really need help on keeping baby warm at night

[lionsgorawr]

Ive noticed the past few nights my 4mo face has been cold during the night. Got everyhing else sorted like warm blankets, sleepsuits with mits...stuff like that. I cant keep the heating on obviously as its bad for her breathing but im just worried she might get sick as two walls in her room are outside walls, same with my room too so its not even as if i can swap rooms. Anyone got any tips?

Hot water bottle with fluffy cover?

if it is just the face, then i would relax. it means that her head is cool, which is a very good thing. The very last thing you want is for your baby to feel hot and clammy around the head.

Could you not set the heating to come on just for a hour in the middle of the night?

I have the same sort of issues with ds, he doesnt like anything on his legs(pj's, quilts, blankets, growbags) which is fine when he 1st goes to bed but in the middle of the night it gets freezing I really worry he'll get ill.

At 4mo i probably wouldnt use a fluffy hot water bottle, it sounds like the issue is with the room not the amount of layers etc.. have you checked the windows for drafts and get thick curtains if needed, are you sleeping with her door open or shut?

Is she waking up because she is cold?

Is the baby waking up crying more than usual with hands and feet feeling cold to the touch?

If not, then I agree with bbface. If the room is at 16 degrees and the baby is comfortably warm and not obviously distressed then all should be fine.

I thought you were meant to keep your heating on overnight and set your thermostat to between 16 and 18 degrees?

Absolute no to hot water bottle for 4 month old. Overheating is a cot death risk and they can't regulate their temp as well, or move away from it as well.
Is she waking up because shes cold?

If the baby's not waking then the temperature is probably ok. My ds was born in winter and at the time we only had old wooden windows. The room temperature at night was always more than 19 degrees even when the heating was off. I agree that a cool face is fine.

I have an 11wo and no heating upstairs. His face is usually cool to the touch at night, but if you feel his body/back of his neck, he's lovely and warm. This is not only ok but desirable.

if baby is sleeping fine and only the face is cold, don't worry.
have a feel if the neck is warm, if it is baby is warm enough. if not you can add extra layers, like a long sleeved vest, a second babygrow, socs. hot water bottle is a bad idea, you don't want baby to overheat.

I think some people have recommended a lambsfleece blanket.

its ok for the face, hands, etc to be cold as long as their tummy and back are warm. If your lo is not waking through being cold then you dont need to do anything. We never have the heating on at night and during the winter the bedrooms get down to about 14 degrees - both my lo's have slept fine.

Absolutely no to the hot water bottle - children shouldn't have them at all, not just because of the overheating risk but because if the bottle leaks the baby/child can get very badly scalded. Children's skin is 15 times thinner than adult skin and burns far more easily.

Your baby won't get ill through being cold - far more likely to wake up yelling! If her upper back is warm to the touch then she's fine. Babies have quite a lot of fat on their faces and their cheeks are frequently cold. Don't forget their metabolisms are much faster than adults (which is partly why they need to eat so often, of course) and that creates heat.

We have only solid fuel heating and when the stove burns down at night the house gets quite cold. DD appears fine, I layer a long-sleeve vest, babygro and 2.5 tog sleeping bag, and she sleeps on a sheep's fleece (bought from Ikea for £20). Her face gets cool but her body temperature is fine. Babies seem quite hardy, really.

In very cold weather (we've had times the electricity has gone off for a few days so no heating at all upstairs) I co-sleep which makes sure DD is warm enough.