To ask you how to stay warm?

[RoseGoldRosie]

Boiler broke last night. Saw a Facebook post about pouring boiling water on the outside pipes, tried that this morning, didn't work. Rang my estate agent - a few hours after he came round to do the exact same thing. Still didn't work (shock). A plumber came round about 6pm, I didn't get home from work until 9. No note or anything, but the radiators and water were lukewarm. Now freezing again. So assume he got it working but it's broken again, though he didn't leave a note or anything so no idea.

DD has double pjs on, double socks, a sleeping bag and 100 blankets. She's warm to the touch. But I'm starting to feel v chilly. I have an electric heater (more for decoration ) but when I tried to turn it on yesterday it didn't work.

Any good tips for keeping warm in this weather? Apart from wine and cheesey chips (which I'm already partaking in). Will DD get really chilly in the night? I never have the heating on at night anyway, but obviously the house hasn't been warmed up through the day, so I'm worried. She's only two and recently been in hospital. Should I put her in with me? Her rooms warmer. But, body heat?

Is there a law which means it has to get fixed properly tomorrow because I have an under 5? Or did I make that up?

We're south east so not in any red areas or anything, but well below freezing.

Any tips welcome! I know tomorrow morning we'll be so cold. Maybe go and take DD to a coffee shop until midday when she starts Nursery and I start work?

Possibly I just need to man up. Pansy southerner? My (Scottish) dad is only just out of his shorts today but worried about DD.

Defo sleep in the same bed and layers

Have you got someone you could stay with tonight?

If not, bunker down together in bed in the warmest room. Close the door, block any draughts under the door or around windows with some towels. Lots of thin layers are better than one think layer. Hot water bottle, electric blanket if you have one and a warm drink. If you can bear to sleep in a wooly hat do to keep even more heat in.
Call them first thing and sounds like a good idea to go somewhere warm in the morning.
Channel your inner Bear Grylls. It's a horrid situation. Keep warm OP

That’s good that you can stay with your Mum. 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

If you have electricity but no gas buy a cheap plug in heater.

Use the shower to fill a bath.

Use hot water bottles.

Drink hot drinks including hot juice.

Put the oven on and leave the door open.
Eat 3 hot meals a day.

Avoid food drinks straight from the fridge.

Use the hairdryer to blow hot air under clothes.

Lots of candles.

Definitely share a bed. In the North East here and we've not had heating on overnight and all been okay with extra blankets and warm pyjamas and socks. Dh, Ds3, the dog and I have all been in the same bed and if anything it's been too hot!
Two of my friends have been without Shari g today and both have managed to get people out to deal with it very quickly. Good luck!

Hob and oven on with the door open is making the room noticeably warmer. Eating homemade creme egg brownies which I've heated up. Which is improving my outlook on life also

You can use anything that won’t melt and has a screw top as a hot water bottle - juice bottle or wine bottle, or milk carton. Fill from the kettle and put a jumper round it so you don’t burn yourself. If you do a few of these they can act as mini radiators.

Close any doors to rooms your not using and put a rolled up towels at the doors to act as draught excluders to keep heat in or cold out of we're you are..

It is SO cold, I feel for you. I really dislike being cold.
We’ve woodburners going, heating on, sofa bed up with quilt to watch TV, hot water bottles.
In your situation I agree bed sharing, extra layers, hot water bottles. Socks and hats to sleep in. Do you have an electric blanket?

Make your own hot water bottles! It really does work, just be really careful when microwaving. You can hear some water on the stove for it or in the kettle. Then pop one or two in the bed to warm it
thenaturalpenguin.com/how-to-make-an-alternative-hot-water-bottle/

If you’d like a bath, boil the kettle or heat water on the stove and fill the bath.

During the day your Dd should wear socks & gloves if it’s freezing inside, bits like hands get cold quickly.
If not fixed tomorrow I think I would ask your landlord if they will put something towards you stating in a local travelodge or similar.
I would expect the plumber to be back tomorrow but you can’t expect them to guarantee to fix it - if they need parts you may have no choice but to wait a few days

When our boiler broke last winter I bought two cheap plug-in fan heaters from B&M (£10 each). They heat a room surprisingly well, provided you keep the door shut.

Oh yeah, another way of doing a hot water bottle alternative is to heat oats in the microwave and put them in something like a tough bag for life or a pillowcase. They hold heat really well.

Do you and DD have hats? I’m thinking a bobble hat in addition to extra socks and layers, both in the same bed. As you say her room is warmer could you sleep in there, or does she have a small bed?

Back in my student days I lived in a freezing cold flat with a friend and we used to bed share for warmth and also wear woolly hats in bed as well as many layers.

In the daytime we always wore tights under our jeans and did star jumps every now and then to warm us up when we got too icy!

Hope it gets fixed soon.

Feeling a lot warmer already due to the hob/ oven. Going to make some homemade hot water bottles now and put them in my bed for half an hour or so to get it all snug for me and DD. Thanks so much MN! You guys always come through for me.

DD has a hat. I can't find mine. I'll put hers on her

My kitchen is so warm and cosy. Tempted to sleep in here!

I saw online that you should wear a hat to bed if your house is too cold because of the heat escaping through your head? Might be uncomfortable but needs must! Hope you get it sorted soon! Alternatively you could stay somewhere else (preferably a friend or relatives so it’s free)

When I need to make extra hot water bottles, I put the zip lock bag inside a pillow case or thin canvas bag - wrapping it in a second towel just ends up with the towel falling off! I should have said that before!

You’ve got to beg/borrow/buy heaters - kr at least one heater so you can heat a living area and then your DDs room.

Onesies with socks make you much warmer. I have one I wear round the house when I'm cold and even with only nightwear underneath I'm often too hot, whereas without it I'm cold in full day clothes.

I am South East on and it's too cold to stop the heating on even at night, so I sympathise. Of course take your DD in your bed. I find it always feel colder around 4 -5 am, so you can pile her bedding at the botton of your bed and cover her if she feels colder early morning.

Towels are surprisingly good to keep the warmth, you can use one as a "shawl" under your duvet.

I hope you can make alternative arrangements for the weekend. Plumbers are overworked with broken boilers, frozen pipes and other emergency, it is difficult to find one urgently.

Cover the windows and tape jumpers or warm material over them with masking tape as an insulator. Dressing gowns are great to wear. If you lie on top of your coat it keeps your back warm from the cold bed. Also hats/scarves. Two duvets on top of each other and tuck in sides. Get into bed early to warm it up. Good luck op