When I was pregnant with my first, one item on every baby “must-have” list perplexed me: the humidifier. I had survived to the age of 34 living in some pretty cold climates without needing a humidifier, why on earth would this new little person need one immediately upon birth? Well, as I quickly discovered, having a newborn with a cold can be terrifying. You’re already paranoid about your baby breathing at night. Adding a stuffy nose to the mix is a recipe for a lot of sleepless nights for everyone involved. While humidifiers can’t cure colds, they can make things more tolerable for your baby. They release moisture into the air to loosen mucus to ease congestion and soothe dryness or itchiness in the nose, mouth throat and eyes. A good humidifier, some saline solution, a quality snot sucker and a whole lot of patience will go a long way to helping everyone breathe easier when your baby is fighting a cold or the flu. But wait – there’s a catch.  There’s always a catch.

Some types of humidifiers are a breeding ground for mold. If you don’t clean them meticulously every day (yes, every day) and religiously change the filters they can release bacteria into the air and do more harm than good. And they do get dirty. Over the last eight years I have owned five humidifiers – from the brightly colored cutesy types to the classic brand names from my childhood. And every single one has been thrown away after one or two winter seasons because no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t keep them truly clean. This year I was going to have to start over … again. So when I heard about the chance to test a new type of humidifier, I was more than ready, especially since it was from Dyson, a company known for pushing the envelope to use science and technology to improve upon existing products. Yes, that usually comes with a price, but hey, at least you don’t have to throw away their products every year. Like most other Dyson products, you can tell the Dyson Humidifier AM-10 is going to be different just by looking at the package.

This humidifier looks more like it’s going to beam baby Kate up to the Starship Enterprise than moisten the air in her room. It’s quite large but sleek and white so it doesn’t clash with her nursery décor. I’ll admit, I was intimidated at first, but despite its high tech appearance, it was simple and intuitive to fill the tank and snap it together. Here are a few things that make this humidifier stand out: We’ve been using the humidifier for a few weeks now and I have noticed a difference. The nursery feels comfortable, not overly humid, like I’m walking into the Amazon jungle. Her skin is nice and soft and although she hasn’t had a cold yet (knock on wood), I’m sure one will be along as soon as old man winter blasts Chicago with another season to remember. But this time we are ready, with humidifier intact and snot sucker in hand. One lucky BabyCenter reader is going to win a (1) Dyson Humidifier ($499 value). To enter, simply follow the instructions on the Rafflecopter before November 6, 2015 at 11:59 p.m. ET.

Legal: The winner will be chosen by random drawing and announced at the top of the blog within 48 hours of the close of the contest. Winner must respond to email notification within 72 hours to claim prize. vacuum cleaners makitaPlease allow 6-8 weeks after giveaway has ended for prize fulfillment. play hoover vacuum cleanerOpen to legal residents of the 50 US and DC, 18 or older. genesis vacuum cleaner instruction manualsSweepstakes ends 11:59pm ET on November 6, 2015. Employees of BabyCenter, Dyson, and their agencies and families are not eligible. For the Official Rules which govern, click here. Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Dyson. I received a free Dyson humidifier to test for this review.

All opinions are truthful and my own.A robotic vacuum cleaner generally sacrifices power for convenience, so don’t expect Dyson’s 360 Eye to replace a full-fledged dirt-sucker. Like Roomba, it’s made for light daily cleaning. Still, with a 78,000 RPM motor, Dyson claims it should provide twice the suction of the average robo-cleaner. Cooler still, it has an all-seeing eyeball. The 360 Eye is named for the R2-D2-like dome and the 360-degree camera inside. The ‘bot uses the camera to map cleaning patterns of concentric squares and straight lines, unlike the Roomba’s more chaotic routes. Use the Dyson Link app to schedule cleanings and see a map of what has and hasn’t been cleaned. The brush goes right to the edges of the machine, letting the 360 Eye clean closer to walls, and cone elements inside whip dirt into a cyclone. The suction is augmented by carbon fiber and nylon brushes that dig deep to loosen grit. Dyson says all of this makes the 360 Eye more effective on hard floors and carpets, and tank treads help it move between the two.

As our video shows, however, it won’t work miracles. Although powerful for its size and type, it’s not nearly as potent as Dyson’s 110,000 RPM handheld V8 vacuum. While it’s lighter and smaller around, the vacuum is taller than a Roomba. That’s something to keep in mind if you have low-slung furniture. And you’ll get about a half-hour of cleaning from the battery, compared to an hour-plus from the Roomba—but it’ll return to its dock to top off before finishing the job. Its bin is smaller than those of the higher-end Roombas, and twice the suction power means you’ll probably empty it more often.1 It’ll set you back $1,000, which means the 360 Eye costs $100 more than the top-of-the-line Roomba 980. As to whether it’s as fun to ride, cats did not respond to a request for comment. 1UPDATE 7/28/2016: This story has been updated to correct information about the size of the Dyson Eye 360’s dust bin.Dyson V6 Baby + Child Trigger Handheld Vacuum The Dyson V6 Baby and Child Trigger combines a powerful, lightweight design with a selection of interchangeable tools engineered for parents designed to clean up the difficult messes that only a kid knows how to make!

This handheld vacuum, with its Dyson digital motor V6, is armed with twice the suction power of any other handheld vacuum. The Baby and Child model comes with the stiff bristle brush for ground-in dirt and the wide nozzle tool for cribs and upholstery. The combination tool and crevice tool help you get in tight spaces to pick up all types of debris from meal time to play time. The lightweight and ergonomic design make it perfect for use on quick jobs around the house, cleaning upholstery, or cleaning your car. The rechargeable lithium ion battery provides up to 20 minutes of continuous suction, while max power mode allows you to select an even higher level of suction for more difficult tasks. Twice the suction power of any other handheld vacuum 2-Tier Radial Cyclones, with 15 cyclones total, work in parallel to increase airflow and capture more fine dust. Wide nozzle tool engineered to remove large and small debris from cribs and upholstery Additional tools in the box include the combination tool and the crevice tool to help you get into tight spaces