Heating too expensive but I have a 3 month old and worried she’s too cold

[Lols6457]

I live in a flat and our tenancy still has 9 months left. Our flat is absolutely freezing. The central heating is costing ridiculous amounts (£8-£10 an hour) as it all runs off an electric boiler. I’m on SMP and my partner pays all of our bills. My money goes towards all our stuff for baby ie formula, nappies, wipes, petrol to take her places. I do put some money towards bills. But my partners salary just isn’t enough for us to have the heating on as often as we need it, especially not at that price. We have oil filled radiators in every room and only heat the rooms we are using but even so the heat just doesn’t stay for long at all and we can’t afford to keep the radiators on constantly. Without the radiators the flat is 9° 😩. I put radiator on in our room before we go to bed to get it up to temperature but can’t afford to leave it on through the night. We are using almost £15 a day in electric. We turn all plugs off when not using them. Don’t use the tumble drier. Boil the kettle and keep it in a flask and just use that instead of constantly boiling the kettle. Only heat the hot water for showers and baths as and when we need it. And yet we’re still spending £15-£20 a day. I don’t know what else I can do at this point. I just worry my baby is going to get too cold. I put her in a baby grow, plus a fleecy Sleepsuit, plus a 3.5 tog sleeping bag in the night but it still feels so cold when I wake up to feed her that I end up sleeping with her on me so she has some heat from me to keep her warm. I’m really stuck for what to do. We have my parents moving in to help us with the bills but that won’t be for a few months. If anyone has any other advice on what I can do I’d really appreciate it. I don’t want her getting ill from the cold ☹️

When my girls were young (around 15-18yr an ago) we didn’t have central heating and only two log burners downstairs. I just really wrapped them up at night and they were fine :)

OP that’s awful, I’m not sure safe sleeping guidelines recommends fleecy sleepsuits though. Here is the winter sleep guidance for cold weather from the lullaby trust:
www.lullabytrust.org.uk/safer-sleep-advice/safer-sleep-winter/

The cold snap should be easing off in a few days 🤞🏻 I wouldn’t bathe her until it has, babies that little are fine with a wipe down.

Thank you! I did not realise fleecy sleepsuits were considered unsafe. I’m just trying everything I can to keep her warm. I’ll swap it for a long sleeve vest and some tights instead!

When my children were babies, over 20 years ago we didn't have central heating just a gas fire in the lounge and they were fine, just wrapped up warm at night.

Can you not move in with your parents? It may be against your tenancy regulations to have your parents moving in with you. Have you checked with your landlord.

Bear in mind that it’s fine for them to have freezing hands in the night, so don’t worry about that. Feel down the back of her sleep suit to see if she’s cold there.

@Cuppasoupmonster

Since when, my dc had fleece sleep suits from around 3 months until they learned to stay under their covers (around age 3) obviously only in cooler weather.

I sometimes think organisations forget children existed before! I don't get these sleeping bag things at all, cellular blankets can be added and removed according to room temperature. I have healthy twenty somethings.

Op we only had electric so never heated at night, I also took mine out to free toddler groups etc when it was very cold. Babies have been arrived since before central heating

M&S thermals are very good. Could you look at returning to work PT?

Could you manage some part time work?

Landlord has okayed my parents moving in. I can’t go back to work part time as we can’t afford the childcare and we have no family who are free to have baby girl. I have considered it multiple times but my partner does evening work as well as daytime and so do my parents! And their jobs are not flexible enough for them to pick and choose what days/hours they do/don’t work 😕

I totally get that it is not all right in this day and age, but I was born in the 60s and was a baby in the 62 winter, in a cottage with one fire and outside toilet. I genuinely don't know how I was kept warm but it must have been with layers as we all survived. No babygros of the like. Babies are much hardier than we think, try not to worry too much, just keep a sensible eye on them.

There are a number of places near me that have become Warm Areas for people to go for a hot drink and sit in the warmth, some even serve a free lunch. I have friends who go to different ones most days as it means they don’t stay in the cold at home. Young mothers and babies are always welcomed, you might consider trying some so you don’t need to worry as much about daytime heating.

Are you claiming all the benefits you're entitled to? If your partner is not on a high wage you are very likely to be entitled to some Universal Credit. Use an online benefit calculator (Turn2Us or Entitledto) or contact Citizens Advice and ask them to do a calculation:
www.citizensadvice.org.uk/benefits/universal-credit/claiming/helptoclaim/

Do you pay for your energy by direct debit or prepayment meter? Have you been getting the government money towards energy costs? You should also look into whether you are eligible for the Household Support Fund (would usually need to be on UC or similar).

When your tenancy started you should have been given an EPC for the property, what rating is it? If it's not E or above, the landlord has to improve it.

Also see www.citizensadvice.org.uk/debt-and-money/get-help-with-the-cost-of-living/

Do you and/or your partner have any debts or big bills other than rent and energy?

A fleecy babygro is absolutely ok

I've got a newborn in a house with drafty single glazing at the front, and high ceilings, and it just doesn't keep the heat in. Using an oil filled radiator is pointless as it just can't heat the bedroom. So I share your anxieties! Have been putting baby in socks and vest/sleep suit/cardigan/sleeping bag plus cellular blanket. When it was really bitter I put a hat on her too, which is against guidelines but we were both frozen. I'm using a hot water bottle to warm her moses basket before removing and putting her in (not that she sleeps longer than 30mins in it anyway).

I have a heated a throw that I'll wrap us both up in in the mornings on the sofa, then we have a log burner going from lunchtime. We are getting through so much wood and coal though, and it's getting expensive. We've only been in this house a few weeks so we don't know what bills are like yet.

Once Xmas is over I plan on going to baby groups/warm hubs daily so I'm out the house. Hoping temps don't drop as low again!!

Fleece sleep suits are not against safe sleeping guidelines, op. You can continue to use them.

Hopefully it'll be a tad warmer next week.

we don’t have any big dents but do have a credit card with £700 to pay off so we’ve been paying the minimum. I haven’t heard about the warm hubs so I’ll look into that! I’ve applied for UC but haven’t heard back from them yet so fingers crossed that can help us. Only other big bill is the car as I only recently passed so insurance is quite high however I’m getting a black box to help lower that. Thank you everyone for your advice and kind words. It’s so appreciated and comforting to hear how other people are managing all this cost of living stuff. We are on a prepayment meter and get the monthly £66 but it’s still tough. I suppose it’s a case of just wrapping up and cuddling to keep warm which I don’t mind because I love all the cuddles 🥰

Call your energy supplier and get some temporary credit put on until the end of the month. I've done that when I've been really struggling, they will take it back weekly but if your desperate it's something. You don't want your baby to be cold.

Are you cutting down on any expenditure you don't need to make? Like... (Your) second driver insurance on the car, that is, if you live in an urban or suburban area where cars really are needed.

I'm not sure what electricity and gas arrangements you're on but the expenditure quoted is unusually high even given the current energy prices. Are you sure you're not running emergency credit or inadvertently paying for a neighbouring property's supply?

Your baby will be fine by the way,.just wrap her up according to the temperature. It's easy to worry about our babies but babies are tougher than they look ;)

We’ve requested someone to look at the boiler and electric meter but landlord is refusing and saying “everyone’s is the same boat and everyone is struggling”. Which I understand, but like you said @Goawayangryman it seems oddly high to me. We removed my partner from the car insurance as I can just take him to work myself.

Unfortunately prepayment meters are expensive and of course you can't spread the cost throughout the year as you can on a credit meter. It might be worth asking your supplier if you can switch. See www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/energy/energy-supply/your-energy-meter/get-your-prepayment-meter-replaced-with-a-normal-meter/

However, in the meantime if you are really struggling and don't have enough money to top up the meter, you can contact your local Citizens Advice and ask for a fuel voucher. I don't know if it's the same everywhere but my local fuel bank vouchers are worth £49 in the winter.
www.citizensadvice.org.uk/about-us/contact-us/contact-us/contact-us/#h-find-your-nearest-citizens-advice

There is also the Household Support Fund which you could apply to if and when you get UC.

Example of how much money were topping up and how often we’re doing so 😩

@AnotherEmma Thank you, I’ll look into this!

OP I am asthmatic and can't sleep with heating on at night as it makes it hard for me to breathe. I do feel guilty because I my dh would like heating on. We switch off CH at 10 pm. We both sleep with nothing on but keep warm with duvet. If your babys hands are cold could you put those cotton scratch mitts on her overnight. A vest, long sleeved t shirt and tights, with babygrow over the top and sleep bag with a blanket over bottom half should be fine. You could find a library to go to during daytime.

That seems very high OP I feel your pain. Is it all electric or do you have gas too?
Maybe borrow an electric heater plug it in to see how much it uses compared to the boiler?
Also maybe go onto the Cost of Living Section page .. theres a thread titled ‘how much is it to run’
Theres great advice on there

Your baby girl will be just fine OP she has an amazing mother.

Im also a child of the 60s and it was ‘normal’ to have a cold home. It kills me that we are going backwards and that heating is now a luxury. I really thought the future generations wouldn’t have to live like this