Is your heating ON or OFF?

Butterfly_Brain

I have heard that January is when we are really going to get it hard so I will try to hold off for as long as possible befor I put the heating on - only put it on when it goes below freezing and not before!

jackieb

An extra hour in bed tomorrow morning. One more hour of being snuggled up under the covers. If you do have your timing set to come on for an hour or so in the morning, remember and change it, or else it'll be coming on when you're still asleep.

sarymclary

I've just given in and switched it on.

sarymclary

foreversomeday wrote: »

Help, am really struggling with not putting the heating on, any tips?

We have it on for an hour in the morning when OH gets up and then from 7pm until 10pm when it starts to get really cold, we try to get to bed before 10. I tend to put it on if I feel cold before then but have limited myself to only after 5pm. It is just me and the baby (3 weeks) home during the day and currently we spend much of the time snuggled up on the sofa in blankets! Which keeps us warm but doesn't allow much to get done around the house!

I don't know how well the house is insulated as we rent but it's a 1980s mid terrace which was originally built without CH. We have got no neighbours on one side and on the other side they are out during the day. I think there is loft insulation but don't know about walls. We have got double glazing.

Apart from putting the heating on 24/7 what can we do? I'm not sitting around in a t shirt, but dressed warmly. Baby is too but I am worried he gets cold during baths/nappy changes. I also get a bit chilly when breastfeeding as I have to half strip off! Our heating has a timer system but not for separate rooms and I can't work out how to set the thermostat as it doesn't have temperatures on it.

Hi Forever,

I would suggest keeping baby's towel in the airing cupboard and only take out just before bathtime, or why don't you kneel on it to keep it warm before he comes out of the bath? Try not to remove too many clothes during nappy changes, and make them quick! Warm water to wipe bottoms, or if you use a wipe, rub it between your hands to warm it up before wiping.

I breastfed all 4 of my boys, and I wore ordinary tops, and just pulled them up to feed, keeping a blanket across me and baby to keep us warm, and with a terry nappy/muslin tucked under baby's chin to catch dribbles!

Keep doors to unused rooms shut during the day, and if you are doing cooking keep the kitchen door open to allow the heat from that to go into the adjoining room (unless it's a hallway where it'll just escape out the door or up the stairs).

If you have gas C/h then there should be a central thermostat in the hallway (usually) even if there aren't individual ones on the radiators, especially as it's an 80's house, so not that old.

I find that doing the housework actually keeps me warm, and often resort to doing the ironing just to warm up some days!!

If you're going to bed before 10pm, why not turn it off half an hour before you go up to bed, and put it on half an hour earlier if you need it.

HTH

p.s. congrats on the new baby :T

Reformed

I'm holding off - my quarterly gas bill was £850 last March - I was nearly sick, particularly because we only had the radiators actually turned on in our lounge and the bedroom - we'd just had the baby and our previous owner didn't leave the instructions for the thermostat. We thought we had sorted it because all the radiators were switched off and we therefore thought the thermostat was doing it's job but we were burning gas like there was no tomorrow for the boiler. This year it's just extra jumpers, blankets, long johns, hot cups of tea etc!! The baby is permanently in baby tights under everything and lots of layers - she is fine!

Reformed

Foreversomeday - get some breastfeeding vests from mothercare (£10) hoik up whatever top you have on on top and your tummy will stay covered! I'm feeding Ruby like this right now and I am not cold at all x

ceridwen

jackieb wrote: »

An extra hour in bed tomorrow morning. One more hour of being snuggled up under the covers. If you do have your timing set to come on for an hour or so in the morning, remember and change it, or else it'll be coming on when you're still asleep.

That just reminded me - just been and altered the clock on the controls - pushed it back so that it now says 16.29pm and then it'll be right time for tomorrow (errr....I did get that right didn't I? ).

Still only using the central heating for the morning session - and tending to switch it off before it's finished that "stint". Okay right now - got to be feeling warm now...considering I've been outside freezing my butt off today doing things like cooking up holly tea over a fire (yep....I did say holly....I never realised one could make tea from browning holly leaves a bit, then using the mortar and pestle on them to grind them up, followed by 10 minutes stewing in just-boiled water). Errr......think the others might try it again...possibly with milk and honey......errr....I won't be....:lipsrseal

mardatha

aye Ceridwen, there's got to be a reason why the druids died out eh !

Caterina

foreversomeday wrote: »

It is just me and the baby (3 weeks) home during the day and currently we spend much of the time snuggled up on the sofa in blankets! Which keeps us warm but doesn't allow much to get done around the house!

.....Apart from putting the heating on 24/7 what can we do? I'm not sitting around in a t shirt, but dressed warmly. Baby is too but I am worried he gets cold during baths/nappy changes. I also get a bit chilly when breastfeeding as I have to half strip off! Our heating has a timer system but not for separate rooms and I can't work out how to set the thermostat as it doesn't have temperatures on it.

First of all many congratulations and well done for your natural birth after so many hours labour!

Have you considered using a sling to carry your baby around with you? This would maximise the warmth exchange between your body and your baby's - babies are so deliciously warm when they are kept close to mum's skin, they are like soft little radiators! And with a sling you can breastfeed without even lifting your jumper, so you could keep your baby all wrapped up under a nice large cardi/jumper etc, in the sling in almost full skin to skin contact, and breastfeed on demand without stripping off.

I don't know where you live but in many places in the UK there are volunteer mums who show new mums how to use slings, I know of some in London only.

If you get in touch with a breastfeeding counselor I am sure they will be able to help you or direct you to someone who can. You can try any of these numbers they are all breastfeeding helplines:

Association of Breastfeeding Mothers: 08444 122 949
Breastfeeding Network: 0844 20 909 20
National Childbirth Trust 0300 330 0771
La Leche 0845 120 2918

Well done for all your good motherly work and good luck!

Caterina

ceridwen

mardatha wrote: »

aye Ceridwen, there's got to be a reason why the druids died out eh !

Druids....holly? Went a'googling.....er yes.....I see...well they thought it was good for arthritis, kidney stones and bronchitis.....Mardatha...you're in there gal........didnt you say summat about having had bronchitis elsewhere?

The North American Indians also thought it had beneficial health qualities.

Get yer gloves on gal....and get picking...apparently if you like Mate Tea..you'll like it...me, I dont tend to like teas anyway.....