Would An Air Purifier Be Helpful When You Have A Toddler At Home?

You may have heard this before that the problem of air pollution is solely an outdoor issue. Well, I hate to break it to you, but air pollution is one of the silent devils that dwells within your home too; and it is directly affecting your toddler’s health. Now, did you know, air pollution is associated with some of the biggest killers of young children, such as pneumonia, which is responsible for the deaths of 920,000 children under 5 years of age every year? (Source: Unicef: Danger In The Air. Division of Data, Research & Policy, December 2017).

Fresh paints, mosquito coils, incense sticks, dust, mites, cooking gas, cleaning agents, molds, volatile organic compounds (VOC), pet dander and so many other elements contribute to increased levels of indoor air pollution. And needless to say, all these elements harm not only your toddler’s lungs, throat and eyes but yours too!

Now, as a mother you try your best to give pure drinking water to your toddler; but, you should also think of how you can help your toddler breathe in pure air. With developing lungs, it is essential for toddlers to breathe in clean air! But I know, the dream of letting our children breathe pure air in the middle of our cosmopolitan setups is a far-fetched one. At such a tender age if your toddler continues to breathe high levels of polluted air over a long period of time, s/he may be at a risk of falling prey to illnesses like asthma, allergies, pneumonia and other prolonged lung diseases.

How Does Air Pollution Affect Your Toddler’s Health?

There is a strong relationship between exposure to ambient air pollutants and adverse effects on the development of lung function. Issues such as Reversible Lung Function Deficits and chronically reduced lower lung function levels are associated with exposure to air pollution. Now, did you know, air pollutants interact with other environmental factors like allergens, viruses and diet that influences the overall repercussions of air pollutants on your toddler’s health? Also, these harmful agents can actually invite developmental issues in your toddler too.

Short-term exposure to air pollutants can cause irritation to your toddler’s eyes, nose and throat, and upper respiratory infections such as bronchitis and pneumonia. Other possible effects are headaches, nausea, and allergic reactions. Now, short-term air pollution can also aggravate medical conditions of toddlers with asthma.

Air Purifiers Come To The Rescue

Air purifiers have become a popular phenomenon in metropolitan households. Now, what does an air purifier exactly do that will help your little one breathe better? Well, an air purifier takes in polluted air, passes it through HEPA filters internally and releases clean air. Some air purifiers can even detect the slightest change in the levels of indoor air pollution and work harder to remove pollutants from indoor air. Also, there are certain particles like PM 2.5 particles, which are extremely small to be seen by the naked eye; these are not filtered by the nasal tract. These particles directly enter the lungs and can cause breathing problems in your toddler. An air purifier can help clean such particles that will let your toddler breathe comfortably. Indoor air pollutants are present across all homes – their sources may vary from dust to pet dander, cigarette smoke to sprays, and the likes.

So, an air purifier, in today’s time may be a productive investment as long as you purchase a reliable one with the right set of filters and technology. In fact, there are few air purifiers that can even get rid of airborne viruses. Do you know what this means? You and your toddler will breathe better air indoors. So stay healthy and breathe better.

Disclaimer: A message sponsored by Philips to help you breathe easy. Opinions expressed above are independent opinions of the author.