Cold House

J.,
I to have lived in a drafty old house. I have a father who is totally against space heaters! However he has found one that has a automatic shut off if it gets to hot... Its dad approved!! Ha. Ha. Ha. Its also child proof. Or add a onecy along with a sleeper. It'll work out.

We decided this year to get my 20 month old daughter a heater in her room. We did a lot of shopping around for the safest heater we could find. We ended up with the Vornado. It doesn't get hot on the exterior and blows heat out like a fan. It was expensive, a $100, but well worth the money.

I invested in one of those radiator heaters with the oil in them, they heat quite a bit of space. I live in a one bedroom, living room and kitchen and bath and it does the job. Plus, it's better than the electric, less danger to the baby. I'm also going to insulate my windows with that plastic you tape down and use a blow dryer to tighten it up. those work too. let me know what you deceide

There are a lot of electric heaters on the market that will shut themselves off if they become too hot or if they are knocked over. I won't sleep with them on, but I will run them during the day. I live in a big drafty house too. So I keep the electric heaters in the rooms we are in during the day. I keep the house heater off during the day. That way, I can afford to run it all night long. Also, we aren't using all the rooms of the house all the time. There is no reason to keep bedrooms that no one is in warm during the day. I also noticed that even though the family would have 5 heaters going in various rooms all last winter, the electric bill hardly went up at all.

I've been really tempted to invest in several more good smoke detectors and just sleep with the electric heaters. There are these baseboard heaters that look like registers. They are electric heaters. They are designed to be wired in. You get an electritian to come and hardwire them into the wall. From what I've seen, they are about 100 dollars each. They would probably require dedicated circuits though.

Here's hoping we have a warmer winter this year!

Suzi

I live in an old drafty house also. I use window treatments manufactured by 3M. They are a very thin plastic that is placed on the inside of the window with tape that is included. After you place them on the window use a hairdryer to to shrink the plastic. The plastic tightens around the window and cuts off the draft plus you can hardly tell they are there. They work great!

Flannel crib sheets are the easiest and best way to keep them warm on cold nights. We use that, plus we put a onesie on underneath our son's nightclothes. You can also put socks on, but for my son it's not necessary.

We can't use the sleep sacks 'cause he likes to walk around his crib when he wakes.

My grandson has the coldest room in our house because it has 2 outside walls. I suggest you move his bed to the innermost wall and the blaket over the windows is what we did too. and we also use a small electric heater and place it on top of his dresser pushed back out of reach of any curtains or anything flamable and we turn it off as soon as we get up in the morning, we don't shut his door either. Sorry if I'm not much help.

My husband grew up in Minnesota, and putting the plasitc over the windows was always as common as putting up a Christmas tree. I know that has been suggested a lot. Also, check the doors leading to the outside. If there is any gaping below them, using some extra blankets in front of the door to block that air will help until you can fix the gapes. I too am leary of space heaters, because you are constantly hearing of something bad happening. Also, it really helps to shut off vents in the rooms that you don't use as often. We have a full unfinished basement in our house, and no one is ever down there. So we shut all of the vents down there, and it made a huge difference in our heating bill. It was lowered by about $100 in a single month when our utility bill had been $400 the month before. There are a lot of websites that can give you more tips on how to keep your house comfortable in the winter without increasing your bill. SOme of them are too expensive for a lot of people, but there are some things that will help anyone. Try your utility providers website, they often have more ideas.

We have recently remodeled an old house. We lived in it while we were remodeling and last winter before we got our new windows it was drafty and cold! I would always put a long sleeved onsie under his feetie pjs and put flannel crib sheets on. We used a space heater in our bathroom for awhile on a table, with nothing around it and it caught on fire one day. So I would say definatly not in a babies room. Before we installed central heat we bought one of those radiator heaters that run on oil they worked really good and are safer too.
Good Luck Let me know how it turns out. S.

Invest in window plastic that u can put over the windows to seal out the drafts. Don't feel bad our house has a lot of drafts in it. As for the blankets just make sure they are breathable blankets like knitted ones so that way if by some chance he gets it close to his face he'll still be able to breathe.

I was also nervous using blankets when my oldest was a baby, plus she always kicked them off. We used the bag sleepers-the ones with no feet. We would put her in pajamas and socks and then zip her into the bag sleeper. She would always stay nice and warm.

I have a 10 month old little girl. Since it has been cold outside, we have a spaceheater that is in her room. I know you said you don't want to use a spaceheater, but I know it works well for my daughter. We set it on a stand with no other objects in the way for accidents to happen. Also, she has been sleeping better w/ her room warm. I also use a cool mist humdifier so the heater does not dry out the air in her room. Also, the spaceheater automatically kicks off it it gets to warm in her room or the unit itself is too warm. We have had no problems with using these items.

Also, putting your son in a sleeper with onsies is a great idea. I also put a blanket on my daughter from the waist down. She usually kicks it off by the time she wakes up in the morning.

Good luck and stay warm!!!

Hi J.,
I too was very leary about the whole space heater thing. We moved into an apartment last year, and my daughter's room was about 10 degrees colder then the rest. I was talked into purchasing a Vornado heater (we got ours at Dillards, but I am sure they sell them at other places). I really didnt want to spend the extra money on it, but it is the best purchase in the whole world! We actually put it in my daughter's room when she was almost 2 until just recently (we moved so we didnt need it in her room anymore). The thing I really liked about it was that it turns off when it get hot enough, and it will turn off automatically if the fan is blocked or is tipped over - this function actually works too since my daughter had knocked it over a few times. Oh, and it is not hot to the touch so that's another good point. Anyway, here's a link for the description. Just thought I would share, since I was also not a big fan of the space heater!
http://www.energyfederation.org/consumer/default.php/cPat...

R.

J.,we have the same problem we put plastic over our widows inside and out.our kids are older so we do use one space heater but it has a alarm on it if it gets hit like by someone hitting it with thier foot or something it makes a real loud noise.i understand your concern with your child being so young.we also have electric heating stove that mounts in the wall you can buy it really works well and you can adjust your heat setting its non expensive we got ours gave to us.good-luck

make sure you are changing your furnace filter so that it doesn't get clogged.
also, we closed all our basement and 1st floor registers but leave the 2nd floor ones open. the 1st floor is plenty warm (or cool in the summer) being closed.
I also discovered that one of the ducts was non-existent, as in, it was heating under the floor between the joists rather than stopping at the register. we blocked it off with an old towel and covered it in aluminum foil for a temporary fix. it made a huge difference in that room.
adding to your insulation should help also. it'll save $ in the long run.
-just some things to check for.

If you have an attic above his room check the insulation and add more if need. Same thing for a basement below his room add insulation to the ceiling of the basement

the window seals do help a lot, along with checking the electrical outlets and adding insulation them to help prevent air leaks

Also I would have the ducts checked to see if you have a leak in the air ducts leading to him room.

The footed sleepers along with a onesie will help keep him warm, if he will keep a hat on this will also help

I know what you mean about not being able to afford expensive gas bills. We called our gas company and got on the average payment plan. I didn't want to worry about paying for an expensive heating bill, but I also wanted to keep our drafty house comfortable for my baby. You mignt want to call the gas company and find out what it would cost you to do this.

Two words - SLEEP SACK!!!! We survived by having 4-5 of these. Carter's/Child of Mine makes them with sleeves which is important if it really is cold. We put our daughter in PJs or a long-sleeved onesie with pants inside the sleepsack and she seemed just fine.

Something that I do in the winter is keep some source of steam going to help keep humidity in the house. The dry winter air is harder to keep heated. I have used a small pan on the stove on "low" and I have used an old crock pot sitting in a safe place. (You want to use an old crock pot that you don't plan to cook food with because the hard Tulsa water will leave a lot of mineral deposits on the bottom and sides as the water evaporates.) Of course, sealing all your windows and doors as planned is the first thing you want to do. Also, those little draft blockers that go on the floor in front of your door work well too. You can use a rag rug or an old bath towel for this as well.

My husband is a real penny pincher and won't turn up the heat, also. When my son was born in November, we found a small couter-top space heater and put it on top of his dresser and just made sure the cords weren't accessible. We bought this awesome heater by honeywell that's about the size of a medium sized pumpkin. I think we got it at Walmart or Target. It automatically turns off when the room gets to a certain temperature, and it'll turn back on when it gets cold again.... I highly recommend it because it's safe, and isn't too hot to the touch if little fingers happen to touch the front of it. My husband and I have one in our room, too, and it has kept us warm all winter for 3 years now! I hope this helps!

I too live in a home that is 106 yrs. old.. The room my 3yr.old sleeps in has no heat register, so it gets cold at night. I wasn't fond of using a space heater too, so I spoke to my pedatrician and he advised me that as long a I had one good warm blanket on him, he would be okay. I would advise to put your baby in a good warm sleeper w/ feet and one thick long blanket you could tuck in around the bottom of the mattress so he doesn't get tangle up in at night, he will be fine. Boy's bodies run alittle warmer than girls. If in dought, talk to your Dr. and ask his advice. This is what my Dr. said was okay and my son is 3 now and does just fine.
Good luck.

I live in a drafty old house, too, and my now 1 yr old was born this time last year, so he was small when it was cold, but I wouldn't worry about your baby. Just put him in a sleeper and a fleece sleep sak, and he will be fine. In general, it is better for people to sleep in a 65 degree room, and for infants, being over-warm increases SIDS likelihood, anyway.

I also have an older drafty house. We put heavier plastic sheeting over the inside of the windows. Our house temp is set for 69 degrees at night and my kids are ususally ok. I think I read in a parenting magazine before that it's easier for kids to sleep in cooler temps anyways. I mean, not CHILLY temps but cooler. As long as you dress your baby in long sleeves he should be ok. I dress my daughter in a regular short sleeve onsie and then I put her PJ's over that. She has a little blanket she covers up with and that's enough for her.

Hi J.,

I live in a drafty house too. I would suggest putting your son in a long sleeve onesie at night and then putting him in sleeper pajamas... the ones with feet. this will at least give him two layers plus warm covered feet.

When I place my son in his crib, I place two blankets on either side of him, so he is sorta cacooned in... this helps him from moving around too much since he feels snug on both sides. I also place a blanket over him... have done so since he was little little... :)

Maybe some other moms have better suggestions... :)

I know that it does not look the best but when we lived in an older home we put plastic on the outside of our windows. You use those thin boards to make a seal around the outside of the window and plastic, It make not look the best but the clear plastic blocked the cold and still let the warm sun in :)
Make sure you have your vents under the house closed off also.
B.

I thought I read that it's less of a sid's risk if you don't let the baby's room too warm at night. My boys have done fine at a sleeping temperature of 63-65 at night. (I live with an eskimo, JK) The middle boy slept in a onsie inside a sleeper and was perfectly happy. The youngest didn't want a heavy shirt and no pants at all. Keep a thermometer in there and check to see that he's not in the draft.

Sealing the windows is a great idea but the cover over the window can be trapping cool air in the room at times when the light would warm up the space. Be sure to seal off outlets too. There are sticky things that go behind the plate and stick to the wall not the electrical part of the outlet. When you can afford to, get some (better) insulation for the walls. Right now add more to the celing in his room if you can reach the area. 15 inches is great and tax deductible up to $500.

I also live in a house that was prolly built before my town was even founded! I put plastic on my windows on the outside i roll the ends and staple them to my window sill it keeps ALL the air out. I also make sure that the floor is carpeted or has lots of rugs. Fabric in a room makes it warmer. Heavy curtains or as u said u hang blankets on the windows i would still keep them up even with the plastic jsut so the cold not the air but the coldness of outside doesnt creep in the room. If none of this works there is a space heater out there for us panicky moms lol that goes off if it gets too hot and goes off if it tips over. It also can be adjusted to stay at a certain temp. it is sold at wal-mart for about 30.00 which can be alot better than those gas bills. one blanket or a few receiving blankets wont hurt him either as long as they are small enough he wont get all tangled in them he is old enough now to turn and find air if he gets to covered up. so as long as it isnt something big like a comforter and its not too long u should b ok with covering him alittle. once he goes to sleep if he is covered any he will keep all that heat in under his blankie and shoudl b ok its colder to u than him cause he is all bundled up im sure u have him in a sleeper and layering is helpful when u dont want to use alot of blankets jsut put him in a onesie and a sleeper with feet and socks also if he will wear a hat that would b ok too if it is a small one like what u get at the hospital. im sure he will b fine mom. and good luck i completely understand with the old house i block off half of mine in the winter and we live in the front half which is 2 rooms lol in my small house cause it gets so cold! i hope i helped a little anyway!

Hi J.!
I too live in a old house with two small children. We purchaced sealed oil radiator heaters. They look like a small old radiator they used to use to heat old houses but instead of using steam it used electricity to warm the oil inside. Producing a warm heat with out the safty issue. We found ours at wal-mart under $40. Good luck!

I understand your worry about space heaters. I found a little electric heater at walmart. About $20 and it cycles on and off depending on the temp you set it on. I use it in my son's room when it's really cold. (I have a drafty house too) It well shut off if tipped over and you can't get burnt on it. My son actually was setting on it one day and it didnt hurt him at all. So if you don't find anything else you like you might check into this heater. They have several at walmart, this one is called a Holmes 1-touch. Anyway hope this helps.

You might look into one of the "blanket bag" type sleepers. It's a safe blanket that encloses the baby's body, but won't go over their head. They sell them at Babys R Us, but I'm not sure how much they are.

Have you thought about maybe moving him into your room (or a warmer room in the house) just for this winter? Next winter he'll be old enough to keep himself covered up if he's cold. I've never officially co-slept (baby in same bed with us), but baby #4 now has his crib in our room (he's 4.5mo) due to space issues until we move. I don't think he'll have trouble moving into his own room next summer.

Just some thoughts...

We have an old house too.. and My son is in a cold room too!! We have radiators!! Yeck!!!

We have 2 windows in his room.. I have a window kit on the outside on the big window.. I have calked it with this stuff that can come off.. Though I have left it on!!!! It is to help weather prooof it!!!

I will be putting a plastic kit on it too as well as the smaller window.... Try that and see if it will help.

Also... Always put baby in a blanket sleeper!!!! I wont let my son go to bed with out on now that it is cold out.. I hate to have several blankets.. but he tosses and turns so much... I want a blanket on him!!!!

Hi! I was raised in a drafty old house, so I know what it's like. My dad put one of those wall mounted propane heaters upstairs because we had a wood burning stove that kept the downstairs warm (those little gas heaters will really get after it, so you have to get it adjusted where it doesn't turn the upstairs into a suana...LOL!) Look at Lowes.com for vent free gas heaters...one was around $300, and the others were around $200. They are a heck of a lot cheaper to run then those fire-hazards they call space heaters....

Also, you might put some insulation in the top of your house, we have a store around here that sells the blown in kind of insulation for lik $65 a bag, and it does like 42 sq. ft., and they let you rent the blower...which sometimes is on special where if you buy the insulation you get the blower rental for free.

If either of those things don't fit your budget, just put your baby in a set of PJ's, and put him in a snuggle sack, they cost around $10 at Target. He'll probably be so toasty then he'll be sweaty when you wake him up!! ;-)

Dear J., I lived in a house that was 112 yrs. old drafty is the word for it, to feel cozy warm you would pay $600 a month in gas bills. crazy huh? Plastic over the outside of the windows and then on the inside put kitchen towels across the bottom threshold to help with any draft the might sneak in. Flannel sheets on the bed and pj's with feet are both great helps as well plus on extremely cold nights I would lay a heavy quilt over the crib like an oxygen tent it holds in their warm breath but still ventelates from the bottom. Also I never gave them a bath just before bed but during the warmest time of the day to help prevent them from getting chills. I hope this helps. T. K.