The Best Air Purifiers for Baby's Nursery—and How to Know If You Need One

Do I really need an air purifier for my nursery? And if the answer is yes, how will I even know if it’s “working”—or just one more thing to keep clean? As you’re thinking about must-haves for your nursery, these are valid questions—especially since four in 10 people live in an area with unhealthy pollution levels. 

We looked to the experts on babies and breathing to get to the bottom of these commonly purchased machines for your little ones. After researching dozens of options, we determined Coway Airmega 160 is the best overall pick for both its powerful air purifying process and its easy-to-use design. We also chose two other air purifiers, including an option with smart features and one with a nursery-specific aesthetic, if you’d like other purifiers to consider.

The Air Best Purifiers for Your Nursery

• Best Overall: Coway Airmega 160

• Fits in Best with Nursery Decor: PureEnrichment PureBaby Bear Air Purifier

• Best Smart Features: Levoit Core 300S Smart Air Purifier

How We Judged

We researched the top air purifiers and those that new parents found most helpful and convenient based on their reviews. We also used input from the experts we spoke to for this guide to determine what factors to look for, such as the highest quality filters, certifications and features to help parents with this shopping decision. Here’s what we looked for:

• The correct size/reach: Air filters should be the appropriate size for the room you are cleaning to ensure they can handle the workload for that specific room.

• Efficacy: Air purifiers don’t all work the same, and that can be the tough part of shopping for them. We looked for highly efficient options with certifications and filter types to ensure they were doing their job.

• Ease of use: We prioritized air purifiers with features and extras that make it easy to switch the machine on and go about your day, letting it do the hard work. We also considered filters: changing, cleaning and replacing them.

• Noise level: Nobody—especially babies—wants a noisy air purifier. We looked for options without stressed parents commenting on the noise level in reviews.

• Extras: Air purifiers that double as other nursery must-haves can help you check off other purchases from your list, such as night lights.

And because you’ll likely encounter some unfamiliar terms when shopping for an air purifier, it’s helpful to understand some of the technicalities around air filters before you start shopping. Here’s what you need to know:

• HEPA filter: This is the workhorse inside the air purifier, removing harmful particles from the air such as smoke, mold spores, volatile organic compounds (VOCs, also known as “bad gasses,” like formaldehyde), excess carbon dioxide, certain virus particles and allergens like pet dander. “A device equipped with a HEPA filter is a good choice for those impacted by asthma and allergies, as a True HEPA filter can remove 99.97% of particles as small as 0.03 micrometers in diameter, including pollen spores, pet dander, dust mite allergen and some infectious pathogens,” explains Dr. McKeon.

• Activated carbon filter. According to Dr. McKeon, activated carbon filters are used to tackle gases like VOCs and odors. They are often combined with a HEPA filter for more effective filtration.

You may encounter two other terms as you research the best air purifiers: CADR and MERV. 

CADR stands for Clean Air Delivery Rate. It measures the volume of filtered air delivered by an air purifier. An air purifier with a higher CADR means it will clean the air faster and more often.

CADR is measured in two ways: air changes per hour (ACH) and by specific types of pollutants. An air purifier’s ACH measures the number of times the air in a room is cleaned with new air within one hour. During the COVID-19 pandemic, for example, the CDC recommended five air changes per hour—so, an ACH of five—for occupied spaces.

An air purifier’s CADR rating is also assigned for three specific types of pollutants: smoke, dust and pollen. “The general rule is that the CADR of your air cleaner should be equal to at least two-thirds of the room’s area you are trying to clean,” says Dr. Guilbert. (Quick math lesson🤯: a 10-by-11 room is 110 square feet, so you’d want an air purifier with a CADR of at least 73.) If your area is prone to wildfires, Dr. Guilbert recommends purchasing an air purifier with a CADR equal to the square feet of the room. And don’t forget to factor in ceiling height—the higher your ceiling, the higher CADR you’ll want. You can find the CADR rating online with the product information or on the box in most cases.

MERV stands for Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value, an industry rating on how well an air filter weeds out the bad stuff in the air. MERV ratings for air purifiers are usually between 12 and 17, but many manufacturers are not forthright about their numbers, so finding them can be difficult. Because of this, we’ve removed MERV ratings from our evaluations.

Best Air Purifier Overall

Coway Airmega 160

$149.99

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Pros:

• High CADR
• True HEPA + carbon filters
• Quiet

Cons:

• No app, so can’t control remotely
• No nursery-specific features, like night light
• Some users wish the unit had handles

Coway makes some of the most popular and highly reviewed air purifiers on the market. The Airmega 160 isn’t the brand’s most powerful, but it’s more than enough for almost any nursery space. It’s affordable, stylish and can be repurposed once the baby days have passed in either a big kid room or any other room in your home.

The Airmega 160 has an ACH of 4.8, which means it cleans the air 4.8 times an hour in a 214-square-foot room. (It works in larger rooms, too—it will just take longer for the machine to circulate the air.) It has a high CADR rating, coming in at 153 for smoke, 161 for dust and 220 for pollen. While these CADR ratings aren’t quite as high as some of Coway’s heftier models (the popular AP-1512HH Mighty, for example, has a CADR of 234 for smoke, 248 for dust and 232 for pollen), it more than gets the job done for a nursery and is an extra good fit if you’re concerned about your baby breathing in airborne allergens. It’s also smaller and sleeker than the Mighty. While not tiny enough to stash on your baby’s bookshelf, it easily fits in the corner of a room or sitting flush against a wall without taking up too much space.

This air purifier uses a true HEPA filter and a carbon filter. You will have to change out these filters over time, but there’s also a washable pre-filter to help extend the life of the unit, which we appreciate. We also like how quiet this air purifier is. At its lowest setting, the unit runs at about 20 decibels—equal to the sound of a buzzing mosquito. (At its highest it’s 50 decibels, comparable to a quiet office.) This is an important feature to consider when choosing any air purifier, but especially one for your baby’s nursery.

You can’t control the Airmega 160 via an app, so you’ll need to be sure the unit is set where you want it before naps and nighttime sleep. (You can set it to run for set amounts of time, though, and there’s also a real-time air indicator so you can keep tabs on air quality.) And there aren’t any baby-friendly features like a night light or music.

Additional Specs

Dimensions	18.5”H x 13.4”W x 6.5”D
Weight	12.1 lbs
Coverage range	Ideal 214 sq ft, up to 1,035
Noise level	19.98-48.3 dB

Fits In Best With Your Nursery Decor

Pure Enrichment PureBaby Bear Air Purifier

$99.99

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99.99

Pros:

• Nursery-friendly design
• Night light with customizable color options
• Quiet

Cons:

• Complicated night light settings
• Lower CADR
• Covers smaller area

If you’re looking for an air purifier with a nursery-specific aesthetic, this PureBaby Bear is a great choice. It’s small enough for your baby’s bookshelf but powerful enough to circulate and clean the air twice an hour in a 263-square-foot room. It has a true HEPA filter and a four-part filtration system, including an activated carbon prefilter. It’s also often reported to noticeably reduce odors—and as any parent who has changed a blowout, that’s something we can majorly get behind.

Nursery-specific features include a night light with seven color options and a child lock. If you’ll soon have a toddler, or just have other siblings wandering around, this can prevent kids from reprogramming the settings. This is also one of the most lightweight options on the list, weighing in at just over five pounds, so parents don’t have to worry about difficulty moving between rooms.

The PureBaby’s CADR is on the lower side, coming in at 70. (Specific numbers for smoke, dust and pollen aren’t available.) If you live in a wildfire-prone area or are worried about specific allergens like seasonal pollen, this may not be the best choice; however, in an area with average pollution levels and for a child with no specific allergy concerns, it’s still a good choice. Some users also noted that the night light settings were a bit tricky to figure out at first.

Additional Specs

Dimensions	11.1”W x 14.6”H x 8.7”D
Weight	5.5 lbs
Coverage range	Up to 263 sq ft
Noise level	28-50 dB

Best Smart Air Purifier

LEVOIT Core 300S Smart Air Purifier

$149.99

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Amazon

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149.99

Pros:

• Control via app, Alexa or Google Assistant
• Easy-set up
• Ability to remove pet odors

Cons:

• Creates an odor
• Some say it doesn’t hold up well over time
• Requires filters to be replaced every several months

If your nursery is already as smart as it gets with a smart bassinet or baby movement monitor, this one’s for you. This Energy Star-certified air purifier, which works best in rooms up to 219 square feet, can be controlled through an app and even be connected to Alexa or Google Assistant. Forget to turn it off? Ask Alexa to do it for you without needing to head back into your sleeping baby’s room—you don’t even need to use your hands. It also comes with the ability to operate in auto mode, so you can set your purifier to run at a certain filtration and then literally forget about it—great for busy parents who don’t need one more thing on their to-do list.

The Core 300S runs on a preinstalled three-in-one filtration system that tackles particles from all of the usual offenders like dust, pollen, pet dander, viruses, mold and more. The purifier weighs just six pounds, around half of the Coway on our list. If you’re a parent of multiple kids, this is a big pro, as you’ll likely want to move the purifier between bedrooms based on which kid needs it the most. It’s also quiet, running at about 22 decibels on its lowest setting.

It is worth noting that Levoit used to advertise this air purifier’s filter as True Hepa but no longer does. The company hasn’t said why this is; however, nothing seems to have changed about the filter’s effectiveness. And since we love the size, weight and smart features on this air purifier, especially for nursery use, we think it deserves a spot on the list.

Additional Specs

Dimensions	8.6”W x 14.1”H x 8.6”D
Weight	6 lbs
Coverage range	Ideal 219 sq ft
Noise level	24-48 dB

How Do Air Purifiers Work?

Air purifiers use fans to circulate air through a filter, trap harmful particles, and then release the clean air back into the room. “They are helpful when you have harmful particles in your home such as air pollution, pet dander, cigarette or wood smoke,” explains Guilbert. 

These machines are used for a variety of people and purposes. “Anyone can benefit from an air purifier, also called an air cleaner, because, for many people, the health risks posed by indoor air can be much higher than outdoor air,” Dr. John McKeon, CEO of Allergy Standards Limited, based in Dublin, Ireland, says. “People spend more than 90% of their time indoors, and indoor air can be two to five times more polluted than outdoor air,” he says. This is because of the types of chemicals in home products, inadequate ventilation, hotter temperatures and higher humidity, according to a report from the National Institutes of Environmental Health Science.

“Air purifiers which are scientifically validated, ideally through independent third-party testing, work to reduce the burden of indoor air pollutants, resulting in a healthier indoor environment for building occupants,” he adds.

Do You Need an Air Purifier in Your Nursery?

Whether or not you need an air purifier in your nursery depends on just how sensitive your baby is to pollutants and how much air pollution you have in your area.

You may want to consider an air purifier for your nursery if:

• You live in a place with moderate or significant air pollution.

• Your baby has asthma, allergies or other respiratory conditions that make them more sensitive to air pollution.

• You live in an area that’s prone to wildfires.

“Homes that are in areas with poor quality air such as those located close to a highway or railroad tracks or in areas experiencing wildfires can benefit [from air purifiers],” says Guilbert.

Not sure if you need one? “You can buy air quality testing kits to test your air quality on your own or hire a professional to do so,” she adds.

How to Choose a Nursery Air Purifier

There are several things to think through as you shop for an air purifier, and a few specific ones to consider when you’re looking for a nursery-specific model. Here’s how to break it down.

• Room size. This is the first thing most people think about when researching air purifiers—and generally a good place to start. You need to be sure the air purifier you choose is powerful enough to filter the air in your particular room. As most nursery spaces are on the smaller side, you’ll have a lot of options, but there’s also no harm in buying a purifier that’s more powerful than what you might need now in case you’d like to move it to a different room as your baby grows. (More powerful air purifiers are generally larger, however, so that’s something to consider.)

• Room placement. Since you’ll be using your air purifier in a nursery space, size matters. Many air purifiers are quite large; be sure you have a safe place to put on in your baby’s nursery. If not, you may want to sacrifice performance over size in favor of a purifier you can stash on your nursery’s bookshelf away from curious little hands.

• Filter type and CADR. Look for an air purifier with a True HEPA filter and a carbon filter. “Filtered air purifiers are considered the safest type for home use, as electrostatic or UV light air purifiers may produce ozone gas and other pollutants that may make asthma worse,” says Dr. Guilbert. And pay attention to CADR, which should be equal to at least two-thirds of the room’s area you are trying to clean. If you’re trying to target a specific pollutant (wildfire smoke, for instance), prioritize an air purifier with a high smoke CADR.

• Ease of use. “You want to look for something that is easy to set up, clean, easy to change filters, and has a nice overall design based on personal preferences,” says Dr. Purdy. Also pay attention to how often the manufacturer recommends replacing an air purifier’s filter, how available (or not) filters are for purchase and the cost per filter. 

• Noise: Noise level is an important consideration when shopping for any air purifier, but especially for a nursery space. “You want to make sure it has minimal noise so it's not disruptive,” Purdy says. 

• Convenience features: She adds families can consider additional features including “fan speeds, timer settings, child locks, lighting (night light), modes and coverage area.” One less thing you have to buy!

If your baby has any respiratory issues or if you’re a family with genetic risks who are prone to these, you may want to look a bit harder at their purchase decision. “Air purifiers can be helpful if your family members have allergies or a chronic respiratory condition such as asthma,” Guilbert says. She recommends knowing the particular air particles you’re targeting (pollen, dust, etc.) before you buy so you can find a purifier to meet those specific needs.

Guilbert also reminds parents that these machines aren’t going to prevent major respiratory conditions. “Unfortunately, asthma and allergies are multifactorial diseases which have both a genetic and environmental component. There is no evidence that air purifiers prevent asthma or allergies, but they can help control [them] by reducing harmful particles in the air in your home.” 

And remember that you can always ask your pediatrician if they recommend an air purifier for your baby.