The Best Air Purifiers for Your Baby's Nursery
What to Expect selects products based on real-life testing conducted by staff, contributors and members our user community, as well as independent research and expert feedback; learn more about our review process. Prices and details are accurate as of the published date. We may earn commissions from shopping links.
$230 
Wayfair 
Best Buy Baby’s room is almost complete. You’ve purchased the crib, changing table, rocking chair and sweet wall decor. But if you or your partner has allergies or other concerns about air quality, you might want to add an air purifier to your baby’s nursery.
“Air purifiers filter out airborne allergens, which include dust mites, mold spores and pet dander,” says Devang Doshi, M.D., the Director of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology at William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Michigan. “And if your doors and windows are open on a regular basis, the outdoor allergens also become indoor allergens.”
In the United States, about 6 million kids under the age of 18 have asthma, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). And if one parent has allergies, their child is 25 percent more likely to have allergies, too. (The child’s risk jumps to 60 to 70 percent if both parents have allergies, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics, or AAP).
How we chose the best air purifiers for babies
HEPA (high efficiency particulate air) filters, or air purifiers, work to remove at least 99.97 percent of dust, pollen, mold, bacteria and other airborne particles, according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Therefore, every air purifier on this list uses a True HEPA filter to eliminate as many allergens from the air as possible.
We spoke to one What to Expect editor to learn which air purifiers she liked and found most effective.
We sought suggestions from parents in the What to Expect community, prioritizing air purifiers that were talked about most frequently and had a high number of positive reviews for their ease of use and noise levels.
Other factors to consider when buying air purifiers for baby’s nursery
Improving the air quality in baby’s room is your top priority, but there are other considerations many parents have flagged, such as how often filters need to be changed and the machine’s noise level. Here are some of the other factors we considered, and general guidance for parents to think about before purchasing an air purifier.
Filters: Dr. Doshi recommends factoring in the price of the device’s replacement filters — including how often you should change each one — when you tally up the total cost. Some models feature washable pre-filters that can help extend the life of the filter so you won’t have to replace them as often.
Noise level: The noise level on an air purifier really can vary depending on the model. Many air purifiers come with varying speeds, depending on how large your space is or what type of room you’re using it in (an air purifier in the kitchen might need to work harder than the one in baby’s nursery, for instance). You can often see the decibel range for each machine, as well as look at reviews for feedback on what customers thought. For the nursery, though, some parents found that an air purifier that makes noise doubled as a sound machine.
Ionizers: Some air purifiers use ionizers to attract allergens but this process just creates an ozone, a long pollutant that can be even more harmful to people with asthma. If you do opt for an air purifier with an ionizer feature, make sure that it has the option to turn it off.
Coverage: Air purifiers are designed to work in rooms of a certain size, and most retailers share the exact range or coverage available. If your nursery measures 500 square feet, for example, a device that’s only capable of filtering allergens in a 300-square-foot may not be very effective.
Clean-air delivery rate (CADR): Devices with higher CADRs can clean more cubic feet per minute than those with lower CADRs. This is important to users because those that have a higher CADR will clean the air in the room several times an hour, which might be more valuable for those living in areas with wildfire smoke or during allergy season.
Do babies’ rooms need an air purifier?
For the majority of people, allergens like dust mites and dander are harmless substances that won’t trigger the classic symptoms of allergies (sneezing, coughing or itching). So, if you and your partner don’t have allergies, an air purifier might not be very helpful, says Dr. Doshi.
But if you do have a family history of asthma and allergies or if your baby is showing signs of eczema (a skin condition that’s often linked with asthma and allergies), he says you might want to invest in an air purifier. The fewer allergens circulating in the air, the more likely your child is to stay symptom-free.
To combat allergens, you should also keep any pets out of your child’s nursery, remove any wall-to-wall carpeting (a well-known haven for dust mites, per the Mayo Clinic) and wash baby’s bedding every one to two weeks in hot water, according to the AAP.
Will an air purifier help babies sleep?
Although there isn’t much research about air purifiers and baby sleep, a 2018 study of young adults showed that participants got better sleep when air quality improved. And if you are concerned about loud noises coming from your air purifier, look for the products that parents say are super quiet. This way, you will safely trap allergens while your baby sleeps soundly (fingers crossed!).
Whichever device you decide to use, make sure you change out the filters regularly, and do so according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
If you don’t regularly change your filter, Dr. Doshi says it will accumulate a lot of debris. “The efficiency of the filter can go bad — plus, it puts a lot more wear on the unit itself, and over time, the motor can be damaged,” he adds.
Here are some of our favorite air purifiers for baby’s nursery.
Why Trust Us?
What to Expect is the world’s most trusted pregnancy and parenting brand for a reason. Our product recommendations are based on expert parent insight, advice from medical professionals and feedback from the millions of parents and parents-to-be in our community. Our editors adhere to the highest research and reporting standards and our team of vetted OB/GYNs, pediatricians and other health professionals ensure our recommended products are safe and effective for you and your baby.
Best Overall Air Purifier
Coway Airmega AP-1512HH
- Durable
- quiet
- lightweight
- attractive design
- Some say it's hard to find replacement filters
The Coway Airmega is a powerful air purifier that uses a four-stage filtration system to deodorize the air and eliminate contaminants — and it’s impressively quiet. It can cover large rooms up to 361 square feet, but keep in mind that this drops down slightly depending on particular particles. For instance, if you’re concerned about dust, the Coway Airmega is good for rooms up to 246 square feet and up to 240 for pollen. Still, it’s an impressive range for a machine of its size (it measures 18 inches tall and 17 inches wide) and will likely be fitting for most rooms in your home, especially the nursery.
As far as sound goes, the Airmega is comparatively quiet, with the lowest decibel coming in at the same volume as a whisper, while the highest is no louder than that of a refrigerator running. Numerous reviewers attested to the surprising quiet of this machine on the first two settings, with one person noting that level one is so quiet, they thought it was turned off. Some users noted that the third level is noisy, but it’s unlikely you’ll need to use it at this speed for extended periods of time.
It’s pretty user-friendly, too. It has an air quality sensor that tells you how clean (or dirty) your air is and adjusts automatically. Robin Hilmantel, Senior Director of Editorial Strategy & Growth at What to Expect, says that is one of her favorite features.
“The thing we like most about it is that you can tell it really works to detect issues with air quality,” she says, adding that she has one in each of her kids’ rooms. “If, for example, I've just cooked something in my cast iron skillet downstairs, the air purifier will start going off upstairs to clean the air in my son's room.”
There is also an indicator notifying you to change the filter; a timer that you can set for one, four or eight hours; and a three-step fan speed to manage noise levels. You can also turn the light from the buttons on top when it’s time to sleep.
Reviewers particularly liked that it’s ready to use right out of the box, and it looks quite stylish in your home. Robin and other parents note that it has a fairly large footprint, but it’s worth it for how well it works.
Keep in mind that although there is an ionizing feature available in the system, we do not recommend using it.
Coverage area: 361 square feet
Weight: 12.3 pounds
Dimensions: 16.8 x 18.3 x 9.6 inches
Best Air Purifier for Sleep
Vornadobaby Purio Nursery Air Purifier
- Easy to set up
- lightweight
- washable pre-filter
- Has a smaller coverage area
This product was made for babies and designed with little ones’ needs in mind. Vornadobaby’s air purifier features a “sleepy time” setting that turns on a soft night light. The two higher speeds also double as white noise, which is a plus for babies who prefer to sleep with a sound machine. Parents raved about the Vornadobaby for acting as an all-in-one sleep machine, noting that even though the sound is pretty loud on the highest setting, it didn’t bother their babies.
Aside from being a great sleep aid, the Vornadobaby air purifier does a great job at keeping baby’s room free from debris. The device’s True HEPA filter removes more than 99 percent of airborne contaminants and allergens up to 6.3 times per hour. The coverage is small though, so it won’t be able to deliver the same performance in rooms larger than 125 square feet.
Parents appreciate the small size of this model, they could put it just about anywhere in the nursery. And parents who want to save money will be happy to hear that the prefilter is permanent and washable: you won’t have to buy a replacement filter as frequently as with competitors.
Coverage area: 125 square feet
Weight: 8.05 pounds
Dimensions: 15.2 x 9.4 x 12.75 inches
Best Air Purifier for Small Rooms
Winix A231
- Compact
- clear indicators
- washable pre-filter
- Auto setting is quite loud
The Winix air purifier is a compact, but powerful model that costs less than $100. Covering rooms up to 230 square feet, Winix’s device includes a washable pre-filter designed to catch particles and help prolong the length of the HEPA filter inside. It also uses an activated carbon filter that can also reduce odors — something parents say actually works!
The device also auto-adjusts to the air quality in the room, so you don’t have to worry about turning it up if you’re cooking or down afterwards. And, you can rest-assured knowing that an indicator will pop up when it’s time to switch out your filter. Reviewers noted that the Winix is quite noisy, but that might not be a problem for helping your baby fall asleep.
One user called this air purifier a “power punch for small spaces,” and said it worked particularly well in closed or not-well-ventilated areas. Another reviewer shared that its small size makes it easy to move from room to room, as needed.
Coverage area: 230 square feet
Weight: 11.5 pounds
Dimensions: 9.5 x 9.5 x 14.6 inches
Best Budget Air Purifier
Levoit LV-H132 Personal True HEPA Air Purifier
- Compact
- quiet
- affordable replacement filters
- Fewer high-tech features compared to other models
At under $100, the Levoit air purifier lacks some of the bells and whistles of others on the market. But that doesn’t take away from its effectiveness.
With a three-stage filtration system, parents say the Levoit does exactly what they need it to do: clear odors and debris, and make it easier to breathe. They also appreciate that it’s easy to use. There are four key buttons to control essential features: power, night light, fan speed, and check filter. You can also quiet it down, thanks to the Sleep Mode functionality.
Although it falls on the low end of area coverage — up to 129 square feet — it’s still large enough for most bedrooms. And, because it’s so compact, it won’t take up much room in a small space.
Coverage area: 129 square feet
Weight: 6 pounds
Dimensions: 7.9 x 7.9 x 12.6 inches
- WhatToExpect.com, Allergies in Babies and Toddlers, August 2022.
- American Academy of Pediatrics, AAP Allergy Tips, January 2020.
- Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Asthma in children, May 2018.
- Devang Doshi, M.D., Director of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology at William Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak, Michigan.
- United States Environmental Protection Agency, What is a HEPA filter?, March 2023.
Trending On What to Expect
