How to cool my SEN child's bedroom

[cbrenx]

Hi

So my 3 year old is currently undergoing an autism assessment. He is obsessed with fans and gets really upset when he can't touch them. Even back to last summer a fan would disturb his sleep. However now he is between a travel cot (as he asks for) and his bed. I need a way to be able to cool his bedroom that is safe and unlikely to disturb his sleep.

My thoughts so far are:

Ceiling fan - even though this will still be an obsession to him; it's out of reach and safe.

A dyson bladeless fan as it's safer but he's likely to still want to touch it. He obsesses with switching buttons on and off repeatedly.

I considered air con but I don't like the idea of ventilating outside.

He also gets very upset if his arms are bare and he doesn't have a blanket so I just feel at a constant loss on what to do.

I keep his curtains shut in the day.

Thank you for any ideas in advance.

A cool pad in his pillow?
Just a sheet, or a empty duvet cover if he likes a cover? You can dampen them a ti y bit so they are cooling as as water evaporates.

The more light you can block out, the cooler it will be, so blackout blinds?

@TheSpottedZebra

Thank you. I have blackout blinds and just keep them down. I also heard keeping windows closed is better as opening them let's the hot air in.

I had the cool pads last year for myself when I was pregnant and I thought they were good so I'll give that a go again.

I've been looking at wall mounted fans too. He's obsessed with wires and plug sockets. Hed switch them on and off all day long so any wires in his bedroom have trunking around them and all his plug sockets are covered. Hoping this year I'm a lot more prepared for the summer! X

Keeping windows closed is sometimes better but it depends on the layout of your house. If his room is on the North side it could be beneficial. Also, if he sleeps with his door open and you have another window open on the landing, it'll create a flow of moving air that has a cooling effect. That's what we've done to cool DD's room at night (although I have had to fit insect screens over the windows that we keep open, because bugs send her hysterical.)

The button on a Dyson fan isn't very buttony, you mostly control it using a remote control that you could remove from the room. Which means potentially you could try and cover the actual button and hope he doesn't notice it.

Curtains closed when the sun is on that side and opening windows only when it's cooler do help. Cool pad is a good idea. You could even have a look at the ones they do for larger dogs as that might work in his bed?

I'd be wary of a ceiling fan in case he tried to get up to it/threw something at it/something like that.

Old school but could you open his windows slightly at night, hang wet towels to cover them and the air flowing through the wet towels could cool the room? (My parents did that when growing up in SA with no air con)

I have an air filter that seems to make the air move and feel cooler, but it doesnt have bits that visibly spin.

Otherwise curtains closed, only open windows if its cooler out, open the loft hatch, shift bed time to a little later, a cool flannel, a cotton sheet