Cot bed duvets and how to keep my toddler warm in winter

[Bishberro]

My 2.5 year old is still in his cot bed and has a 4 tog cot bed duvet. The past week or so he's woken up cold as his duvet isn't heavy enough to keep him warm but for safety reasons I assume, you don't seem to be able to buy a cot bed duvet over 4 togs. He's already wearing pjs with a vest underneath so not sure what to do when it's really cold. Should I get him a blanket over the duvet? Just wondered if anyone had any brilliant ideas for when it's really freezing. Thanks

[millie42]

That's what I do with my 2 year old - I use a cosy fleece and he seems able to kick it off if he gets hot without waking up.

He hates being too hot so this works well for us. I will probably wait until he is a proper bed before upgrading to a winter duvet.

Good luck

M

[sanity girl]

Maybe try a fleece sleepsuit? They do them in 2-3 year size at sainsbury's. My daughter has rediscovered hers in this cold weather and is happy and cosy in it.

[Fuschia]

Yes fleece sleepsuits. Primark do for ?4

[Moos]

Could he sleep in a sleeping bag under the duvet?

[nozchik]

I put my son in sleeping bag and we have 7tog JL duwet.

D.

[sillywoman]

Another vote for fleece sleepsuits here - primark are fab for those. They worked a treat on exactly this problem for all mine.

[The Nappy Lady]

Yep fleece sleepsuits, plus sleeping bag 'gro bags' which you can get for up to about 7 years old if need be.

The other thing someone on here suggested which I stored away for future use is to use a single duvet turned sideways with the extra length tucked under the mattress so it doesn't slip off. Great idea!

[The Nappy Lady]

Just remembered I used to put a fleece sleepsuit on my toddler in the mornings over her cotton one as a 'dressing gown' & it worked really well in that way too.

[GinaG3]

We use a 2.5tog gro-bag with a fleece blanket tucked in over the top if its very cold. She normally wears short sleeve vest with long sleeve sleepsuit. the problem we have is ice cold hands. She hates her hands being restricted so sometimes I use really long socks like gloves up her arms.

[sb]

.

[KatsuQueen]

Hi, we use an electric oil-filled heater to keep my son's room warm at night. There is a timer so it kicks in after the main house heating has gone off, and has a thermostat so that it switches on and off. It works really well, we have had it since he was born (in the depths of winter)...There was no point heating up all the rooms in the night, so we just kept his room nice and toasty.

[new mother]

probably a stoopid question but I assume you have the heating on all night already?

it always depresses me that winter is coming when we get to the stage of doing this - this year it's quite early....

[Pickle]

Heating on all night? Seriously?

We've never had to do that, even in the depths of winter the kid's rooms don't drop below about 15 degrees, which is plenty warm enough combined with a pair of fleecy pj's and a 2.5tog Grobag or 4 tog duvet. Our heating is on until 10pm, then comes on again at 6am.

[crystal7]

Pickle Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Heating on all night? Seriously?

>

> We've never had to do that, even in the depths of

> winter the kid's rooms don't drop below about 15

> degrees, which is plenty warm enough combined with

> a pair of fleecy pj's and a 2.5tog Grobag or 4 tog

> duvet. Our heating is on until 10pm, then comes

> on again at 6am.

We're the same Pickle, never, ever have the heating on all night just add layers (E's room also has an oil heater with thermostat but it only comes on if temp really low.)

[Belle]

Hah - we've never had to do that until last night - staying with my mum in BALTIC Scotland! To be honest not sure will do tonight, was just the initial shock! I definitely want some of those fleecy sleepsuits - though don't remember what we did last year, as def didn't have them. Think our wee one's room is quite warm generally.

[new mother]

Pickle, Obviously depends on the child then but, yes, our heating is on overnight now. The thought of 15 degrees makes me shiver. Maybe we will turn it off again after this cold snap so I can convince myself it isn't winter YET!

I've also noticed that our ch sleep much better and longer if their ambient temperature is providing a lot of the warmth, as opposed to thicker layers of clothes - contrary to all modern advice etc., I know, but totally bearing out what my mother told me.

[The Nappy Lady]

New mother, I'd just put oil filled rads with thermostats in the childrens bedroom, I'm sure it would be cheaper than heating the entire house all through the night.

[millsa]

our 2-year-old sleeps in a fleece sleepsuit and a 2.5 tog grobag. But he always had very cold hands so when it is very cold we use an electric oil-filled radiator in his room (like Katsu Queen). I just love walking into his warm room in the morning :)

[snowboarder]

I think I heard that having cold hands doesn't really bother little ones and is not an indication of their body temp - you test how warm/cold they are by touching their neck. Could quite easily be wrong! We only have the heating on at night in proper cold sub zero snow type weather. Monitor currently saying its 20 degrees in small one's room. Never can decide whether he needs a vest under his jim jams or not. But he's certainly staying imprisoned in a grobag for as long as possible.

[The Nappy Lady]

You're right Snowboarder, cold hands not an indication of a cold baby when in bed at night, though obviously a degree of common sense required. Houses these days are generally a lot warmer than they were 100 years ago!

Xx

[sillywoman]

Heating on all night - OMG!!!! Don't tell sensibleman he'll have a pink fit at the thought. We've never ever even considered this - I feel like I'm suffocating just at thought of it. You must be very warm blooded folk in your house blooded New Mother? Or this this normal - does everyone else do this & we're the odd ones out?

Not sure advice to keep kids warm with layers of clothes is 'modern' though? I'd have thought that was advice based on common sense & thousands of generations of effective child raising - harking back to living in caves & wrapping up in furs? I think being able to raise the ambient room temperature with central heating is a fairly modern phenomena isn't it?

And yes SB - cold hands or face is no indicator of core body temperature at all & unless it bothers your child I wouldn't be worrying about it at all as long as their chest/ back of neck below collar line is warm.

Each to their own though, in this child raising lark - it's so interesting what other folk do isn't it?

[Belle]

Normal service resumed here last night as me and little one are acclimatised to chilly Scotland! I did see some fleece sleepsuits in Asda but they were about ?8, am on the hunt for something cheaper and thinner, anyone know if Tesco's do them (nearest Primark here is 60 miles away!).

[Fuschia]

Our heating comes on for 15 mins several times in the night to take the edge off the chill. Otherwise our twins do wake with the cold.

[marax75]

Hi,

our daughter has just moved to a toddler bed and is very happy with her new duvet. We bought one from John Lewis that adjusts to body temperature, that way the child doesn't get too hot and we use a stay-on duvet by the same company that does gro-bags. the duvet is zipped to the sheet so that way even if she tosses and turns during the night she never gets out of it but still has plenty of room. It works for her as she's been sleeping better than ever. a little pricey ,though. However, you can get a good deal on the internet.

Hope this helps.