previous model.

The choice is obviously yours, but either way, you’re getting a good baby air purifier at a low price.

Check Price and Reviews


Vornadobaby Purio Nursery Air Purifier

Vornadobaby Purio Nursery Air Purifier

This is another good air purifier for baby rooms and nurseries that’s not very expensive.

This unit is on the smaller size and can only handle a room up to 125 square feet. That’s roughly a 12′ x 10′ area. But that may be all you need to keep the air in your infant or toddler’s room clean and fresh.

One of the nice benefits of this air purifier is that it comes with a permanent and washable Pre-filter. This filter will last for the life of the unit and helps to trap larger airborne particles. It also extends the life of the True HEPA filter mentioned below.

The True HEPA Filter can trap 99.97% of airborne particles down to 0.3 microns in size, such as dust, pollen, mold spores, pet dander, and other common allergens.

The Activated Carbon Filter is helpful for eliminating toxic VOCs and odors.

Similar to our #4 review, this model also lacks a UV-C light. But it does still capture a majority of the most common airborne pollutants that can cause harm to your baby’s health.

The upside here is that this air purifier is the cheapest one on the list. You won’t find a better deal for an air purifier that’s made specifically for baby rooms and nurseries.

Finally, the Sleepy Time Mode automatically puts the air cleaner on the lowest fan speed setting so your child is not disrupted during their sleep. And the recessed lighting behind the filter panel offers a soothing glow at night.

Check Price and Reviews


GermGuardian Baby Air Purifier AC4150BLCA

GermGuardian Baby Air Purifier AC4150BLCA

Our final recommendation for an air purifier for baby rooms is this unit right here.

It has the same high-quality 3 Stage air filtration system as our #2 review but comes in a smaller size.

It’s made for the smallest size rooms and nurseries up to 78 square feet.

With this model you get:

  • True HEPA Filter for capturing 99.97% of ultrafine pollutants
  • Activated Carbon Filter for removing VOCs and odors
  • UV-C Light for destroying airborne bacteria, viruses, and fungi

The best part; however, is the 3 Color Nightlight Projector. This feature brings your child’s ceiling to life with a twinkling moon and stars, sleepy safari, or under the sea glowing designs.

If you want to add joy to your baby’s room while also purifying the air to keep your child safe, then this is a good air purifier for you to consider.

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What About Other Rooms of the House?

Adding an air purifier to your baby’s room is a great first step.

But to get full air cleaning coverage in your home, you should also place an air purifier in the other rooms of the house that your child frequents throughout the day, like the living room.

Also, if your baby is sleeping in your master bedroom until he or she is moved to their own nursery, then you should also consider adding an air purifier to your bedroom as well.

By having at least two air purifiers in the home: one in the baby’s room or your bedroom, and the other in the living room (or another common area), you’ll ensure that you have the cleanest air possible for your infant to breathe.

The best air purifier for long-term use around the house and protecting your entire family’s health is this unit by Rabbit Air below.

Best apartment air purifier MinusA2

Rabbit Air MinusA2 Air Purifier

What makes this air purifier so good is the fact that it uses an unmatched six-stage air filtration system.

In fact, it’s the industry leader for cleaning the most pollutants from your indoor air. We recommend it as the best bedroom air purifier for the money.

With this air purifier you’re getting:

  1. Pre-filter
  2. Medium Filter
  3. BioGS HEPA Filter, which is a longer-lasting True HEPA filter (up to two years before a replacement is needed).
  4. Customized Filter
  5. Activated Carbon Filter
  6. Ionizer

The customized filter option allows you to further target specific contaminants inside your apartment including:

  • Germ Defense Filter: Reduces airborne bacteria, mold spores, and particles that carry viruses.
  • Pet Allergy Filter: Reduces pet dander, pet allergens, and pet hair.
  • Toxin Absorber Filter: Reduces volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and other chemicals.
  • Odor Remover Filter: Reduces odors from pets, cigarettes and cigars, cooking, and mildew.

Another top feature you’ll like about this air purifier is that it comes with a wall-mounting kit. This gives you the option to attach it to the wall so that the air purifier is out of your baby’s reach while he or she is learning to crawl.

The front panel also comes in two color choices and multiple designs.

And a Wi-Fi enabled version is available if you want modern control from your iOS or Android device.

All-in-all, this is the best air purifier for any parent and home because it can purify a large area between 700 to 815 square feet.

Check Price and Reviews


Top Features to Look for in a Nursery Air Purifier

The air purifier you choose for a baby room should have at least these two things:

  • True HEPA Filter
  • Activated Carbon Filter

Those two essential components are the key to keeping your child healthy. With their power combined, the unit will get rid of the most common types of air pollutants, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and odors in your child’s room.

An additional feature you may want to look for includes:

  • UV-C Light

This light works specifically to destroy germs, bacteria, viruses, and fungi in order to help reduce infections and sicknesses in your children.

True HEPA Filter

The first important piece of your new baby air purifier is a True HEPA filter. This filter excels at removing common sources of air pollution that are present in every home.

A True HEPA filter can trap and lock in 99.97% of all particles that pass through it down to 0.3 microns in size. Those specs are important because airborne contaminants vary greatly in size:

  • Dust: 0.5 to 100 microns
  • Pollen: 10 to 1,000 microns
  • Bacteria: 0.3 to 60 microns
  • Mold Spores: 10 to 30 microns
  • Pet Dander: 2.5 to 10 microns
  • Viruses: 0.005 to 0.3 microns

From the list above, you can see why having a True HEPA filter is so crucial. Without it, your baby could be susceptible to all sorts of harmful toxins. That’s why the best HEPA air purifier for allergies and best asthma air purifier always include it. It’s a necessary component for helping these types of health conditions.

For more details on this filter, visit our page on what does a HEPA filter do.

Activated Carbon Filter

An Activated Carbon Filter is another critical component of your air purifier. It helps remove volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and smelly odors from your nursery by absorbing them from the air.

As you’ll learn later in this guide, VOCs are not only present in cleaning products but also come from paint, furniture, carpeting, decorations, and other common items inside a baby’s room. And even if you don’t smell the off-gassing of these chemicals in the air, it doesn’t mean they’re not still present and doing harm to your child.

In addition to removing VOCs, a nice perk of getting an air purifier with an Activated Carbon Filter is that it can also drastically cut down on the smell of dirty diapers. If you place the unit right next to the diaper pail it can absorb the odors before they fill up the room. For many people, this feature alone is well worth the investment for an air purifier.

Ultraviolet UV-C Light

When most people hear the words “ultraviolet light” or “UV light”, they immediately think of the sun, skin damage, and cancer.

While UV light does have an association with those things, the fact is that the UV light spectrum is much broader than just rays of sunlight.

In fact, there are three types of ultraviolet lighting:

  • UV-A
  • UV-B
  • UV-C

UV-A and UV-B light are the longer wavelengths that you block with sunscreen to stop them from causing skin damage and cancer. UV-C light, on the other hand, is harmless to humans. Its wavelength is so short that it’s almost impossible for it to penetrate your skin. The purpose of a UV-C light on an air purifier is to kill bacteria, viruses, and germs.

When air passes through the system, this component neutralizes those particles, thus making them harmless to your child’s health. When you buy an air purifier with a UV-C light, you’ll be happy to know that the bulb is inside the machine. There’s no way for the light to come into contact with your baby unless the product is physically torn apart.

Types of Air Purifiers to Avoid

Now that you know what the best air purifiers are for babies and toddlers, it’s equally important to know which types to keep away from your children. The advice on what to look for in an air purifier for adults is much different for kids. Choosing any one of these air cleaners below could pose a serious risk to your child’s health.

Beware of HEPA-Type

When you’re buying an air purifier with a HEPA filter, make sure the manufacturer actually uses the words “True HEPA” and not “HEPA-Type” for the filter. This is a subtle difference but it makes a huge impact on the air purifier effectiveness.

A True HEPA Filter is the only type of filter that has been rated to remove 99.97% of particles down to 0.3 microns in size and it’s essential when choosing an air purifier for children. Filters classified as HEPA-Type have no standards or restrictions and are inferior substitutes.

Many HEPA-Type filters can only catch particles that are five microns or larger which misses a majority of the toxins that can impact your child’s health. We have another page on our site that reviews the best air purifier with permanent HEPA filter that falls into this category. And while these units can be good for some adults, they’re not the right choice for children.

Never Get an Ozone Generator

Ozone generators are powerful air cleaning devices, but they should never be used around children (or adults). Ozone is a toxic substance that irritates the skin, eyes, and lungs. Never buy an air purifier for your infant, baby, or toddler’s room that includes this function.

Don’t Use an Ionizer

Finally, don’t use ionizers (also known as ionic air purifiers). These products may seem attractive because of their low price tag, but they’re well known for causing lung irritation in people who have sensitive respiratory systems, especially those with asthma. (See our page on what is an air ionizer for more details.)

Since your child’s respiratory system is still in development up into the toddler years, it’s not a good idea to have an ionizer inside their room, much less other areas of your home.

As stated before, you always want to choose a True HEPA air purifier. If you want the full scope of this comparison, you can find it here: ionizer vs air purifier.

Tips on Using an Air Purifier in Baby Room

After buying an air purifier for a baby room, you’ll obviously want to make sure you’re getting the most out of it. The following list of tips can help you keep your new air cleaner running safely and efficiently.

Keep it Out of Baby’s Reach

You’ll want to enjoy all of the air purifier advantages without endangering your child. So make sure that your air cleaner is well out of your baby’s reach. These machines are designed to be very steady on flat surfaces, but they can tip over if they’re pushed too hard or rocked.

Place it Near the Diaper Pail

Do air purifiers remove smells? You bet! Diaper pails can emit some foul and unpleasant odors. By putting your air purifier near this container it can pull any odors in before they escape into the room or into the rest of your home.

Clean and Change the Filters Regularly

Dirty filters can restrict the flow of the air through your air purifier. This can cause the air cleaner’s performance and Clean Air Delivery Rate (CADR) to go down. (See the CADR meaning page for more details.)

Make sure that you follow the manufacturer’s instructions for the recommended maintenance schedule. Replace your filters on time and clean them if they’re reusable. Otherwise, your air purifier may not be purifying the air inside your child’s room as well as you think.

Run the Air Purifier Constantly

Your air purifier has to run 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to make a substantial difference in your nursery’s air. If you’re thinking about only turning it on while your infant sleeps or when he or she is playing in the room, that’s not a good idea.

Any time you turn the unit off you’re essentially allowing new contaminants to collect inside the room. Plus, this causes the air purifier to work harder and use more energy to clean the space.

So, do yourself and your child a favor by continually running the air purifier all day and night.

Keep the Nursery Door Closed

Keeping the nursery door closed will help to create a sealed pocket of fresh air for your infant, baby, or toddler to breathe. It also means your air purifier won’t have to work as hard to keep the air clean.

If you do follow this tip, make sure to have a video or audio monitor in place as a way to check on your baby quickly and keep them safe.

Put the Air Purifier on Floor Level

You may be tempted to place your baby air purifier on a table or desk, but don’t do it. Many of the top air purifier companies recommend that the ground is the best location for your air purifier unless the unit is wall mountable.

The floor level is where a high concentration of toxins and chemicals gather. It’s also a safer spot in case your child ever knocks the machine over since it won’t have far to fall.

Consider Adding an Air Purifier to Every Room

Your child isn’t going to stay in their nursery forever. Therefore, you want them to have clean and toxin-free air no matter where they go in your house. Putting an air purifier in each room of your home ensures that your child will always have clean and healthy air to breathe.

To find out what’s available for other areas of your house, take a look at our reviews on the best air purifier. And be sure to consider the air purifier room size coverage so you can get the right one for each room: large and small.

Now, another option is to purchase one of the best indoor air quality monitors. These units don’t actually clean the air but just measure the level of pollutants and report what substances are found in the air.

Air quality monitors are a good supplemental device to use inside the home if you want to know exactly what particles and how many are prevalent indoors.

The Hidden Dangers Lurking in Your Nursery

Did you know that there are potentially thousands of toxic pollutants lurking around your nursery even though it may be newly renovated or freshly cleaned?

In addition to airborne allergens, mold, bacteria, and viruses that are common in every home, there’s a high probability that your infant’s room is also loaded with volatile organic compounds (or VOCs).

If you’re like the millions of other parents who paint or repaint a baby room when they find out that they’re expecting then your child’s room may be at risk. Also, if you’ve added any new furniture, rugs, carpeting, or decorations to the space then VOCs are likely in the air.

While those simple renovations sound harmless on the surface, the truth is that these items can actually make your nursery one of the most unsafe places to be in your home. And that’s bad news for your baby.

The reason baby rooms are so toxic is because a large percentage of the items that people place (or use) in them contain high levels of VOCs. Although VOCs are most widely known for being in aerosol sprays and cleaners, these invisible gases are also present in everyday home items too.

Common sources of VOCs in your child’s room include:

  • Paints and stains
  • Varnishes
  • Carpet backing
  • Foam padding
  • Pressed wood used in furniture
  • Glues and adhesives
  • and more

What’s worse is that VOCs slowly leak out of these items over time (a process called “off-gassing”) and can continue polluting indoor air for many years. In fact, there are some cases where the level of VOCs inside has been reported to be up to 10x higher than the outdoors.

That’s a scary thought when you think about how many people remodel their nurseries right before the baby arrives. Fortunately, a nursery air purifier can help eliminate the hidden dangers that may be lurking around your child’s room before they do become a serious health issue.

Common Things in a Baby’s Room that Lead to Low Air Quality

Here’s a list of the most common things in a baby’s room that lead to lower air quality:

  • Wall and trim paint (both latex and oil-based)
  • Painted furniture
  • Stained furniture
  • Pressed wood furniture
  • Glues and adhesives used in furniture and wall hangings
  • Carpet backing and foam padding
  • Household dust
  • Allergens
  • Mold spores
  • Pet dander and hair
  • Chemical vapors from cleaning agents
  • Diaper pail odors

The Health Effects of Bad Air Quality

Inhaling air that contains any concentration of pollutants is not good for any child. Without using an air purifier to eliminate things such as allergens, mold, bacteria, pet dander, and VOCs from your baby’s room could lead to several health complications.

Below are some of the most common short and long-term health effects of being exposed to contaminated air:

  • Headaches
  • Nausea
  • Sore throat
  • Uncontrollable tiredness and fatigue
  • Respiratory conditions like bronchitis and asthma
  • Nervous system damage
  • Organ damage
  • Cancer
  • and more

Luckily, the best air purifiers for baby rooms can help to reduce your child’s exposure to airborne toxins, like the products reviewed in this post.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best type of air purifier for infants, babies and toddlers?

Before you go off any buy just any new air purifier to use in your child’s room from infant through the toddler years, it’s good for you to understand that these machines come in several different types.

If you’re wondering, “are air purifiers safe for babies,” the truth is that not all air cleaners are designed to be used around young children.

In fact, if you buy the wrong type of air purifier, you could be doing your child more harm than good when using it.

To make sure that doesn’t happen, we’ve outlined some tips below that will help ensure you get an air purifier that’s completely safe for your infant, baby, or toddler.

Why are babies so vulnerable to air pollutants?

The fact is that infants, babies, and toddlers face a greater risk to their health when it comes to breathing in contaminated air. Much more than adults.

Here’s why:

  • Babies are born with an immature immune system and have underdeveloped defense mechanisms. This means that cellular damage done by air pollution is less likely to be repaired, resulting in abnormal development.
  • Infants breathe at a more rapid rate than adults. They also have a smaller body mass. This means that it takes a lower concentration of airborne pollutants to affect their health. By comparison, an adult can breathe in the same amount of pollutants without any negative side effects.
  • From infant to toddler age, there’s a rapid development in the respiratory, neurological, and immune systems. Therefore, early exposure to contaminated air can cause lifelong health damage or worse sudden infant death syndrome.
  • Some indoor pollutants float around the air but many end up on or near the floor. These particles can get trapped in a mass of cool air that’s bracketed by a pocket of warm air. This increases the pollution levels closer to the ground where babies and young children spend most of their time. 

On the bright side, a mother’s immune system does help to protect an infant for a short while after it’s born.

Antibodies that were originally found in the placenta pass through to the baby during the last three months of pregnancy and stay active for the first few weeks of the child’s life. Those antibodies provide a buffer that allows the immune system to develop and fight off infections, but it doesn’t protect the baby from every environmental hazard. It’s no wonder why air purifiers are worth it to have in the home.

Bottom Line

There are a few things your air purifier must have in order for it to be most effective at keeping your loved one safe.

In particular, the air purifier needs to have a high-quality True HEPA filter and Activated Carbon filter to remove the most common pollutants. You can also look for an Ultraviolet (UV) Light for added virus and bacteria protection.

Now you know what to look for in the best air purifier for baby room and how to use it wisely in your home, you can feel safe buying a unit that meets your needs and budget.

Avatar for Patrick Holmes

About Patrick Holmes

Patrick is a Senior Air Quality & Comfort Specialist. He conducts in-depth research and analysis for our product reviews and buying guides in order to offer expert recommendations for people who are seeking to improve their indoor air quality and comfort. (See Full Bio)