ideas to warm up toddlers room

[poocatcherchampion]

it turns out the toddlers bedroom is the coldest room in the house. it is not a great plan to switch her to another room as this one is nearest ours.

we are about to decorate in there and I want to make sure we do everything we can to make it warm at the same time.

so far:

• we are going to get that part of the loft better insulated - and the rest if needed/affordable
• silver foil behind radiator or even the actual proper stuff for that
• windows are draughty so would cling film over them work til we can replace
• thick blanket under sheets in cot - she has a warm gro bag already
• oil fired rad for when she is safely in cot

-we are toying with changing the carpet - would a wool one add warmth?

• any ideas what we can line curtain with that is both black out and thermal

finally is fleece a good warm product or a fire risk?

we will be using the heating as we also have a newborn but not all the time and it is warmer downstairs than up. currently 15deg in there and its not a cold day.

thanks in advance!

All of those sound good. I'd also get some thick curtains and buy seperate lining which you put onto the header tape on the curtains.

I also tuck the curtains onto the windowsill in my house so the heat from the radiator stays in the room.

My youngest has a fleecy blanket over his bottom sheet that he sleeps on which makes it more cosy.

I can't think of anything else but I'm sure someone will be along with some good ideas.

you can get wall insulating panels - hard work to put up but can be done, and should help. Buy the proper radiator foil. Put a shelf above the radiator.

fleece not a fire hazard as long as your child doesn't smoke. ;-)

You can get thermal blackout lining which if you are handy with a sewing machine can be bought cheaply (I got some through amazon marketplace) and added to your curtains or buy a ready made lining for a bit more (also available on amazon Market place I think, they just didn't have any long enough for me)

Try the British Gas website to see if you qualify for free loft insulation. I assumed we wouldnt as we don't recieve any benefits and own our house, but apparently we qualify on postcode alone. They came and had a quick look in the loft to check it was suitable and will come back in about 2 weeks to insulate the whole lost for us for free! Worth a look just incase your postcode is lucky too!

Dunelm have linings that you can clip to your existing curtains to black out and insulate which look quite good, and maybe try a carpet underlay with good insulating properties if you are going to replace the carpet anyway.

Underlay more important than the carpet, but put a good thick rug down as well. Layers are your friend.

Tape up the edges of the windows for the winter and put a second fleeces curtain behind the proper curtain ( I used curtain wire). Get brushed cotton or flannelette sheets, John Lewis are good for those. My toddler was in a cold room, and I put a massive cot bumper round her cot to keep the draughts out. I also still pop into both kids rooms and put an extra blanket on at midnight in the winter. They kick it off if they get too hot. Almost never happens though!

You can buy wallpaper that has thermal polystyrene on the back or polystyrene wallpaper then line over top from b & a or homebase it has made our rooms feel warmer.

Shut the curtains when the sun goes down, and leave the bedroom door open if the rest of the house is warmer.

DS1 had the oilfilled radiator, with thermostat.

You can buy sealant from b&q that you put round the windows to stop draughts.

We got a seamstress to put black out lining and a layer of thermal lining onto dd's curtains (I'm not at all handy with a sewing machine).

If you can, check that the walls are properly insulated. When doing our bathroom we discovered there was no insulation at all in the walls so we got that done at the same time.

In terms of keeping toddler warm (rather than room!) we live in a chilly house and I use fleece sleepsuit and double grobags - a thin and a thick together. Even with that he wakes up cold some days.

For the windows you could get :
www.screwfix.com/p/stormguard-glazing-film-tape-kit/98002?kpid=98002&cm_mmc=Google--Product%20Listing%20Ads--Sales%20Tracking-_-sales%20tracking%20url&gclid=CJqPtd-PkroCFbHItAodH3cAeg

thanks - some great tips! will check some out..

Our plumber told us the foil behind rads was a waste of time. We had a similarly cold room and ended up replacing the single for a double radiator (it's the same size). This did the trick.

Our plumber also advised against the foil behind rads. Could you put insulation under floorboards as well as loft space? Also a nice thick underlay before carpeting.

from your description, it is a bedroom in a loft conversion. It is very possible that the ceiling has not been properly insulated. To do it properly would mean tearing off the plasterboard (though you could apply an insulation-backed plasterboard to the existing ceiling, it would not be thick enough to do a good job. If it has partial low walls that you can cral behind, see how (if) they are insulated.

An oil-filled electric radiator is very suitable, as it is not a fire hazard and can be obtained with a thermostat to maintain the room at a modest temperature. You can (usually) screw them to wall brackets to prevent them being knocled over.

You could have a larger radiator fitted. Bleed the old one just on case it has gas in the top part, which would reduce output.

You could fit the clear plastic film to the windows (but do not block the trickle vents, or fix it to the opening part for ventilation. Cold loft conversions are very prone to condensationm, damp and mould.

p.s.

if you meant it is a bedroom with a badly insulated loft above, you can buy rolls of mineral quilt in DIY sheds quite cheaply (though a free or subsidised installtion would be great) and fit it yourself. You just need a lamp, and a bread-knife to cut it with, and some pieces or board to kneel on. I only ever use the Knauf stuff treated with Ecose now, it prevents dust and loose mineral fibres. It is coloured brown not yellow. Some shed own-brands are made by Knauf, and will mention Ecose on the wrapper. It feels relatively soft and silky, and does not drag on the hands even if you have dry skin. Use rubber gloves and a dust mask as your loft will already be very dusty. The old yellow fibres can trigger athsma and other coughing attacks, occasionally severe.