To worry about keeping warm this winter

[flamingox]

We live in a 1930s terraced house. The front is double glazed- the back isn't ( privately rented house)

I feel like no matter what we do the house doesn't stay warm. We have central heating and an electric fire in the living room. We are on prepayment meters and can't afford to keep topping up so feel like i can't put the heating on all the time and the fire uses so much electric :(

I make sure all doors are closed, have put bubble wrap on windows as it's meant to be good insulation.

Tonight our house is soooo cold. I'm in bed in a jumper, leggings and dressing gown. I have our baby in bed with us, cuddling her to make sure she's warm.

I am on the verge of tears thinking of how we're going to get through the winter keeping the baby warm :( does any one have any tips?

If your baby is 12 weeks and in bed with you you need to be aware of safe cosleeping guidelines. I m kw you’re worried about baby being cold but please don’t use heated blankets or whatever when baby is in your bed. Also be careful about dressing gowns - the cord/belt have been known to strangle and kill babies

Heavy duvets and pillows should be no where near your baby

Blackout blinds can be expensive-we bunch up the bottom of the curtains so they're like a draught excluder when closed and also cover curtains with a duvet cover for extra insulation. Warm drinks, hot chocolate and soup are amazing to warm you up. As said above lots of thin layers. And to all those saying people have it easy now, would you have liked someone to say that to you when you were freezing indoors? Come on!

DH bought me a pet warming pad from pets at home as I am perpetually cold. It is a solid block which goes in the microwave for 4 minutes. It gives off a lovely heat that lasts for hours. If I take it to bed with me it is still warm in the morning. Not as flexible as a hot water bottle but much longer lasting.

Thermal curtains. Curtains on doors. We have found a portable gas heater economical as you have to buy the bottles so coats don't creep up on you but make sure get a carbon monoxide monitor.

Fleece blanket under the duvet and heated bed blanket.

Btw we also keep huge fleece blankets in the sittingroom

are electric blankets safe? heard before that there was safety issues?

masking tape the windows... got to sand them off and paint at some point anyway, so why not.

are electric blankets safe? heard before that there was safety issues?
There's been fires as a result of electric blankets-I've definitely heard that, but I don't know if due to them being faulty, left in too long or what. I've a bit of a phobia about them!!

Electric blankets are as safe as any electrical item. And toasty.

OP are your chimneys properly blocked up (assuming fireplace not in use)? Victorian houses have massive chimney breasts that are full of cold air - you need to have an active fireplace or block them up properly to stop the chill

Electric blankets are awesome. I have a single one which I use on "my side" because dh was sniffy about it. Not any more.

We got a cheap blackout blind from Dunelm - it had been sold, opened and returned. Buy it much bigger than the window opening as suggested earlier. Then when tucked behind the radiator it acts as a draught excluder. You don’t see it much as it’s behind the curtains so pattern and size aren’t crucial.

Mountain warehouse double skinned walking socks are brilliant at keeping your feet warm, also they have a Merino line (plus they have a seemingly perpetual sale on).

A hot microwaveable wheat bag wrapped around your neck and tucked in a beer a fleecy pj top works wonders. As does a hot water bottle or said wheat bag on your feet.

I have a ridiculously warm faux fur throw that lives on my bed in the winter, when I'm really cold I pull it under the duvet and have it fur side down.

Look into quilted sleeping bags for baby that they can't kick off or slide down inside. A vest, sleepsuit and one of those will be plenty to keep her warm. Added bonus is that if she wakes in the night for feeding it's much easier to get her back to sleep because she stays toasty and warm and won't be disturbed by going back to a cold bed.

I'm cold blooded and have developed many ways to stay warm over the years, even when living in a cold, mouldy house with no heating except two gas fires on a prepaid meter so I could never afford to put them on!

I bought wonderful, if not the best looking, thermal lined curtains from Amazon, for our 1770s rental with some single glazing. Those and a couple of draught excluders made a huge difference last winter, and you can feel the cold when you open the curtains. They are slightly longer than required, so can be pooled on the floor and then held in place with another draught excluder.

I second comments about thermals, I would also advocate fleece trousers, and layers, plus decent socks. I also have fleece throws and blankets for watching the TV as I get cold sitting.

Argos sell some very reasonably priced oil filled radiators. We got one recently for a downstairs bedroom which is always cold. The recommendation was a max of 20m2 I believe but the room is much bigger and it still does an excellent job

Electric blanket lover here too - wang it on max about 30 mins before you get into bed and then turn it down a bit

Also - probably not as well as an electric blanket - put a fleece blanket on top of your bottom sheet and sleep ON that - my nan does that and she days it helps massively

Definitely try to not let yourself get cold and then try to warm up - it makes you feel bloody miserable. Try to keep warm through the day if you can

Fill an old sock 3/4 with rice and knot the end. Chuck it in the microwave until it's warm enough for your liking and you have a wheat bag (also handy for period pains, neckache etc etc) that's reusable

I know PPs have mentioned safe sleeping guidelines but I wanted to echo that - just be mindful of cables, cords etc. Also babies can overheat easily - you can check baby's temperature by feeling their chest, if that's warm, they're warm

Wool socks. I find that if my feet are warm then I feel warm too. Definitely consider electric blankets and throws too.

If the electric fire is old then I'd second looking at an oil filled radiator or even an electric fan heater. A newer more energy efficient model might be cheaper to run than the one in the fireplace (and it's portable so you can warm the baby's room for a bit too), remember that a baby's room doesn't need to be too warm, get a baby room thermometer to check you don't end up over heating it.

Haven't read the thread so sorry if already suggested but with regards to the baby, get one of those oil filled radiators for their room. That's what I've done and although I'm freezing at night at least I know my sons room is a nice temperature!

A dehumidifier will make it warmer and remove damp.

Coldest house we lived in was rented one with pfb as a baby.

We spent a fortune on heat and when it snowed our roof was only one clear. Landlord replaced the roof just as we were moving out - so we had all the noise and disruption and none of the benefit.

Our thermometers were showing 18-20 degree but it never felt like it – we finally realised it was the damp air – dehumidifier made a massive difference.

Other things – if you can’t heat whole house – try and get one room warm and stay in there as much as possible and thermals curtains and clothes are really good.

Put a duvet between your mattress and fitted sheet and then have two duvets on top of you when you sleep - super snuggly! A hot water bottle or two will take the chill off before you get into bed much more cheaply than an electric blanket.

Thick curtains at windows and doors make a huge difference, dunelm do ready made thermal liners that you can fit to existing curtains.

Cheap electric fan heaters, convector heaters or oil filled radiators can top up heating in cold rooms and if your central heating isn't very efficient might be cheaper to run (although they are normally more expensive). They are 100% efficient whichever type you have but oil filled radiators are better for background heat or leaving unattended the other two are better for sitting in front of for warmth.

Leave the oven door open after you have finished cooking too.

Check whether there are any grants you can get and whether you can add draft excluders or insulation at all.

Do you have a copy of the Energy Performance Certificate to hand? You should have been given one when you moved in. The minimum acceptable standard has to be a E if you have moved in after April.

You are also entitled to change energy suppliers and also change from prepayment meters, (even if it's more inconvenient for the landlord). You are paying the bills and deserve to be warm in your home, especially a 12 week old baby. It doesn't matter what's in your contract, you have a legal entitlement to change from (often extortionate) prepayment meters.

Lots of good advice here about electric blankets etc (and we should all be as environmentally friendly as we can re thermal curtains etc anyway) but why should OP buy additional heaters etc without seeing if the property she is paying rent for, is up to standard and she has done what she is legally entitled to like get the cheapest energy tariff?

I know lots of us grew up with icy windows and cold baths but this is 2018 and OP is paying rent to a landlord - her baby shouldn't be cold if there are solutions.

www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/energy/energy-supply/your-energy-meter/get-your-prepayment-meter-replaced-with-a-normal-meter/

There are many government grants that help people during the winter. You should check out the Warm Home Discount. The Cold Weather Payment. The Winter Fuel Payment. To name a few.

Also, topping up is the most expensive method of paying for your electricity, so if you are on a tight budget, what you should so is switch to a Credit Meter where you pay in cash at the post office. This is similar to topping up, as you are able to pay in installments, but it works out cheaper because the tarrifs are cheaper. Its really simple to change over. selectra.co.uk/energy/guides/meters/switching-prepayment-direct-debit

I bought an electric overblanket last year which will be coming into use again soon. It's not only good for the bed but great to snuggle under on the sofa. You can set the heat level and time and I even washed it in the washing machine a few times last year. They are totally different to what they used to be.