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What have you guys done in this cold winter weather to keep the cot warm while baby is out feeding or being settled?
Please don't reply saying you co-sleep... I know how nice and toasty it is when you all sleep together but it isn't an option...
Yet again I have had baby up for over two hours and when he is finally asleep and I get him back into his cot, it is ice cold and he's woken up. Grr.
I've thought of hot water bottle and heat pack... Anyone have any other ideas?
Flannel sheets and hot water bottle.
We also have a small blow heater that we used to aim at the bed.
I put a heat pack on the cot that has double flannelette sheets (to cover the cold plastic side of the cot mattress) both the sheets and the blanket are toasty and warm. I also switch on the heating when I am up so that her room warms up (we have ducted heating)
No real new ideas, but it works putting a newborn down in our house without waking...
Just a tip though, check the sheet is not too hot before lowering your baby :)
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Hadn't thought of flannelette sheets. But how do to do a heat pack/hot water bottle - just let them grizzle a bit longer when you get up? That's my problem... Takes so long to warm up a heat pack or hot water bottle... I guess a bit longer won't hurt him...
I was thinking of some sort of heat pad that I could turn on when I get him up... But would that be considered dangerous, like a possible cause of overheating??
Off to Target today I think to check out sheets.
Do you heat heat packs in the microwave?
YOu could pick bub up, carry him and heat pack to microwave, heat heat pack, take it back to his cot and put blankets over and then feed bub ....
The only problem is if it takes 2 hours, heat pack might be cold again but the time bub is going back to bed.
mmm, maybe you need an oompah loompah who can....
Flannel sheets make a big difference. Now my DD is bit older she also has a lambswool under the flannel sheets that holds the heat in.
Have you thought about using those heat packs that heat instantly when you snap the little metal thing inside? They just need - recharging? - after it has cooled down by throwing it in a pot of boiling water. They're sold on ebay and you would find them if you type in 'instant heat pack'
You could put one of these in to warm up the cot and take it out before putting bub in there :)
My mum uses those for her hands, they are so fast to warm up.:
We have flannelette sheets and a wool underlay ($20 on sale at target). We also just got a plush toy (cow) that you put in the microwave to heat up it's belly-like the heat packs for adults but mire snuggly!
Good luck
Fg
I used to use a heat pack, but them I'm in Brissie ... so it never got "that" cold.
What about a sleeping bag for bub? Means they can't wiggle out of sheets. My sister in Hobart used/uses them with her two tots and swears by them.
I get up, shove the heatpack in the microwave for a minute, go grab Aurora then go back for the heatpack ...
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Ok I've just bought some flannelette sheets, $12.50 on sale at Target, bargain! Wish I'd thought to look for a woolen underlay too, doh!
Maybe I'll have to revisit the heat pack - I'd been doing them in a jug of boiling water, hadn't contemplated microwave.
Those snap things sound great - will have to have a look at eBay!
He's already in a sleeping bag and he doesn't wriggle too much, it's more keeping the cot warm when he isn't there!
Do you have a wheat pack? That's what I use...
They are simple to make too if you have a sewing machine.
Hope u have a toasty warm cot tonight...
Oh and I take the heat pack back to bed with me (so not to overheat Miss A) which helps me warm up too :)
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SJ no it's a gel one... Maybe a wheat one would be better?
I made DH put the electric blanket on last night... As in on the bed, we normally have no need for it but I've been so cold coming back to bed after settling DS as 5am, bumped it on this morning when I got up and it was so nice to come back to, mm! But made me even more stressed about DS's cot...
Best throw the sheets in the wash now...
I used a bunnyrug style blanket that was big enough to cover the base of the bassinet and put a woolen underlay underneath the blanket that is usually for prams. She never woke up when I put her back to bed.
OP- your inbox is full. I have a brand new, in its packet, woolen cot underlay here you can here. PM your address and i'll pop it in the post. It's gathering dust and annoying me.
I find the wheat ones stay warmer longer...
Our elec blanket is controlled on each side, so I flick mine on when I get up :redface: so toasty :)
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DD2 is currently sleeping on top of a fleece blanket in her cot.. seems to be working for her in keeping her warm.
Thanks all for your responses!
Sammie - I'll have to try a wheat one.
Well the sheets didn't dry in time for bed and our gel heat packs seem to have gone AWOL so it looks like we are in for another chilly cot night, brr! Wish me luck...
Hi OP. I used one on those ones that you snapped the thing inside. You can buy them at highpoint. Then when I got up to feed I would put it in the cot. So it was warm when I put her back in.
Ive never worried about keeping it warm for them..... Just fed, changed and put back to bed :-)
With the wheatpack, you could even pop it in the microwave with a cup of water & some lavender oil in it to give it a slight scent to help bub sleep easier :) IIRC you're supposed to heat them with water in the microwave anyway...
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Ubba... I had been doing that but he wakes now as soon as he goes back in so I need to try something!
Lilima - what sort of shop is it at Knifepoint?
Teni - all sounds a bit technical with the lavender oil... But where do I find a wheat one anyway? Chemist?
Target has them, chemist, health food store.
How did last night go?
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The wheat ones are fabulous, unlike a hot water bottle, they don't go stone cold once the heat goes away. I find if I have one in bed, they stay at my temperature once they lose their heat.
I made my own recently from organic wheat I bought at a craft store.
Our dd is sleeping on a fleece blanket and I use a wheat heat pack to warm her bed, she was waking everytime I put her down and this has solved the problem.
It is just one of those shops that is in the centre of the isle.
Or you can get them online.
Do you want a lend of mine?
Thanks lilima - everyone is so generous at the moment! - I'm going to look online and get one of my own I reckon.
Sammie - thanks for asking, it was another bad one... Same thing... Up to settle and back into an ice cold cot. I ended up bringing him into bed for a quick feed (which I'm trying not to do!) on the thought that a bit of warm milk might help. Then while he was still awake and happy I put him into the cot... Hoping it wouldn't be such a shock if he was awake and he could warm it up while going off to sleep. Took an hour or so... And then DD woke him at 7am so he's a bit tired and grumpy!
Sigh. The sheets are dry so they will go on today... And I'm debating venturing out to get a wheat pack. We'll see how I go!
hun you can get those heatpacks that lilma was talking about at greensy at the moment. In the middle of the shopping centre isle near colorada , just jeans etc. Its a shop that sells a bit of everything. i looked down the otherday and saw the stall holder with one of those things on her neck. I used to have one and they used to drive me bonkers as you have to boil them to get them back to liquid so they will heat again. too hard for me lol.
i just used to bring boof wrapped up in his blanket cot and put him back to sleep wrapped still so he wouldnt even feel his bed was cold. HTH and hang in there
We went camping for Easter when miss A was 4 weeks old, it was Freezing and the night feed was horrid, putting her down made her wake instantly, so I rubbed the bit that her head went down on really really fast (friction heat) and it helped a bit, maybe try this until you have a heat pack?
Hope u have a better night tonight.
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I do a heat pack (wheat), chuck it in the microwave for 1 minute.
found this thread when looking for a microwave dessert recipe. i know you are dealing with same stuff again OP. gave me a deja vu feeling
HotI - I just reread it all, we are in the exact same situation, similar age, cold cot, bah. I've had the humidifier running the last few nights for his cough and its making the room nice and warm. But he still wakes up!!!
It's scary how similar they are with sleeping... Does this mean I am heading for sleep school again???
Is the problem bubs getting cold and waking or the cot itself needing a hot water bottle type of solution to keep it physically warm to put him into it?
If it is the former, you may want to try having more blankets *under* him. If you re sleeping on a a raised surface - like a slat bed/cot, you are going to get better heat retention if you have as many layers under you are over you.
We have a woolen blanket folded up and laid across the slats of the cot base, under the mattress, then another on top of the mattress, then the mattress protector, 2 fitted flannelette sheets and then the blankets on top, as well as the layers we would dress DD1 in (she was a blanket kicker-offerer).
This with a hot water bottle before her feed-to-sleep-feed, which I took out when I put her down, solved our issues with the cold waking thing. If it were particularly cold, I would re-do the hot water bottle and put it in for about 20 mins before I went to bed as well.
Hope some of that was helpful... or if not, carry on! LOL
Thanks Lime, I hadn't thought about him getting cold from underneath. I've got a mattress protector, woollen underlay and flannel sheets, do you think that sounds like enough? Guess I could always try a blanket between the cot and mattress., see if it helps.
But I think the main problem is cold cot upon laying bubs down.
do you have floorboards?? On the super cold nights i have even taken to throwing a doona under the cot on the floor to stop wind and cold from seeping up through the floorboards etc.
I used to sleep ds on a woollen blanket, a soft merino one (over the sheets) and it never got that cold feeling to touch. I agree you need as many layers under as over. I also found checking for draughts helped a lot and these days we leave the heating on low all night because the kids always kick off the blankets. It's actually helped them sleep in longer (thank god!) although we're still up at 6 but anything beats 5am.
Amen to that, sister.:
Last night we had the reverse problem - humidifier plus kids playing with the heating controls during the day meant his room was a little sauna!!! Sigh, can't get it right!
I'm going to try the blanket under the mattress thing.
We used a wheat bag. Only takes 1 min in the microwave and stays warm for awhile. We placed it where her head and shoulders would go and just whipped it out before putting her back to bed.