Preparing for winter IV

pigpen

chirpychick wrote: »

im back! after having my baby last year and increasing my energy bill by 30% (i think thats what happens when you have a newborn in the middle of winter!) he is now 10 months old and we are desperately trying to stay warm during the day. No heating on yet but it's hard!
I have just won a rug on e3bay as we have laminate throughout and the bubba is getting so cold sitting, crawling and walking on the cold floor. My mum is treating me to a new 13 tog duvet and the spare is going on the sofa. MIL treated LO to a snowsuit and during the day unless we need to go out he is in sleepsuit with vest and socks underneath and a fleece on top.
I cannot seem to find any slippers to fit him though! he is a 3.5H in clarks sizes and as his feet are so wide i cant seem to get wellies or slippers wellies arent important as he is only just walking but slippers are a must, any suggestions?
ive been drinking a lot of tea but i just worry LO isn't staying warm. Right now he is fine at night, his baby monitor says the room is 18 which is perfect but for the heart of winter im not sure what to do as we dont normally keep the heating on over night.
He has a 2.5 tog sleeping bag in velvety feel and some fleece sleepsuits.
I have no idea about this kind of thing and any info is gratefully received.

TBH I don't take a blind bit of notice of 'recommendations' babies are the same as us grown up and some feel the cold more than others.. my 3 littlies are always cold. At the moment my 9 week old is in a vest sleepsuit cardigan and a doubled up blanket, OH (also always cold) is in a long sleeved top and sweater and I'm in a vest top. The others at 2 and 3 are in a vest, tshirt and sweatshirt and still sometimes cold so snuggle under a blanket.

Bed times mine have a vest, sleepsuit, fleece sleepsuit, sleeping bag and as many covers as it takes to keep them warm. If they wake up 3 nights running I add another layer.. it has worked for all of mine.

Slippers... try slipper socks.. they will obviously fit his feet in and have rubbery soles so they don't slip. I some soft pram shoes will be fine. Like THESE.. they are soft soles but non-slip. My grandson has them for nursery. They also have felt slippers which might do. Or something like THESE might be better?

bluebag

Chirpychick,

Many, many years since I had little ones, but mine were plenty warn with a vest, babygo and an al lin one fleece suit, flanelette sheets and as many blankets as they needed to stay warm.

As I was very skint at the time, I bought the sheets and blankets in the charity shops, jumble sales and car boots. Same with the all in one fleece thingys. I had trouble getting cot blankets at the time so got some big ones and cut then to size and hemmed them.

Never kept me awake except for teething and colic.. ( oh god colic!!)

daftmummy

Hi chirpychick, I have wooden floors and when my kids were little I used to put on ski-sock on over their jeans so their legs didn't get cold when crawling along the floor. I used to put the kids to bed in growbag sleeping bags I picked up cheap in CS and babysales. I know its a worry but I never forget the man who fitted my central heating who reminded me that we grew up in a time without central heating and our parent/grandparents also they managed. I had the kids in my bedroom when they were little in cotbeds and mosebaskets ( my kids were poorly and its a personal choice ) and when ever it was freezing last year we all went to bed with hot choc or tea together. We were not cold but I had hardly any room.

Oh I also used to put a blanket under the bottom sheet of my kids bed to get them snuggle and some times placed a hot water bottle to get snug but always took it away when they got in.

Topher

I hadn't really questioned the practices we grew up with, until I met extended family who'd grown up with different ones. You don't normally get to know what folk do to put bedding on, or to dress babies in, it doesn't crop up in conversation. I'm not holding what we did up as anything special over & above anyone else's ways of doing things, and man made fleecey stuff was in its infancy when I was a mother of young children, but here's my two pennorth. All beds (cots) had a wollen blanket on the matress before sheets went on. Sheets were cotton in summer, and brushed cotton or flannelette in winter. I understand that the weave of wool and cotton, wicks moisture away from the body, beds were "aired" at some length in the morning before being made. (Aired being having covers flung back). Soft woollen vests were readily available for babies, so this would be their base layer, with a flannelette gown over (early days) some designed with a drawstring at the bottom of the flared shape, so a "bag" could be made (stopping the gown riding up", but easily accessible for nappy changes without fully undressing the baby). Later they went into flannelette P.J.s or whatever. Although modern fleece material is great, it doesn't seem to wick body moisture away, and once cold, don't seem to help the baby's body to capitalise on its own heat. Quilts were a welcome creation, but until then, a top sheet of same materials as under sheets, cellular blankets (cotton in summer brushed wool in winter) then feather quilts and or wool blankets, were layered up. There's no way I'd knock some of the lovely soft, light and insulating fabrics that are now available, but I'm a little uncertain as to how, next to skin they have the same properties as wool and cotton did. My grandson's skin is often cold and clammy. He co sleeps at the moment, so his mum is very tuned in to his temperature, but I do wonder about the clothing and bedding he has.

chirpychick

daftmummy -Thank you, I hadn't thought about putting a blanket under his sheet, will try that out.

Pigpen - Thank you for the suggestions, unfortunately I never have been able to get pram shoes on his feet! (I tried a few times but they never fit him so he went into clarks when he started cruising). I will definitely look into slipper socks though!

Thank you for all the tips and the reassurance that comes with your suggestions as well!

I managed to pick up his sleeping bags for 50p from carboot sales and am using all the blankets we were given when he was born so i don't think I would actually need to go out and buy anything thankfully.
I guess its just a case of using my common sense.

My husband keeps saying everytime he goes in the nursery LO has cold hands, which I have noticed a lot too but I keep being told as long as their tummy's and backs are warm they're ok.
He also sleeps 7-6.20 so I think like someone said (sorry don't remember who) unless he is waking up i can assume he is fine.

I appreciate your help very much! I was having a first time mum panic!

mardatha

I'm a great believer in wool and cotton too Topher. I don't think synthetic fleeces are warm enough in winter in a cold house, and I think the only synthetics that are really warm cost a fortune and are found in climbers/mountaineering shops. Pure cotton and pure merino wool are magic. Not only babies but for us too.

RevolvingDoor

I like having a cool pillow. I don't know what was wrong with me last night, I kept alternating between being too hot and throwing off the covers and then being too cold. I'm wondering if it is to do with the big M approaching.:eek::p

medusasmummy

chirpychick wrote: »

I managed to pick up his sleeping bags for 50p from carboot sales and am using all the blankets we were given when he was born so i don't think I would actually need to go out and buy anything thankfully.
I guess its just a case of using my common sense.

My husband keeps saying everytime he goes in the nursery LO has cold hands, which I have noticed a lot too but I keep being told as long as their tummy's and backs are warm they're ok.
He also sleeps 7-6.20 so I think like someone said (sorry don't remember who) unless he is waking up i can assume he is fine.

I appreciate your help very much! I was having a first time mum panic!

just a quick suggestion, have you thought of putting socks over babs hands. I always hated the baby mittens, they barely covered the wrist and easy for baby to shake off. socks are longer and the elastic rim is more secure.

but generally its common sense. if the back of his neck is warm then he is. im sure he will let you know if he's not comfortable

Worrying is, unfortunately, a necessary part of motherhood, be more concerned if you didn't worry, and you should always listen that little nagging voice. The reason he is going strong is down to you and his dad, you're doing a great job

ArthriticOldThing

"I like having a cool pillow. I don't know what was wrong with me last night, I kept alternating between being too hot and throwing off the covers and then being too cold. I'm wondering if it is to do with the big M approaching"


Revolving Door I'm well passed the big M but had the same kind of night. Very unusual for me to be cold in bed but like you I alternated between kicking bedding off and pulling it back on. Odd:rotfl:

Confuzzled I'm usually warm most of the time. Windows open whenever possible. Family have always said they can tell when am ill because I'm cold.

Can't contribute to the keeping baby warm conversation as its too long ago for me.

moments_of_sanity

My children are 16 & 17 now so I can't really remember back to when they were small (funny how you forget these things) but even now they are completely different, the 17 year old prefers it to be chilly (living room at 21.4 at the moment and DD and I would love the door open). On the other hand the 16 year old is always complaining she's cold and would gladly be switching the heating on if I let her.

My excuse for not using the heating as much is that my dogs get really hot so I need to keep the house cool so they don't get uncomfortable, my youngest Border Collie is already panting, might try and sneak the patio door open.......... :rotfl: