How do you keep your DCs warm at night?

[fruitstick]

I have to DSs. DS2 is nearly 12 months and hasn't slept through since about November (did bring him into our bed, then tried getting him to settle which took ages).

DS1 is nearly 4 and has always been a good sleeper but has started coming into our bed at around 5ish.

After much debate about insecurities, separation anxiety, developmental stages etc I have decided that they are COLD!

On Sunday and Monday we left the heating on overnight and both slept until 7. Last night they were both up between 3 and 4.

DS1 wears pyjamas and has a duvet. DS2 is in a vest, babygrow and 2.5 tog duvet.

We are living in a rented house and have no timer/thermastat on the boiler so can't leave it on over night at a lower temperature, and we both swelter if it's on overnight. But we do have the heating on in the evening so if we wrap them up for bed they'll be too hot.

Can I put a duvet on over DS2's sleeping bag before we go to bed or will he melt?

Sorry, this is very long for such a trivial issue! What do you do?

Sorry, that should be DS2 is in a 2.5 sleeping bag not duvet

We also live in a somewhat cold rented house.

Our kids all have fleece sleeping bags that we initially got made by a friend for going on holiday. They mostly sleep inside those, and pull the duvet over if it is especially cold, but they are a bit older than your ds's. (6, 8, 10). Also, don't underestimate the power of socks/extra vest/light jumper in bed. Its been really frosty here the last couple of days and all of ours have been sleeping in socks, fleecy jammies (well, fleece joggy bottoms and tops we refer to as jammies) and a vest.

We have bought a small oil filled radiator heater for the same reasons - no timer on the boiler and couldn't keep the heating on all night. We leave it in DS's room, it is on really low but it's enough to stop him waking from cold.
Ours is a delonghi one and we got it from argos.

dd's room is the hottest and coldest in the house,d epending on season, and we all cook if we try to leave the heating on for her. for coldest winter nights, she wears 3 layers (vest, babygrow and cardi) plus a grobag. i am ansy about leaving heating on in her room but do an hour's warm up with a heater before putting her down so it takes longer to get cold; boiler comes on at 3am. have you tried putting a nice fleecy blanket under the sheet underneath them? this does a lot to keep bed warm in my experience. ohterwise - hot water bottle?? works for me!

oh should have said DD is 12 months.

also - i hang a blanket behind her curtains to try and insulate the window a bit and put that reflective stuff behind the radiator.

Loads of layers of clothes. blankets underneath them (i.e. under hte sheet) is much more effective than on top. also, fleece overpyjamas - like babygro style (as wel as the sleeping bag) shoudl work too. Or fleece PJs over the normal PJs. Bed socks too. and if it comes to it, try an oil heater in their room. Good thick curtains. and a fleece blanket over the duvet too.

My house is freezing, and I alsways have the kids wrapped up like michellin man.

In fact my ds is so used to sleeping with his socks on that we can't even get him to take them off in the summer - he's a creature of habit!

My DS1 is in a basement room and it is cold down there! We have a convector heater similar to this in his room. It is set to come on at set intervals (depending on how cold the night is!) through the night so it never gets that cold in his room. He's always warm! The convector heater will heat a room up faster than a oiled filled one. Also, there is a thermostat you can set so that if it gets past a certain temp that is too hot, it will cut off. You can always put them to bed as normal and set the timer for heater to come on at midnight, 3am and 6am for example...

I find that a fleece sleepsuit works the best, DD is 2.4 and she sleeps in a vest (if its very cold) pyjamas, fleece sleepsuit and a duvet, however she rarely keeps the duvet over her hence her being in the fleece sleepsuit to keep warm!

dd has 2 duvets at some point in july we whisk it off for about 2 days!

I must have a very warm dd2. She's 3 and goes to bed in a short sleeved nightie! We don't have heating on overnight and have an old house. She's always warm.

I'd chuck a blanket over him before you go to bed. Or else bundle him up at bed time and turn the heating off in the evening - means you night be a bit chilly though.

I overheard a conversation at our children's centre about this, and loads of mums recommended a thermostat controlled electic/oil filled heater. HTH.

If it seems cold in their room when we go up to bed I pop a fleece blanket over them to keep them warm. We also layer the bed with a sheet under the duvet.

2yo DS wears a vest and fleece sleepsuit with a light (I think 4.5 tog) duvet on top. He likes to kick that off or at least down though, so in weather like this he has thin pjs on too.

It does make a difference!

right. Fleece sleepsuit purchased for DS2. Curentky trying to persuade DS1 to wear socks to bed!

thank you all - we'll see if that works

We live in quite possibly the coldest house ever (old stone cottage with inefficient electric heating system) and after last years £1500 Winter electric bill (yes, you read that correctly, it was just for Winter) we just wrap up for bed and our baby wears sock, vest, babygro, 2.5 tog growbag and has 4 layers of fleecy blankets as well. He sleeps 12 hours a night and is only 15 weeks old so he is obviously warm enough.

I wish they made those all-in-one fleecy sleepsuits for adults. I'd buy one. In fact I'd buy several, I am always FREEZING at night and end up with the duvet so hunched round me that it is all cover and no duvet.
DS is a warm soul, thankfully, so I am often pleased to wake up and find I have a human hot water bottle.

lankyalto - they do make them for adults . Got one for early season camping and it's sooo warm. Will try to get name of company who made it - made to size (height, weight, foot size).

we have oil heaters on low in both DC's bedrooms.

Ooh alexw thank you. I was contemplating making my own but I am useless at sewing.

I turn our heating off at night and so dd is (currently in the cold weather) wearing thermal long sleeved top and bottoms,socks and fleecy pyjamas.She has a 2.5 tog duvet and fleecy blanket too.

lankyalto I have seen adult fleecy sleepsuits in Primark. It was before Christmas I saw them though- worth a look?

Temp in DS room says 19deg but i still thought was waking cold, He wears No sleeve vest, long sleeve vest, sleepsuit, 2.5tog sleeping bag and then when we go bed put celluar blanket over him..