Dr Phil Kieran: Should I be worried about the damp patches in our baby's room?

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I’ve noticed some damp patches in our baby’s bedroom. Should I be worried, or do I need to keep the heat on during the day?

Dampness is something that everyone who lives in Ireland (particularly on the south and west coast) is familiar with.

But thankfully, for the most part, it’s not detrimental to our health.

Dampness inside the house is something that you should address, but my advice would be to try and figure out why it’s happening rather than getting too worried about the health implications off the bat. 

Some TV shows would have us believe that all damp and mould are toxic and will lead to illness or even death. The good news is that this isn’t true in most cases.

But we don’t want to live in damper conditions than we need to. Increased dampness can lead to slight increases in the frequency of sinus congestion or exacerbation of asthma-type symptoms.

If you or any family members cough a lot in a room you suspect is damp, then it’s essential to deal with it.

Dampness can occur if you use a humidifier in your child’s bedroom. If the room is at the recommended temperature of 20°C while the child is sleeping, this is not very warm and can lead to increased condensation on surfaces. Leaving the heating on all day will have two adverse effects: firstly, it’s costly and secondly, we know that for children under one year, sleeping in a room that is too warm increases the risk of SIDS.

I suggest you look at ways of improving the ventilation in the bedroom. If you are using a humidifier, then stop. There are very few circumstances where the air in Ireland is too dry. If the room is damp and you have ruled out structural or plumbing issues, it is not ventilated enough. In this case, the humidity generated by your child’s breathing is causing enough condensation to produce damp spots. This means the airflow through the room is insufficient. Doing something as simple as leaving the door open overnight or (if the weather permits) leaving the window slightly ajar can resolve the issue.

If your child has asthma or seasonal allergies and they seem to get worse when in the room then you may need to address it more urgently.

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