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Original poster

Should I put the heating on with a baby in the house?

26 replies

Muddlingthroughthis · 15/12/2022 16:59

Hello,

Have a 9 month old baby.

Live in a very old Edwardian terrace.

had heating set to 18 last week but was costing £9 a day!!

We’re on a prepayment meter. It was installed when we bought the house and not allowed to change over now due to energy crisis).

we turned the heating off Sunday.

we have an open coal fire we’ve been using in the evenings and all staying in that room with us. We moved baby back into our bedroom.

Bedroom dropped to 10 degrees yesterday so put the fan heater in the bedroom which costs £1 per hour. So put it on for an
Hour which brought the room up to 16. By the morning it was 12 degrees.

ive kept baby wrapped up warm with a dressing gown but their quite restrictive on her movement (tummy time etc). So baby has essentially been sitting in her dressing gown and blankets during the day when we’re not out.
It’s too cold for her to go in the jumperoo or be laying on the floor with toys around her like normal.

Im kind of now feeling like this is absolutely ridiculous. We can’t live like this for months.

DP is about to lose his job, it’s Christmas and we’re huddled into the living room wrapped in blankets with baby unable to play.

Do I just say ‘fuck it’, put the heating on and essentially drained our minimal savings for warmth?

Im aware we will need the savings as DP may loose his job. But I just don’t think this is realistic at all with a baby.

What do I do?

OP posts:
KangarooKenny · 15/12/2022 17:00

put the heating on.

Original poster
Muddlingthroughthis · 15/12/2022 17:00

Oh and even our fluffy dog is huddled in front of the fan heater when it’s on. So if it’s cold for him it mustn’t be good for baby?

OP posts:
EarringsandLipstick · 15/12/2022 17:00

You need the heating on.

I'm really sorry OP. This sounds terrible. I think you need to look at your finances in detail & prioritise heating and seek help if your finances are so bad that you can't heat the house at all.

This is not safe for adults or children.

Highlyflavouredgravy · 15/12/2022 17:02

Put the heating on.
Also look where there are local warm spaces you can go. Libraries, church griups etc

rubydoobydoo · 15/12/2022 17:04

Yes you need to put the heating on - the current cold snap is only for another week and it's getting quite a bit warmer then so don't be thinking it will be like this all winter. It's just particularly cold at the moment.

Original poster
Muddlingthroughthis · 15/12/2022 17:06

Thank you everyone. I have just put the heating on.

This is ridiculous.

house is currently 10 degrees.

fan heating is on in the room I’m in for baby so this room is warm but this is just stupid.

Fuck it. I can’t have my family cold.

OP posts:
PumpkinPooSpice · 15/12/2022 17:08

Yikes. How much for a space heater in just your room? Or, it appears plug in cot blankets are a thing on the internet. I'd definitely want to research the safety on that, but it isn't healthy for a baby to be in a freezing room.

Miriam101 · 15/12/2022 17:09

You've made the right decision OP. The most important thing is to keep your baby warm. 10 degrees is simply not sustainable. As a PP said it's meant to get significantly milder in a matter of days. My heart goes out to you though: this is a shitty dilemma to have to have.

PumpkinPooSpice · 15/12/2022 17:10

I think under 18 degrees is meant to be dangerous for babies and children and out them at risk of respiratory illness.

Dinneronmybfpillow · 15/12/2022 17:21

Solidarity OP. If it were just me and DH we'd make do with blankets/going to bed early etc. I grew up in a cold house and can tolerate it quite well. But we have DTs 8mo and we just don't have a choice but to keep it warm for them.

Original poster
Muddlingthroughthis · 15/12/2022 17:27

It’s £1.02 per hour for the electric heater. So 1 hour in the morning to heat the living room up and then 1 hour in the bedroom at night before we go to bed. The the coal fire in between.
So £2 a day for the fan heater rather than £9!

But I’ve packed the heater away. I can’t sustain this, not fair on baby.

I’ve told DP that it is what it is and we’ll spend what we spend to keep babe warm.

It’s so shit though!

OP posts:
PrplePanda · 15/12/2022 17:33

We're in a similar position, I'm on maternity leave with an 8 week old and my maternity pay doesn't cover my half of the bills so everything's tight financially as it is. It was 5 degrees in my house this morning when we woke up!
We've been putting the heating on for 2 hour stints in the morning and night to provide some relief but other than that we wear lots of layers and put hot water bottles under blankets with us. I've also been trying to find places to go in the day that will have the heating on. Lots of local churches/community centres are running 'warm spaces' where you can go and get a brew etc

Hopefully this will all be easier soon! I think if you're little one is wrapped up warm and give them lots of cuddles they'll be fine. Like someone else has mentioned, the weather should become milder soon!

VanCleefArpels · 15/12/2022 17:49

Some thoughts:

Have you had your government vouchers to cover the electric? If not chase these up

Have you had emergency top up from your supplier? If not, ask for it

Aae you claiming every benefit available to you? Use the calculator on Turn2Us to check. That will also tell you what the situation would be under UC if you are currently on legacy benefits

Have a look on your local council website to see if they are offering grants to help

Call CAB and get a food bank referral: this will free up some money for you to use to top up the meters

RiaOverTheRainbow · 15/12/2022 17:50

Make sure you're insulating everywhere as much as you can, especially your bedroom. Bubble wrap on the window, draft excluders at the doors. A cheap pop-up tent or a blanket fort will also heat up much quicker than a room.

TiddleyWink · 15/12/2022 17:52

PrplePanda · 15/12/2022 17:33

We're in a similar position, I'm on maternity leave with an 8 week old and my maternity pay doesn't cover my half of the bills so everything's tight financially as it is. It was 5 degrees in my house this morning when we woke up!
We've been putting the heating on for 2 hour stints in the morning and night to provide some relief but other than that we wear lots of layers and put hot water bottles under blankets with us. I've also been trying to find places to go in the day that will have the heating on. Lots of local churches/community centres are running 'warm spaces' where you can go and get a brew etc

Hopefully this will all be easier soon! I think if you're little one is wrapped up warm and give them lots of cuddles they'll be fine. Like someone else has mentioned, the weather should become milder soon!

Your half of the bills? I really hope this is just down to the wording you have used but please tell me you’re not yet another woman whose peach of a husband expects you to still produce half of all household bills despite taking the career hit of mat leave to bear and care for your joint baby 🤦🏼‍♀️

PumpkinPooSpice · 15/12/2022 18:26

It sounds like she previously paid half the bills and now their family has taken a financial hit due to maternity leave.

Original poster
Muddlingthroughthis · 15/12/2022 18:29

We’re not entitled to any benefits unfortunately other than child benefit. But I’m on maternity leave which has just finished and I go back straight after Christmas so will get a full wage done January.

sending solidarity to all the other mums of babies right now.

The heating is on and will stay on now. Me and DP have agreed that we won’t risk our babies comfort and health, even if it means using up our savings to do so.

can’t believe this though.

OP posts:
Emmamoo89 · 15/12/2022 18:30

My 9 month old has been In bed with me every night. Too cold to be in the cot and certainly not keeping the heating on all night x

Loafbeginsat60 · 15/12/2022 18:34

Yeah you need to be warm. I also can't believe it's come to this - people having to choose whether to eat or heat etc.

We are in a static caravan with -9 temps at the moment so it's electric heaters, gas fire, electric blankets all the way.

Was a total pita when all the water froze on Tuesday but it's thawed now.

Notsurenotquiteright · 15/12/2022 22:29

At 9 months I would be popping them in tights, long sleeve vest, leggings, then some wool type bottoms like merino wool.
then a merino wool top.
once she’s moving about she’s unlikely to be too cold. Children live in colder climates.

I think coal fires are worse- the fumes could impact her long term.

we bedshare with our 13 month old so we all stay warm through the night

rosierosecheeks · 16/12/2022 09:49

Maybe someone's already said this but could you spend the day out where heating is on church baby groups/church/shops? My mum used to do this. We'd go round the supermarkets most days and walk about in all our winter clothes and then the heating would go on for a couple of hours in the evening?

JenniferBarkley · 16/12/2022 09:55

I'm so sorry OP, this shouldn't be happening in a wealthy country. Flowers

purpledalmation · 16/12/2022 09:59

Put it on. The weather should ease by Sunday.

PlantDoctor · 17/12/2022 22:22

Any chance you can use wood instead of coal for your fire? I was shocked with the amount of dust in the room after just a couple of uses of coal, so never used it again. I'd worry about the dust in a baby's lungs (I realise people do/did this, just my personal opinion)

NoodieRoodie · 17/12/2022 22:34

When mine were little heating through the day was a luxury we couldn't afford, heating was on an hour in the morning and an hour at bathtime. They are now those weird kids that wear shorts all year round and I have to beg to put on a jumper and slippers because I'm feeling frozen looking at them!