Best way to keep babies warm at night?

So Bonnie's bedroom has been only 16 degrees at nighttime lately which I think is too chilly for her. I do pile on the layers (grobag and blankets) but am in two minds about using a heater.

I bought a fancy schmancy column heater with a thermostat that I set at 20 degrees. It's super safe and effective, but it really dries out the air in the room. I often sleep in her room so when I wake up my throat is super dry. I wonder if the dryness may be affecting her as well and maybe contributing to her numerous night wakings.

So, those of you with chilly rooms - would you use a heater, or just keep the layers on without a heater?

It depends how cold it gets. 18 degress is supposedly the ideal temperature, I think.

DS' room has been getting to 15 lately, I have him in a singlet, wondersuit, pj top and then a 2.5 tog grobag. sometimes I ditch the singlet.

I have used a column heater in his room (our ducted heating is broken and not getting fixed for 2 weeks!!) and if it starts to get under 15 I will probably do so again, and set it to 18 degrees.

We put Ashton in a sleeping bag and put rugs on. It is almighty cold in our house of late usually only 18c during the day !!

Love

I usually just pile on extra layers of clothing under DD sleeping bag then add blankets on top as needed.

I use warm jamies with feet, the lovely snuggly furry ones and we cosleep :) So I always know what temperature they are, no getting out of bed! We share a duvet now they're old enough and prior to that my newborn was in between me and her dad with her own blankie. Aww it's luffly :)

Ive been piling the layers under the grobag (2.5) and even putting a blanket and doona on Jesse lately.. This morning Jesse's rooms was at 13 degrees!! Our house is super cold. Ive been wondering about the column oil heater too.. Maybe getting DH to put it on in the morning when he leaves for work at 5am.. but still the whole "heater" idea, even though its a safe one, worries me.

I put on one of those oil heater things and it really warms her room up well. I dont put it up too hot, but just enough to take the chill out of the air. She wears a long sleeved spencer thing and either a Wondersuit or a fleecy suit. I then wrap her in a thin wrap and then into a sleeping bag. I didnt used to use the bag, but since using it, she has been sleeping for longer at night.

If you're worried about the heater drying out the air - you could use a vaporiser I guess - they are suppose to moisten the air.

DS refuses to be covered up so I went and bought some of the fleecy sleeper suits with the feet. Found a great one that is fleecy on the outside and cotton lined on the inside. He also co-sleeps half of the night (the colder half so that helps). I run a little fan heater while I feed him before he initially goes to bed so that takes the chill out of the air, and then I turn that heater back on when he wakes around the 6:30am-7am mark because we have an early morning feed then prayers and Bible reading before we actually get out of bed so it is toasty warm by then!

I used to put the heater in Zander's room before he went to bed so he didn't go into a cold room & then turned it off. If he woke overnight the heater would go back on while I was feeding & settling him & then it would be back off again.

Check the back of her neck, just below the hairline & see if it's warm or not. If it's warm, then she is warm enough & doesn't need anything else. If it's cool then she needs to be warmed up. Don't check for warmth in her hands or feet, bubs extremities tend to be cool.

I have trouble sleeping if my head is cold no matter if the rest of me is warm so I figure Angus might be the same. We have reverse cycle inverter systems in the bedrooms so I can control the temp of his room that way. Angus has to have his arms out so I've been trying make sure he has a l/s body suit on under his PJs unless he's in a superwarm set.

We put a bowl of water in DD room last year when we had the heater on...DH being a fireman and all said the bowl of water allows more moisture in the air or something....we have it on a really low setting too.

I've been meaning to do the bowl of water thing too mbear. Must do it tonight as it's so cold here in Melb.

The bowl thing really does work -

I put the oil radiator in my daugher's room last night, heated it up and then turned it down but she still woke up cold in the early hours. So tonight it is staying higher for longer. We are in the process of looking for a new property to rent and I'm holding out for ducted heating....

We use a radiator heater, it allows the moisture to stay in the air.... sold at BUNNINGS!