XP: Co sleeping, colder temps, drafty house

How warm do you keep your house?
How do you bundle up your kid?
DO you have any issues once you start using big duvets?

We live in South Texas, so it's not like we'll have subzero temps to
worry about, but it does get cold from time to time, and dips below
freezing. We do have central heat, but our house is old and drafty -
pier and beam foundation w/no skirting at the moment which means all
that's between us and the elements is a thin layer of wood floors.
Walls are insulated and windows restored, but that means single pane
and not perfectly sealed. 12 ft ceilings are great in summer (which is
not quite over yet!), not so good in winter. On our first big freeze
last December the temp inside never got above 64F. Not a big deal
snuggled up in our duvets, but what about DD?


We've done a lot to improve insulation since last winter, but it's not
perfect yet. Do we just get one of those polar snowsuits to bundle her
for sleep? Swaddle her with thick blankets? I confess I use a blanket
with her now, I just tuck it around her body but not her arms so she's
not swaddled. I know blankets are a no-no but this has worked, only now

I'm getting a little nervous about that.


About swaddling - how long does one do it? We finally got it to work
for a couple of weeks, then stopped, She doesn't need it now (she's
3.5months). She doesn't roll over yet but she moves so much I'm
paranoid she'll flip over and not be able to get back if she's all
swaddled.


And we co sleep. Hasn't been an issue yet since I've been sleeping with

a very thin blanket (not much thicker than a sheet), but once I use the

big fluffy duvet, how do I keep it off of her? She always scoots
towards me. Do I just not use it? (DH has been using his all along, but

he keeps it close to him and as long as I'm there, she doesn't scoot to

him in her sleep, just me.


She's still nursing all night so I want to keep her in bed with us,
though even if we moved her we'd still have the cold issue. I know this

probably sounds incredibly stupid, but am just wondering how people
deal?

cjra wrote:
How warm do you keep your house?
How do you bundle up your kid?
DO you have any issues once you start using big duvets?

I think the answer, most likely, would be
the warm sleeping bags/SleepSacks for the baby and
warm pjs for you. You'll have to be careful not
to overdo it. Even in cooler temps, she's not going
to need to be swathed in several heavy blankets.
She'll overheat, and that's not safe either.

Best wishes,
Ericka

On 15 Oct 2006 10:16:03 -0700, "cjra" wrote:


She's still nursing all night so I want to keep her in bed with us,
though even if we moved her we'd still have the cold issue. I know this

probably sounds incredibly stupid, but am just wondering how people
deal?

I typically like a cooler room to sleep in and snuggle under warmer
blankets. For your dd, I would suggest you put her in an all-in-one
type pajama. We liked the thinner material (not fleece) and when it
was really cold I'd add a onesie underneath. If she's co-sleeping
she's going to still benefit from your body heat, so she won't need
too much layering. For you, I'd suggest some warmer pajamas if you're
worried about your heavier duvet.

Nan

If you get some throw rugs in her room, that might help keep out drafts.
Ditto for caulking the windows. If there aren't curtains around her windows,
put some up. The curtains will decrease drafts from the windows (even if
they are perfectly sealed) and will reflect the warmth back into the room
(heat also leaves the room as infrared light, the same thing that causes you
to feel the heat from a hot stove or fire).

Jeff

"cjra"
She's still nursing all night so I want to keep her in bed with us,
though even if we moved her we'd still have the cold issue. I know this
probably sounds incredibly stupid, but am just wondering how people
deal?

I put the babies in a blanket sleeper with a onsie and socks underneath and
I wore a sweatshirt or thermal shirt. I covered up to my waste, which would
include the babies feet usually. My babies always slept in the crook of my
arm so we shared body heat too. They stayed nice and warm. I didn't like
it much because I love to be under a ton of blankets but I got used to it.


--
Nikki, mama to
Hunter 4/99
Luke 4/01
Brock 4/06
Ben 4/06

Nikki wrote:
"cjra"
She's still nursing all night so I want to keep her in bed with us,
though even if we moved her we'd still have the cold issue. I know this
probably sounds incredibly stupid, but am just wondering how people
deal?

I put the babies in a blanket sleeper with a onsie and socks underneath and
I wore a sweatshirt or thermal shirt. I covered up to my waste, which would
include the babies feet usually. My babies always slept in the crook of my
arm so we shared body heat too. They stayed nice and warm. I didn't like
it much because I love to be under a ton of blankets but I got used to it.

That's how DD often sleeps. She starts out int hemiddle and scoots over
to the crook of my arm. I guess I have to learn to sleep with a warm
top!

cjra wrote:
How warm do you keep your house?

68-72.

How do you bundle up your kid?

Long sleeved PJ's with full pants, but no footwear (he won't wear
anything on his feet at night.)

DO you have any issues once you start using big duvets?

J likes to burrow under them. Right now he has a top sheet, a velour
blanket and a Pooh comforter on his bed. His room is the coldest in
the house, so I use a small electric space heater in his room,
positioned so that he cannot get to it. He's 2 3/4 years old.


snip


We've done a lot to improve insulation since last winter, but it's not
perfect yet. Do we just get one of those polar snowsuits to bundle her
for sleep? Swaddle her with thick blankets? I confess I use a blanket
with her now, I just tuck it around her body but not her arms so she's
not swaddled. I know blankets are a no-no but this has worked, only now

I'm getting a little nervous about that.


About swaddling - how long does one do it? We finally got it to work
for a couple of weeks, then stopped, She doesn't need it now (she's
3.5months). She doesn't roll over yet but she moves so much I'm
paranoid she'll flip over and not be able to get back if she's all
swaddled.

J was born in January. I used to put him in a terry sleeper, and put a
light blanket over him. Or we co-slept when it was really cold.



And we co sleep. Hasn't been an issue yet since I've been sleeping with

a very thin blanket (not much thicker than a sheet), but once I use the

big fluffy duvet, how do I keep it off of her? She always scoots
towards me. Do I just not use it? (DH has been using his all along, but

he keeps it close to him and as long as I'm there, she doesn't scoot to

him in her sleep, just me.

I never had trouble with J being under the comforter when we co-slept.
I slept with him to my lelt, crooked in my arm, so I slept lightly.
The comforter just went up to his chest. But I had co-slept with cats
for 10 years before so was careful about how they layed, etc. I guess
it just came naturally for me.

-L.

"cjra" wrote in
ups.com:

How warm do you keep your house?

winter, right? daytime: 68F, nighttime: around 58F... unless
we're having one of those -50F with windchills periods, then i
never turn the heat below 62F or it won't warm up during the
day. i do understand the lack of insulation issues

How do you bundle up your kid?

i don't. and i didn't when he was a baby either. he actually
got too hot wearing blanket sleepers (plus he had severe
sensory issues with the seams). he mostly wore one piece
outfits, with socks, because footed outfits never fit. he had
huge feet.
now that he's six, he still refuses to wear more than a long
sleeve tshirt, even when i'm in 3 layers of shirts & a sweater
. he wears long, plain cotton pjs at night. yes, he still
sleeps with me, at least part of the night. he starts out in
his bed, which has flannel sheets & a polarfleece blanket...

DO you have any issues once you start using big duvets?

i use multiple blankets & a down comforter. i didn't have any
issues with him when he was an infant. he slept mostly on my
stomach, with his head on my shoulder. that meant i couldn't
pull the blankets up to my ears, but it wasn't that big a
deal.

We've done a lot to improve insulation since last winter,
but it's not perfect yet. Do we just get one of those polar
snowsuits to bundle her for sleep? Swaddle her with thick
blankets? I confess I use a blanket with her now, I just
tuck it around her body but not her arms so she's not
swaddled.

they make polarfleece 'bags' that are sleeveless, for babies
to use. i think they're called safety sleepers. you could try
the 100 weight (very light) polarfleece sleepers & see if she
overheats. if she's sleeping with you that's fairly likely.
maybe you should get the polarfleece PJs & skip the duvet?
we never swaddled Boo because he *hated* it. he overheated
really easily.
lee
--
Question with boldness even the existence of god; because if
there be
one, he must more approve the homage of reason than that of
blindfolded
fear. - Thomas Jefferson

cjra wrote:
How warm do you keep your house?

During the winter it's up to 64F (by 7am), dropping to
nothing-below-55F until 5:00 p.m., when it goes back up to 62F, then
back to nothing-below-55F at 9:00 pm until 7 am. (During the summer --
heck, it's often in the high 90s....)

As you can see, I'm truly into this whole programmable-thermostat
thing.

When the girls were babies, the 'highs' were higher (64-68), and the
lows never dropped below 60F.

How do you bundle up your kid?

As babies, they had those blanket sleeper thingies. As toddlers,
preschoolers, and elementary age-kids, they're into the footed polartec
sleepers. They sleep (cosleep together) under a high-fill down
comforter, a wool blanket, and a polartec blanket, and flannel sheets,
so with the exception of the 'freezy get into bed' moment, they're
pretty toasty. And we're working on training the cats to start warming
up the bed....

During the day, most of us wear sweaters, socks, polartec, pants,
slippers...except for DD2, who typically removes all of her clothes
excepting a t-shirt, regardless of temperature.

DO you have any issues once you start using big duvets?

I started using the down comforters when the little ones were about 6
months to a year old. We co-slept, though. When DD2 was born, we had a
run of single-digit days, and I went for the whole 'keep the head warm'
approach with her (in fact, she wore little hats to sleep in for the
first 6 months of her life).

We live in South Texas, so it's not like we'll have subzero temps to
worry about, but it does get cold from time to time, and dips below
freezing. We do have central heat, but our house is old and drafty -
pier and beam foundation w/no skirting at the moment which means all
that's between us and the elements is a thin layer of wood floors.
Walls are insulated and windows restored, but that means single pane
and not perfectly sealed. 12 ft ceilings are great in summer (which is
not quite over yet!), not so good in winter. On our first big freeze
last December the temp inside never got above 64F. Not a big deal
snuggled up in our duvets, but what about DD?

64F is kinda toasty -- of course, right now it doesn't seem that way,
but truly, with a cup of warm milk (or tea, or cocoa), and a nice
blanket, 64F is pretty reasonable -- it's that temp here (inside) right
now.

Caledonia

enigma wrote:
"cjra" wrote in
ups.com:

How warm do you keep your house?

winter, right? daytime: 68F, nighttime: around 58F... unless
we're having one of those -50F with windchills periods, then i
never turn the heat below 62F or it won't warm up during the
day. i do understand the lack of insulation issues

How do you bundle up your kid?

i don't. and i didn't when he was a baby either. he actually
got too hot wearing blanket sleepers (plus he had severe
sensory issues with the seams). he mostly wore one piece
outfits, with socks, because footed outfits never fit. he had
huge feet.

This was totally DS until 9 mos, but he wouldn't wear long sleepers at
all because he was apparently too hot. Nothing footed, ever, because
his feet are too big (He now wears a 10.5 shoe at 2 3/4 years old).
How do you determine "sensory issues"? DS hates seams, tags and
anything binding. He won't wear a coat with a hood because of the
hood's weight. He sometimes seems to like to self-stimulate by break
dancing, bouncing himself off the floor, couch or bed or "fake" bopping
himself on the head. I sometimes wonder if he has SID to some extent.


-L.