Considering a heated throw as a means of staying warm ?

[cultkid]

Is this even practical?

I'm a Sahm in a 4 bedroom semi detached house: it's pretty big I guess and it has high ceilings

In the day I'll be here alone or with my baby who is 6 months old this mont. my husband and the others will be out.

What is a practical way to stay warm? Should I heat just say my living room and the babies room and then use a heated throw for when I sit down? Or do I keep the whole house low level warm all day then turn it up when everyone coming back?

I don't want to waste money on the heating Just for myself

It's not been something I've worried about before I've got health conditions and my body aches if I get cold. I've always had the house at about 22 degrees even in the summer the heating comes on. But now with the cost of living crisis im getting a bit worried

What shall I do? Throw? Is that a crazy idea? Fan heater is not a cheap way to heat is it? Won't keep me warm either when I turn it off will it?

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This thread is quite old now, but if you’ve landed here looking for advice on ways to stay warm this winter, we’ve recently updated our best heated throw page with loads of cosy options Mumsnetters love. We hope it’s helpful.
MNHQ

I love mine keeping baby at right temp will be but harder though they are not supposed to be in really hot rooms and some layers and sleeping bag will go a long way. For yourself also thermal underwear will help so can keep heating at lower temp.
I think heating the rooms you use but to a lower temp is probably the way to go

With a baby, you could heat the two rooms to 18 C ish - that's what's our thermostat is set to and my babies were always fine. You could then use the electric blanket to warm yourself up if that's too cold for you. However, how much are you moving around with the baby, electric throws have to be plugged in? Would a big dressing gown / oodie be something you'd want for when you were moving round?

How will this work for the 6 month old? I think they only really work if you sit under them which I imagine the 6 month old won’t do? I’d suggest a heater at a very low level (I have one called a skirting board heater) on all the time in one well insulated, ideally not too big, room. Plus good curtains. If your windows are draughty you can use temporary secondary glazing which goes on with a hairdryer. Also make sure you’re getting some exercise and spending time in (warm) public spaces, like libraries, children’s centres etc.

Gosh 18c sounds cold I was thinking more 20c for the sitting room and then the baby's room? And the rest of the house the baby wouldn't need to be in so that could be around 18c? I'll feel really cold like that.. I think a big hoodie or dressing gown will be better. It's going to be annoying trying to do chores in one. Are they cumbersome?
What a depressing thread to have written

Thanks for the advice there's some good strong suggestions here

Amazing to hear about the glazing
The windows are double glazed but I feel like they are colder then they should be. Going to look into this

House is really well insulated a lot of people say they feel too hot in my house. But this year it will have to be different I think.

Maybe a body warmer so I can move around for cleaning and general jobs

I am always freezing at baby classes

The six month old is like a lap cat so I think she would sit with me on the throw or under it. I wonder if she is cold if her face feels cold? She had cold hands yesterday in the supermarket

For the temperature, it has to be about what is the right balance between temp and saving money for you. If you think 18 will be too cold, then try 20, you can always turn it down again when you get used to it if you are still worried about cost.

I have a floor length M&S dressing gown which I don't find cumbersome. They come in a range of sizes, and the arms / how well it fits is the right size for me rather than too big. I decided to get a heated throw rather than an oodie so can't comment, but one of the things that put me off was exactly your point about bulkiness - the ones I was looking at were one size fits all.

I love my heated throw I have it on my lap when I'm WFH in the winter.

Babies often have cool hands and feet. Check their temp by gently putting your hand on the chest or back. You can get fleecy onesies for a baby - they get VERY warm in them IME.

for yourself, just heat the rooms you need to be in - I feel cold at 18 degrees but my dh prefers the house to be no more than 17 degrees so I’ve got used to it.

if your baby is on the floor playing, I recommend spreading a few old blankets or rugs on the floor with you, only do it if you are supervising so your baby doesn’t end up face down (smothering risk). It is amazing how much warmer it is.

Also check doors, letterbox and chimney for droughts - leaning a pillow or cushion against a door works as a cheap drought excluder and a chimney sheep can help cut down cold air coming down a chimney.

Clothing: remember many layers works better than one thick layer. I can do nothing in a dressing gown, but leggings under jeans with socks and a pair of ski socks over the top, and then vest, long-sleeve T, jumper and a fleece is normally ok for the top layer. Use a cotton scarf and a woolly hat indoors if you’re really cold.

Electric throws costs about £50.

They are moveable and absolutely fantastic.

Yes buy one
Year's ago I got one each for my DC and one for the sofa in the sitting room.
I might get one for my bedroom
You can also buy under the sheets one.

Unless you are incredibly strapped for cash it's a no brainer and it costs pennies to run.

Hi, I'd look into the insulating window film someone else mentioned. A few people on MN have talked about heated throws, weeklydealsforless have them cheaper than Amazon.

Also you can get heated bodywarmers from eBay etc, they plug into a phone power bank pack charger that sits in a pocket of it. (Keep an eye on the electrics of anything you buy on eBay). I have one that is also foil lined and very warm without even plugging it in.

If you keep your wrists and ankles warm you'll stay a lot warmer, and wear woolly hats too, a lot of heat is lost through the head.

I usually have my thermostat set at 19c (very insulated house) but plan to set it at 15c and use heated throw and an oodie. I'm working from home so I'll see how long before I give in and crank the thermostat up...or go back to the office...

It really depends on the house. I would melt in 20c. We just wear jumpers at 16c its got to be less than 15 before we think about turning on the heating. We have lots of insulation and very good windows and stay in the smaller rooms. 20c may be cool in a large open plan home or one with little insulation. You could perhaps try slowly reducing the heating so you get used to a lower temperature.

My dh brought a heated throw a couple of years ago but I never really felt any real heat coming from it. So thats at the back of the cupboard. We have hot water bottles, and layers of blankets. Wear hats and have fingerless gloves. I will heat one room and have a thermal door curtain over the door to keep the heat in. Also so the cat can come and go without me constantly opening and closing the door.

My baby is due in January, I've bought 2 heated throws one for the living room and one for our room and a oil filled radiator. We will just heat one room at a time when baby arrives and then have the central heating on as little as possible to keep the house running

We've got a heated throw from Lakeland, they kick out a surprising amount of heat. I would recommend them if you can afford to try it, they are cheap to use and they feel much more cosy then using blankets in a cold house (which to me, just feel like layering up cold/damp - I'm also someone who feels the cold)

When WFH I also wear thermal baselayers - I have some that are meant as layers for hiking, and some 'heattech' ones from Uniqlo. They are thin but the fabric is designed to trap heat, layered under a regular long sleeved t-shirt or trousers they work really well. Much more comfortable and practical for me (oodies are nice but only really if you can veg on the sofa!)

18 should be enough for the baby's room. Look at the Grobag website which explains how to dress a baby for various room temps. Our bedrooms get down to 14 at night, and 16 in the day in winter and I've just wrapped my babies up warm to sleep.

So then focus on warming your day room - for me this is my sitting room. If I had a couch and playspace and kitchen in one room that would be my main room but unfortunately they're separate. We already have an electric heater which looks like a fake wood burner and blows out warm air. I'll keep the heating down to about 17 and use the electric 'fire' for boosts.

Also I layered up in bed last year and it was cosy. I ended up only using a summer tog duvet as I slept in so many clothes! I was co-sleepung and didn't want duvets near the baby. But I'll do it again this year because getting up on a cool morning or in the night for a wee is so much cosier when wearing fleecy leggings.

For the baby - consider doing things like leggings over tights as well as layering vests and other tops. It also stops them pulling their socks off, if they're tights instead.

@Proteinpudding which one did you get? I’m just trying the Beurer and bit disappointed

Anyone looking for thermal layers, but not at Uniqlo prices, primark are doing a range. I also bought a cute one from Sainsbury’s in the nightwear section, nice trendy dark jewel colours with a tiny bit of glitter, so good for over Christmas.

I ordered one from Lakeland last week. It arrived. Tried it out, nice and warm. It’s up to 150w power so will be a lot cheaper than turning on either the boiler or an electric room heater. For context 1 hour at max setting, at say 50p per kWh is 7.5p per hour.

It will mean you are confined to sitting down with baby most of the day to stay warm though.

@LampLighter414 which one did you get? Can you feel all the wires?
Sorry OP Im trying to make the most of your thread 😁

@HairyKitty the dreamland velvety one they sell. Was tempted by the Beurer as it’s dimensions are a bit bigger, but the wattage is lower so presumably less warm at max setting and I’d seen some comments on here specifically about the dreamland one. You can kind of feel the wires if you play with it in your hands, but it’s not too bad as it lays on top of you so you can’t really notice - not like one of ones for your mattress where you are on top of it with your weight pressing into the wires

I’ve got the dreamland one and I have to say I’m not that impressed. It doesn’t seem to get that warm, even on the hottest setting, and with the wires it’s quite awkward to drape round yourself, and works best if you’re just lying flat under it. Also you have to be careful about always keeping it relatively spread out, not letting it bunch up or sitting on it as that might make it overheat or damage the wiring. I did use it a bit last winter but mostly when I was just lying on the sofa in the evenings. When working this winter I’m thinking of trying a cheap electric underblanket on my office chair instead.

I've got the Dreamland one as well, it does get really quite warm. I tend to use it when sat at a desk, I've never worried too much about it bunching up, the weight/thickness of it means it tends to lay fairly flat without too much issue.
I find one of the benefits of them is they make me feel warmer overall, ie that I'm quite comfortable getting up and moving around and then getting under the blanket again when I sit still. It's not like having a fan heater where I feel cold the instant I step away and it makes me want to stay in one spot.

I’m sure I’ve read that heated throws should not be used for babies or young children ie your baby should not sit on your lap underneath on as I think there is a danger of them over heating.

I would also want to weigh up the cost of initial purchase of such products against savings in energy bills, especially after the new measures introduced yesterday. I’ve seen posts on SM about people spending hundreds of pounds on heated throws, air fryers and heated clothes airers. It will take months to recoup the cost of buying them! I think my bills will be going up by £90 per month so taking into account the £400 rebate due in 6 payments of £66 a month, I’ll be paying around £30 extra each month for the six winter months. That’s £180, quite a lot less than the cost of buying these products!

It might be more cost effective to reduce the temperature on your house to 20 degrees in a couple of rooms and 18 degrees in the rest of the house and use draught excluders understand doors ( you can make these using old tights and rolled up newspaper)

I have very bad arthritis and feel the cold when I sit down but last winter I heated my house to 18 degrees between 8 am and 8 pm ( I am retired) and just turned it up to 20 degrees in the evening if necessary. I did use a blanket over my legs sometimes but not every day and I was absolutely fine.

I really rate my heated throw. It was cheap, form weeklydeals4less and it washes great, and keeps me toasty.

I'd also recommend wrist warmers. And leg warmers for that matter. And the socks with a tog rating.

Just in case you can't tell, I feel the cold. And being the only person at home (wfh part the week) I can't justify heating the whole house, so I get dressed in layers, with cozy socks, leg warmers and big soft jumpers and then have the heated throw if it's freezing.

I've also bought a couple of dressing gowns. One is a bit lighter and the other is cozy af.

Hoping it'll all see me through this winter too.

Thermal underwear. And ditto socks. And beanie

I didn't put the heating on last winter except for once a week to dry the laundry and it was made possible due to our heated throw and an electric heater which didn't cost much.