{Giveaway Review} Crane Germ Defense Warm & Cool Mist Humidifier

I've said it before and I'll say it again - a humidifier is really a must in the winter for anyone, but especially a baby! Why, you ask? I'll tell ya why...

Winter is dry. Your heaters make it even dryer. When your nasal passages dry out, they become easy targets for all the germs you encounter out there. Beyond that, you might notice dry skin, chapped lips, stuffy nose, nose bleeds, and static electricity galore.

To battle this, you should keep your home at about 45% humidity. You can try this with pots of water and wet towels lying about your house, or you can go the higher tech route with a humidifier. Cool mist humidifiers are recommended with kids around, to avoid the risk of burns from boiling warm mist ones. They're also more effective at relieving congestion and breathing difficulties of colds (you know, the ~12 your child will have each year!!) and croup. Relieving congestion is most important for babies who must be able to breathe through their noses in order to feed from the breast or bottle!

We just got the Crane Germ Defense Humidifier, which works with cool or warm mist - awesome! The Germ Defense part comes from antimicrobial protection in the water tank that creates a germ free mist. One tank can run up to 72 hours, but I make sure to change the water every 24 hours, after running it through the night and 2 naps.

The thing I love most about this humidifier is the two vents you can move independent of each other!! We have the humidifier in our bedroom, which we share with our baby, so we aim one vent at his crib and one vent at our bed. Perfecto!! It's also really quiet! While it is "germ defense" it will still breed mold if you let it, so they recommend soaking the base in a vinegar-water solution once a week. The only negative is that the power light is bright blue... I guess you can just tape something over it? :P

You can get one of these humidifiers from Crane's website (or just about any retailer including Amazon), OR...

Enter to win a Crane Drop Humidifier or Adorable Humidifier (as well as 8 other awesome products - $300+ value) in my Great Winter Baby & Toddler Gear Giveaway (ending December 4!)

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**Disclaimer: Although I did receive this product free of charge, I was not compensated in any other way to do this product review. All thoughts and opinions are my own and completely unbiased.