cold bedroom

[dontcarehow]

We have a really cold bedroom which is often full of condensation in the winter. I know they advise people not to let the bedroom get too hot but how bad is it if the room is too cold for the baby? I'm planning to get a co-sleeping cot so the baby will be sleeping in the room. It was about 12 degrees last night with the heating on, and about 7 degrees today without the heating on. but leaving the heating on constantly through the winter is just not an option, we can't afford it! Due in feb, so winter will be over the worst, but it'll still be chilly. Would plenty of blankets and long sleeved sleeping bags be enough?

It will be fine. But cold!

Can you et a little blow heater? If you use just for an hour before bed it should t be too expensive and just in bedroom. It will stop it being so cold.
You hopefully will only need for a few weeks ( until next winter) as should be ok by April

Have a look at merino baby wear. It regulates baby body temperate so will keep warm without overheating/ underheating

could there be a damp problem

personally i think sleeping in a room that may be as low as 7C that is very moist is far from ideal especially for a baby.

is there anything you can do to insulate this room

7C in a normal house seems very very cold

During the day the baby will be in whatever room you are in, so I guess if you can just keep that room warmish during the day that should be fine. They do say that a good temperature for a baby's room is around 18 degrees, so not that warm really - could you turn the heating up a bit in your bedroom at night? Blankets, and also if you could get a sheepskin, that is great for regulating baby's temperatures.

There are lots of grants available for helping with insulation etc. It's well worth doing this before baby arrives. Have a look here and talk to your local council. You'd be amazed the difference cavity wall insulation, good loft insulation and double glazing will make. We have a cold house and my DS room was esp cold but after these measures it never goes below 12 degrees even in deepest winter, without extra heating.
Babies will cope with a certain amount of cold but damp is very worrying.

Good luck

I had similar anxieties back in 2010 when due in Dec. and there was inches of snow. We have no central heating and our bedroom sounds same as your's!

We got a small heater - don't bother with a blow heater - get a basic Dimplex oil free radiator or something, I did a bit of research and they were most effective on electricity I think - could be wrong but from what I recall.

And, we also got, what I found invaluable for my piece of mind.. a Gro-Egg thermometer/night light. I certainly am not an over worrier and was (with reassurance from many older / wiser mothers) assured that it was far more dangerous for babies to be in hot rooms then cold rooms. The egg just helped me feel confident.

Finally, as Ellypoo suggests we had a sheepskin in the moses basket, some disagree with this but our HV thought it was great. DD also had a swaddling blanket.

Don't worry too much - DD is now a robust, healthy toddler and am sure she's not suffered!

Enjoy

I use an oil filled heater, by DeLonghi, & it's excellent at keeping a good warm temp in the room & doesn't cost much in terms of elec usage. The heat stays in the room better than a blow heater & they are way way safer so you can leave them on when you're not in the room.

I suggest a dehumidifier. this will keep the condensation down and the room warmer. put down rugs, try to use fake double glazing on windows. our room is just as chilly - 12 c with heating on. ours will be here in January and I plan on getting a sheepskin, dressing baby in long sleeved vest, sleepsuit and fleece sleeping bag with arms, plus socks and mitts if needed. We have a convection heater as well if the temp is just too low. however we are strongly considering leaving our heating on one hour on/ one off all day. newborns aren't great at regulating body temp yet.