Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) in Baby’s Nursery

Summary

My third baby is turning one this week. Reflecting back, the newborn and infant phases were different this time around.

In This Article

Smaller Lungs, Bigger Risks·Bad Air Can Harm Your Baby's Health·Common Indoor Air Pollutants·Volatile organic compounds (VOCs)·Particulate Matter (PM)·Pesticides, Phthalates, Flame Retardants, and Forever Chemicals·Germs, Viruses, Bacteria, Microbes, and Allergens·Wildfire Smoke·Pet Dander and Allergens·Nursery Off-Gassing·Your Clean-Air Checklist for Baby's Nursery·Air Purifier Selection & Placement·Let's Recap…

My third baby is turning one this week. Reflecting back, the newborn and infant phases were different this time around. For starters, he's a really chill little guy who loves sleep (and trust me, we earned it after our first two). There was also a noticeable lack of late-night internet searching and spiraling.

Could be that we were veteran parents who had some experience under our belts. But let's be real, we'd forgotten everything after a long hiatus.

Could be that with six- and nine-year-olds to think about, I just didn't have mental space for the endless baby tips and recs out there.

But more likely, being less sleep deprived helped me worry less and trust my gut. That said, two internet searches from the past year come to mind: "can babies eat cheese" (I know, I know) and "is it okay to have a litter box in the nursery."

Spoiler alert: Quick research inspired me to move our cat's litter box to a different space before we welcomed the baby into his nursery.

I've learned many, many lessons over my near decade of being a parent, but somehow, until we had our third, I had no idea how important indoor air quality is when your little one's respiratory system is still developing.

So here's the information I wish I'd had back in 2015 when I was pregnant with my first: why clean air is especially essential for babies, kids, and pregnant people; the potential health consequences of bad air; top indoor air pollutants to watch out for in our homes; and a clear checklist of how to improve air quality in baby's nursery and other rooms in the house.

Smaller Lungs, Bigger Risks

Children, particularly babies and younger kids, are more susceptible than we are to the health impacts of bad air. There are a few reasons for this:

They breathe more quickly and inhale more air relative to their size. The younger the child, the faster they breathe and the greater their exposure to air pollutants in relation to their body weight. Newborns average about 45 breaths per minute, versus about 31 breaths for 6-month-olds, and 24 for 2-year-olds. Meanwhile, adults usually take 12–14 breaths per minute.
Their airways and lungs are small and still developing. Respiratory system growth is a really complex and lengthy process that isn't complete until adolescence. Its development involves more than 40 different cell types, a branching structure with over 25,000 airway endings, and the formation of more than 300 million alveoli. Knowing this, it's easy to see how airborne pollutants may impact your little one's respiratory system more than your fully developed one. ^[1]
Their bodies' defenses are still developing, so they aren't as capable of fighting off germs and bacteria. This means kids are more likely to have respiratory infections. Respiratory infections can make them have more severe reactions to air pollution. (It's not an ideal cycle!)
They spend more time outdoors and have more exposure on bad air days ^[2]. Recently, the American Lung Association's 27th annual "State of the Air" report revealed that 33.5 million children in the United States, or 46% of Americans under age 18, live in areas with failing air quality grades. More than 7 million children, or 10%, live in communities that fail all three air pollution measures. ^[3]
When indoors, they're usually in a different—and more vulnerable—microenvironment. Babies and toddlers (and in my experience, children of all ages) spend tons of time on the floor and ground. Some toxic gases, including aerosolized pesticides, carbon monoxide, mercury vapor, and radon, are heavier than air, so they form a layer closer to the floor. When you combine kids' riskier breathing zone with the fact that they breathe faster and inhale more air, it makes sense that there are more clean air challenges for kids than average, healthy adults—even when they're in the exact same room. ^[1]

Bad Air Can Harm Your Baby's Health

According to Harvard University's Center on the Developing Child, "Clean air is an essential part of a healthy developmental environment, and ensuring that all of us have clean air to breathe in all the spaces where we spend time—indoors and out—offers a vital opportunity to support children's healthy development."

Even before birth, your baby's health and development are influenced by your environment. When you're pregnant, you breathe more air in and and out because of all the hormonal and physical changes that are happening. Microscopic airborne particles and pollutants can enter your lungs, and eventually your bloodstream. From there, they can cross the placenta and reach the fetus, where your little one's lungs, brain, and immune, endocrine, and reproductive systems are developing really quickly and are extra sensitive to chemical exposures.

Once baby arrives earthside, their experiences and environmental exposures at home (and wherever else they grow and learn) can shape the development of their brain, influence how their genes are expressed, and impact the integrated systems in their body, including the immune, metabolic, cardiovascular, and respiratory systems. ^[4] Growing up breathing high levels of air pollution, for example, can impact how children's lungs develop and put them at greater risk of lung disease as they age, the American Lung Association says. ^[2]

To dig even deeper into the science, during early development, the body's systems respond to and adapt based on environmental exposures. If an infant is exposed to air pollutants for extended periods, it can trigger a chain of immune and inflammatory responses. These reactions are initially protective, but they can lead to changes in lung structure, increased mucus production, and scar tissue around the airways, potentially contributing to the development of asthma later in childhood. ^[4] During the first year of life, respiratory exposures to air contaminants, including dust mites, cockroach antigens, herbicides, pesticides, oil smoke and exhaust, and farm dusts and animals, have a greater influence on both the incidence and severity of asthma versus exposures later in life.

It's also important to mention that babies are more vulnerable to combustion air pollutants like secondhand smoke (SHS). Early exposures can slow the rate of pulmonary growth and possibly contribute to health consequences like pneumonia, laryngitis, tracheitis, chronic middle ear effusions, and increased rates of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection. ^[1]

Common Indoor Air Pollutants

Most adults spend more than 90% of their time enclosed in buildings and vehicles. During pregnancy and early childhood, that percentage might be even higher. What's the problem though? According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), levels of indoor air pollutants can be two to five times higher than outdoor levels. ^[4]

So if you and your little one find yourselves spending most hours of the day inside your home, office, child care facility, school, community center, and car, be mindful of these bad air culprits:

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs)

Over the past 50 years, indoor air has changed dramatically as synthetic materials like composite wood furniture, carpets, foam cushions, scented cleaners, and products containing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have become common in homes. All these items release volatile organic compounds (VOCs), or airborne chemicals that have been linked to serious health risks, including cancer. Research also shows that early-life and prenatal exposure to VOCs may increase the risk of respiratory infections, wheezing, and asthma in children. Concentrations of VOCs can be up to one hundred times higher indoors versus outdoors. Yikes!

Particulate Matter (PM)

Airborne particles of different sizes exist both indoors and outdoors, coming from sources such as construction, industrial emissions, wildfires, cooking, and aerosol sprays. Researchers categorize these particles into three sizes: PM10, PM2.5, and ultrafine particles (UFPs). They can all be inhaled, but the smallest ones can even enter the bloodstream and brain, where they might interfere with fetal brain development. Particulate matter exposure has been linked to serious health risks, including preterm birth, reduced lung function, and worsened asthma in children.

Pesticides, Phthalates, Flame Retardants, and Forever Chemicals

Dust inside our homes and other places where we spend our time often contains harmful chemicals from plastics, cleaning products, flame retardants, pesticides, fragrances, and PFAS (sometimes referred to as "forever chemicals") found in some fabrics and nonstick coatings. When dust is stirred up, inhaled, absorbed through the skin, or ingested, these chemicals can enter the body and mimic our natural hormones because of their chemical structure, potentially disrupting thyroid function and reproductive system development.

Germs, Viruses, Bacteria, Microbes, and Allergens

Most parents, teachers, child care providers, and pediatricians are familiar with how quickly respiratory illnesses like colds, flu, and RSV can spread from kid to kid through the air. The COVID-19 pandemic brought worldwide attention to how crucial good ventilation and effective air filtration are in limiting the transmission of viruses. Allergens and microbes released by mold, household pests such as cockroaches and mice, and even family pets can also become airborne and attach to dust, contributing to asthma flare-ups, respiratory symptoms, and skin irritation.

Wildfire Smoke

Wildfire smoke obviously starts outdoors, but it easily enters buildings through open windows, small gaps in construction, and ventilation systems that lack high-quality filtration. The smoke contains a harmful mix of fine particles, black carbon, and gases such as carbon monoxide and nitrogen dioxide, posing serious risks to young children's health and development. Unfortunately, researchers have connected exposure to wildfire smoke during pregnancy with birth complications. Immediate and long-term effects for young children range from reduced academic performance to pneumonia and higher rates of asthma attacks. ^[4]

Pet Dander and Allergens

Pets produce proteins in their saliva, urine, and dander (or small flakes of skin) that can trigger asthma and allergy symptoms for some children and adults. Cat and dog allergens frequently stick to clothing, bedding, furniture, and carpets and can become airborne in the form of tiny particles. Dust from materials that line the bottom of cages for rabbits, hamsters, gerbils, guinea pigs, mice, birds, and other pets can also contribute to allergy and asthma issues. ^[5]

Nursery Off-Gassing

A 2014 study by a team of environmental engineers from the Cockrell School of Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin found that while babies sleep, they're exposed to high levels of chemical emissions from crib mattresses. Their research also revealed that new crib mattresses release about four times as many VOCs as old crib mattresses. Chemical emissions were discovered to be strongest in the sleeping infant's immediate breathing zone, and their body heat increased emissions. ^[6]

In a more recent Forbes article, Jonsara Ruth, executive director of the Healthy Materials Lab at Parsons School of Design in New York, offers crib mattress shopping advice for parents: "Beware of mattresses that claim fireproof, antimicrobial, or water-resistant … Even though it sounds convenient to have a moisture resistant cover on the mattress, avoid vinyl. Petrochemical ingredients used to make vinyl like vinyl chloride are carcinogenic, off gas VOCs, and contain phthalates (forever chemicals) which are linked to cancer and developmental problems." ^[7]

Your Clean-Air Checklist for Baby's Nursery

There's a lot of science we could ramble on and on about here, but we'll keep our advice as direct and actionable as possible. You've probably got an extra heavy mental load at the moment.

So, here it is:

Vacuum and dust regularly. Use a vacuum with a HEPA filter to trap fine particles.
Stay on top of washing bedding, blankets, and soft toys. As mentioned, allergens and dust can cling to these items.
Ban smoking. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), secondhand smoke from tobacco products can cause sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), respiratory infections, ear infections, and asthma attacks in infants and children. ^[8]
Keep pets out of the room. And give your furry friend(s) a bath every week, if you can. Have a caged animal like a guinea pig? Clean their environment daily. ^[5]
Choose a crib mattress made with natural latex rubber, wool, or cotton fills. For springs, filling, and insulator pads, healthy options can include coconut fiber, horsehair, and natural latex rubber.
Opt for zero-VOC paints throughout the nursery. Since babies and toddlers often teethe or chew on the edge of their crib, it's especially important for that finish to be nontoxic. ^[7]
Be mindful of fragrances in cleaners, laundry products, personal care items, and candles. Use fewer fragranced products overall. Lean on unscented and low-emission options as much as you can.
Run a portable air cleaner. More on this in the next section.
Ventilate. Open a window to bring in some fresh air, as long as outdoor air is clean. If you've just unboxed a new crib mattress or painted the walls or furniture, ventilation is key. It's a good idea to ventilate the room frequently after baby arrives, too.
Pay attention to outdoor air quality. Half of what's in the air outside can make its way inside. ^[4] When you check the weather forecast in the morning, take a look at the air quality in your area. The U.S. Air Quality Index (AQI) measures air pollution according to the Clean Air Act of the EPA.

Once you get familiar with this list, everything will become second nature. Definitely don't limit these lessons to the nursery—the air quality in your kitchen, bathrooms, other bedrooms, and living spaces matter, too.

Air Purifier Selection & Placement

Portable air purifiers with HEPA filters are a smart, budget-friendly way to clean the air in your baby's nursery and every room in your home. They're the perfect supplement to other strategies to keep your air as clean as possible. Intellipure's H1000, a standalone unit, can capture and clean more than 99.9% of airborne particles.

Harvard University's "Air Quality Affects Early Childhood Development and Health" report provides a few recommendations when it comes choosing and positioning your indoor air purifier:

Make sure the purifier is the right size for your space. (The H1000 purifies areas up to 2,200 square feet in just 30 minutes.)
Watch out for purifiers with ionizers that create ozone. They can actually make your air quality worse, not better.
Remember that air purifier placement in the nursery matters. For the best germ-fighting power, put your purifier in the center of the room at breathing height. That means close to floor level in nurseries and playrooms where little ones spend time crawling around, and about three-to-four feet off the ground in rooms where kids will be sitting at tables or desks.

Running an air purifier with a HEPA filter does more than just trap dust: It can genuinely reduce asthma symptoms and help you and your little one breathe easier by removing allergens and pollutants from the air. ^[4]

Let's Recap…

Because you're probably in the home stretch of your pregnancy or in the trenches of the newborn months, and this was A LOT of research to take in about good nursery air quality.

Even the most beautiful nurseries with all the on-trend details can host invisible air quality challenges that affect a baby's developing respiratory system. The combination of nursery off-gassing from new materials, common household VOCs, germs, allergens, and everyday PM and dust adds up, but there's no need to feel overwhelmed. Maintaining clean air in your nursery is totally manageable with the right mindset and approach.

Start by finding a few favorite low-emission decor and cleaning products, ventilating the nursery (and new purchases like the crib mattress) thoroughly before your little one arrives, and committing to a couple of daily cleaning habits. Do your best, and try not to drive yourself crazy aiming for perfection. Layering in some help from an air purifier like the H1000 can give you more peace of mind, especially if you maintain it well and replace its filters on time to maximize performance.

These simple steps are worth the effort to create a cozy, safe environment where both you and your baby can breathe freely and feel your very best.

Expert Memo

Dr. Erik Schraga, MD

The most important thing about nursery air quality that I wish more parents understood is that the air inside a beautifully prepared nursery can pose invisible risks to a developing respiratory system — and that awareness, not perfection, is the key to protecting your child.

As a physician, I can say that indoor air quality is one of the most underappreciated factors in early childhood health. Newborns breathe roughly 40 to 60 times per minute — far faster than adults — and their airways and immune defenses are still developing. This means the same airborne pollutant that is trivial for an adult can represent a meaningfully larger dose for a baby.

One point that deserves special attention is the microenvironment near the floor, where gases and particles can concentrate at exactly the height where babies sleep, crawl, and play. Similarly, a freshly painted room with a new crib mattress may look perfect but can be a significant source of chemical emissions. Setting up the nursery weeks in advance and ventilating thoroughly is a simple, cost-free way to reduce those exposures.

This article presents the science accurately and, most importantly, provides an actionable checklist that families can realistically follow. The guidance on air purifier placement, fragrance reduction, and secondhand smoke avoidance is all well-supported by the evidence. I am confident that families who follow these recommendations will be taking meaningful steps to protect their children's health.

Expert reviewed by CertREV

References

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