Extremely cold house & baby

[Williams2023]

I have a 7 month old baby and recently it has been so cold of a night. He’s been sleeping in a long sleeve bodysuit, a long sleeve sleepsuit and a 2.5 sleeping bag. I put him to sleep around 8pm and when I check his chest around 9pm the poor thing is absolutely freezing, his face, his arms, his head, his chest, everywhere. I’m having to keep the heating on most of the night (I really can’t afford to) but our rental property just doesn’t seem to keep any heat.

I’m currently sleeping in the living room downstairs with him in his cot, because our bedroom upstairs is unbelievably cold. My partner is literally always warm and even he can’t stand how cold it is. I’ve even placed blankets by all of the doors to try and keep some warmth in but nothing seems to help. I’m constantly checking how warm he is every half an hour, and giving him a blanket and ensuring I stay awake so he doesn’t cover his face with the blanket.

Does anyone have any recommendations please on either items I can buy to keep the house warm, or something I can buy for our little one to keep him warm

[GanderingGoose]

What temperature is your room/house? Is he waking up frequently? If they're pretty settled then they might not be feeling as cold as you think.You can buy 2.5 tog bags with arms and also I think 3/3.5 tog bags that also have arms.

[Williams2023]

Thank you for your response. He does wake up a couple of times a little unsettled and crying. Our house is usually around 12° of a night in our living room but sometimes colder. I didn’t know you could get warmer sleeping bags, and I’ll definitely look into one with arms. Thank you so much 🙂

[Nomorecoconutboosts]

Could you buy a room thermometer so you can see exactly how warm or cold it is in various rooms of the house? This might help identify any problems such as the heating not working.
If the house is really very cold then perhaps identify the warmest room and focus on keeping that at a good temperature. Maybe add an oil filled radiator or similar.

[WagWoofWalkMeeoow]

Be careful not to over heat him. He may feel cold to your touch, but it doesn't mean he is cold.

id buy cellular blankets so you don't have the added worry of him pulling the blankets over his face.

Hiw do you feel about co sleeping?

[GanderingGoose]

I've just checked and next/Jo Jo mam Bebe sell 3.5 tog bags with arms and George have a few without arms which are quite affordable.

[Xmasbaby11]

Our house drops to 10-12 overnight with no heating on, and when the dc were babies (both January babies) we had the heating on overnight to keep the temperature comfortable. This was years ago though and I feel for you with the cost of heating now. Can you afford a couple of blasts of heating during the night say 10pm and 2am?

definitely warmer sleeping bag and stay in the warmest room. Body temperature does drop when you’re asleep so you’re supposed to be a little cooler at night.

[Alphabet1spaghetti2]

https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/energy/energy-supply/get-help-paying-your-bills/grants-and-benefits-to-help-you-pay-your-energy-bills/

I don’t know if any of this is available to you - but it might help with costs and help you to heat your home?
Fingers crossed for warmer weather soon.

[Michiamo]

We have an oil filled radiator in our kitchen and it’s brilliant. It heats up v quickly and the temp rises nicely. It works much better than our central heating.
Some of them have timers also.

Make sure you’re not tempted to use a hot water bottle for the baby,also hats are not recommended indoors.

[Mumoftwo1312]

If it gets to 12C in the bedroom I'd co sleep for sure. 7 months is old enough that the SIDS risk is much reduced. Check out the lullaby Trust Co sleeping guidelines eg no alcohol.

A parent's body warmth is the best way to regulate a baby's temperature.

Fwiw our kitchen gets to 8-12C routinely at night, all winter. We just put heaters on in the room we're actually in, that's cheaper than heating the whole house. We also use hot water bottles to save on heating costs (not near the baby of course!) I've got this giant hot water bottle that's 3L, it stays warm for 24h, it's fab. Just some tips on saving on the heating!

[amispeakingintongues]

If you're sure baby is definitely too cold i'd just layer more cellular blankets over them at night time. Tuck the blanket into the sides of the cot and make sure the babies arms are outside of the blanket, to avoid them potentially pulling blanket over their face. If baby is waking more in the night then that's a sign they are too cold.

My house is cold too and my baby wears a long sleeve vest, long sleeve sleep suit, 2.5 tog sleeping bag, and x2 cellular blankets layered on top (tucked into the sides of mattress)

[BrutusMcDogface]

I used to have a 2.5 tog sleep suit for my little one as he hated sleeping bags. Maybe one of those with a blanket tucked in at the edges of the cot?

[BrutusMcDogface]

https://www.next.co.uk/style/ST170410/526194?dp=a&dndl=1&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAADm_5UWgrWbRRMe39mDtThENdsk2P&gclid=CjwKCAiAqY6tBhAtEiwAHeRopdowzBJghyAI2rmOeHYj_fY8ryNyn9Yu6R-PVjp7TEfvahoUPqOvNRoCxz8QAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds#526194

[Narwhalsh]

Also socks on hands like gloves if using a sleeping bag. Recommend the 3.5 tog sleeping bags with arms (get on vinted too as there’s some great bargains!) some will have zip off sleeves so you can be flexible. Is your baby waking? It’s surprising how they can sleep even though their hands are freezing!

[Williams2023]

Thank you all so much for your replies, I really do appreciate it! I’ve purchased a sleeping bag with arms and also an oil heater as suggested, so we have the option to use either of those and I will see what works best. I’ve also brought a new thermometer and room thermostat to make sure I’m not over heating him just to be safe. Also a 3L hot water bottle sounds amazing, I will definitely be looking into one of those for myself! Thank you all so so much

[Michiamo]

Let us know how you get on OP!