Hey mamas, how do you all keep your little ones warm at night? My son is now 3 and daughter is 2, we've always put them in sleepsacks since they're active sleepers and tend to kick off blankets, etc. However, both are fully potty trained, and my son gets up in the middle of the night to pee on his own, so the sleepsack has become a hindrance and no longer an option for him. We tried the footy pajamas instead, but it's still harder to maneuver at 2:00am for him than just pulling down PJ bottoms. He currently has a plush blanket and child's comforter on his bed, and we put both on him when he sleeps, but by the morning he's kicked them off or rolled on top of them, and any part of his body that is exposed (i.e., his little back if his shirt creeps up) is so cold to the touch! For now we're keeping the heater on to ensure he doesn't freeze, but every time the heater comes on it wakes us up, so I'd love to find another solution.
His current comforter isn't long enough to tuck into his bed (he has one of those toddler beds that converts from a crib). Have any of you tried a larger comforter, maybe one for a twin bed, and then just tucked in a side? I thought that may make it easier for him to tuck himself back in, if the comforter was secured on one side of the bed, but want to see what worked for you before I go out and buy one.
I knew I'd get some great suggestions! Thanks so much, you guys are the best!
We tried the toddler blanket and after 2 unsuccessful nights of mommy cover me every 10 minutes, we took it away. I had an old twin quilt, put it sideways, and under the mattress, gave some slack so that he can get snuggled in and get out too, and we haven't had a problem since.
I have a 4 year old that occasionally struggles with bed-wetting when he wears feety pajamas...particularly in the winter - I think because his bed is so warm and he just doesn't want to get out (?). We found some feety pajama bottoms at a thrift store...they have been WONDERFUL! They're like the feety pajamas...but they just go to the waist...much easier for midnight potty breaks!
Vornado makes small space heaters designed specifically for kids rooms. They are fan based, so you don't have a "grill" wide open for them to get burned on, and they don't get super hot. Just warm enough for the room.
Check them out.
We use one in my 2yo's room.
my 16 mnth old is to small for alot of blanket so he has one fleece one, but we just dress him in layers at night. he wears a long sleeve onesie, then a long sleeve top and pj bottoms and then fleece footie pajamas and he stays pretty warm
no need for sleep sacks at this age.
Just put on long pants and long sleeved jammies.
Or jammies with feet.
Or "fleece" type pajamas. Those are warmer.
My kids always kick off their blankets at night. But they have on warm jammies. Its fine. Or I go and put their blankets back on at night.
I used several throw blankets when my daughter slept in her toddler bed--and one thrown like a bottom sheet so she could be insulated from below too). I was able to fold them into the foot of the mattress, and they were longer than toddler blankets. On really cold nights, I also laid a twin blanket over the bed (excess just loosely turned under the bed, not tucked in).
Double layering pj's is good too, like close fitting leggings under sweat pants. Fleecy socks. (You know they'll be warm when they go to bed looking like the Michelin Tire Man!!)
But, anytime the temperatures drop into the low 40's, we put the heat on. My husband is a light sleeper and it takes him a few weeks to get used to the noise. I always worry about my daughter breathing in cold air for 10 hours straight--cold air exposure in a small child's lungs and air passages can also lower body temp and strain the body's immunology/defenses.
How cold is it in your house?
My daughter is 3 and always sleeps in cozy pajamas as well as an undershirt or t-shirt and socks (whether the pj's have feet or not). She tends to get the blankets off of her too but with the extra layers, it's not an issue.
We keep the thermostat at 60 at night.
regular PJs and full sleeved shirt. or sweater if he feels cold. And warm socks for his feet.
Maybe try a sleeping bag on his bed instead of a comforter? He could easily crawl in and out, and he'd stay covered while he sleeps... Just an idea...
I do not allow my daughter to wear pj's due to religious beliefs. I put my daughter in a long fleece or flannel gown with tights under. Her room also has the hot water heater behind the wall in one corner, our shower behind the wall in another corner and the furnace behind the wall in another corner. She used to wake every time the furnace or the hot water heater kicked on or if one of us took a late night shower. I first put a noise maker in her room (set to play the sound of rain) and turned it up loud enough to drown the other sounds, when she got a little older I put a cd player in her room that plays stories or songs with it set to constant repeat. This also drowns out the sound.
My boys prefer to sleep in their undies under a pile of blankets. I never worry about keeping them warm because they always wake up in a sweat. I do agree that the footed one piece pj's make it difficult for young ones to go to the bathroom. My 10 year old still occasionally wears his, but my 4 year old doesn't. Although my 4 year old sleeps hard and still wets the bed. Bed wetting runs on both sides of the family (my brother till 14 and my sister in law till 12), I hope he outgrows it soon because I still have to change the sheets frequently because the Goodnites don't hold it all and leak.
My kids always wore an undershirt or two along with their clothes during the winter months, especially at nights since my daughter was also an active sleeper.
My son has a twin bed, but it's against a wall and the twin comforter doesn't hang down on that side, so it's big enough to tuck in. I tuck it at the foot of the bed and a quarter on the side so it's easy to find (and he can snuggle his feet inside quickly). He's a hot little guy though, so most nights he doesn't want covers at all and walks around barefoot even though the house is (in my opinion) too cold for that. If he's not complaining, and he's sleeping well, maybe he doesn't need anything warmer.....
Costco has some great 2 piece fleece jammies and maybe a pair of cozy socks :)
We are also having similar problems with our 3 year old son since he’s about one year old. According to experience with our son, sleeping with pyjamas and with a cover (blanket, guilt etc) is most flexible and comfortable way of sleeping for the little ones too (similar to the grown ups!) But they might not keep themselves covered all night. Therefore, I developed a method and software to get informed if my son kicks off his cover during the night. You can think it as a special DIY Baby Monitor.
www.smartbabymonitor.com
If you are interested, just feel free to use my software!
You can also try putting plastic over the windows. It will keep additional heat in the bedroom.
We put my 2 yr old down each night with a lightweight, but warm full-sized blanket. The little ones just didn't keep him warm and he's not a huge fan of the "footie jammies". We have found 2-piece flannel jammies that are great! They often have them at TJ Max and Marshalls, but always at Target. Add a pair of thick socks and he should be okay!
You could also try 2-piece thermal jammies (like long-johns)
My children absolutely refuse to wear clothes aside from underwear to bed... even when we dress them, I go to check on them and they undress.
Our last apt, the heating system didn't vent into their room and it was very cold. So we got a small space heater. I was so afraid it caught fire, but we researched and found a small one that would automatically turn off if it tipped or had something thrown on top of it.
I would try Sweat pants and long sleeve shirt or matching sweatshirt. Socks to if they don't keep the blankets on. How about a sleeping bag..Yes a bigger comforter would help. My kids have twin beds but both of them have full size comforters for them. They also have about 2-3 throw blankets we position on the bed because if they throw them off there is another blanket to grab or snuggle into. Our home gets too cold/too hot so we have to worry about this as well. So far no complaints from the kids.
My daughter is three years old and she (for the past three months) has slept naked (with her diaper on). I have tried different types of pajamas from the footed ones to shorts and tank tops. She gets 'too' hot after she goes to bed. So now she will take clothes off before she goes to bed. If I insist she keeps them on, she will be up five minutes after I put her in bed complaining. Until yesterday, she slept in a toddler bed with a down comforter (no sheet because she doesn't like them). We put a twin bed in her room last night and put a duvet cover on the down comforter and in the middle of the night, she was asking me to take it off because she likes the feeling of the down comforter and the 'coldness' of it. We keep our house at 70. She's just a hot sleeper! I wouldn't worry about keeping him warm - he'll let you know if he's too cold or too hot.
I noticed you live in PV, and we live on the backside in San Pedro. It's crazy how warm it can be during the day and how cold it gets at night with the ocean air coming thru.
For our toddler's room, we have a small space heater we bought at Costco, the one with the picture of the cat on the box sitting in front of the heater. It has a low, medium, and high setting. Usually if we set it between low and medium in the winter, it keeps the room just right. It does make a very quiet noise when it cycles on and off, but doesn't wake her up, and it has a light on the front that serves as a night light. If it tips over, even just a bit (like if you bump into it) it makes a horrible loud buzzing sound, so that is good for safety concerns. I think if it tips over it automatically turns off too.
