Room temp at night

[Krystal5]

Maiya is 2 1/2 and will NOT use blankets. We put them on her at night, and she leaves them on, but she moves so much in her sleep that they don't last a half an hour.

When it first started getting cold, we didn't turn the heater on at night. As long as we bundled her up with lots of layers, she was able to sleep as cold as 62.

Now it's getting colder, though, and we all need the heater on. Here's the hard part- she's a really light sleeper. The heater won't wake her up (or if it does, she can put herself back to sleep) for the first 9 hours of her sleep. But, she needs to sleep 13 hours, so that leaves the last 4 hours as what I call the "danger zone" where a sneeze across the street can wake her up... (And yes, this is with white noise, but if the white noise is any louder, it wakes her up)

The last few nights, I've had the heater on at 72 until just before we hit the "danger zone", then it drops to 68, so it doesn't come on. However, I've discovered that her room is much colder than the rest of the house (one huge room, with only one heater vent). So even though the heater is set at 72, her room is about 66. As a test, last night, we had the heater at 74, and her room was still at 68!

The problem is, her room STARTS warm, because it's baked with the evening sun. If we don't have the heater on during the day, it doesn't get that hot, so we can bundle her up. I mean, the sun still bakes the room, but then it starts at 62 degrees, so it just doesn't get as warm! If the heater is on during the day, even at 68, the room gets up to 75 when the sun hits it. So if the heater has been on and I bundled her up in layers, it's too warm when she goes to bed for a bunch of layers.

To clarify, we have the heater at 68 during the day, but then around midnight it's set to go up to 72. My logic was (and it's only been a few days, so this may change) that her room is about 75 when she goes to bed, but quickly cools down. If the heater comes on at midnight, it will keep it warmer (around 70, or so I thought). And then, when the "danger zone" comes around and the heater turns off, then the room will start cooling down, but only a few degrees and not enough to wake her up. I've found, though, that her room continues cooling down, even with the heater on through the night, and it does indeed get too cold for her to sleep once the heater turns off.

We could just keep the heater lower during the day, at, say, 64 instead of 68... But I don't like it that cold!

Or, we could leave the heater set up at 68 during the day, like it is now, let the room get warm, dress her in only a few layers, and then, set up a space heater to turn on during the "danger zone" so it doesn't get too cold for her. But, I'm not sure I trust a space heater in with her. Those things can be so dangerous!

Her first two winters weren't a problem because we coslept, but now we can't cosleep, and she still won't use blankets, so I'm in brainstorm mode...

How do you ladies handle things when it gets cold? Have any brilliant ideas on how to keep her comfortable at night?

[impatient]

Does she wake up during the "danger zone" because of the cold? I would think 66-68 degrees is good sleeping temp even for a lightly dressed kid. Given, we live in a warm climate, but we cool the bedrooms to 67 at night because DH has hard time sleeping if it is any warmer. Both kids sleep in a T-shirt and underwear (DD in a pull-up) and DD generally stays uncovered. He legs feel cool to touch when she gets up in the morning but it does not seem to bother her. In fact, she pushes the blanket off every time I try to cover her. DS now sleeps under covers but he just kind of started doing that on his own.

[preciousnd98]

Olivia kicks the covers off of her as well. Her room doesn't get very warm so I put her in layers - a onesie/long sleeved undershirt and blanket sleeper.

[Krystal5]

Does she wake up during the "danger zone" because of the cold? I would think 66-68 degrees is good sleeping temp even for a lightly dressed kid. Given, we live in a warm climate, but we cool the bedrooms to 67 at night because DH has hard time sleeping if it is any warmer. Both kids sleep in a T-shirt and underwear (DD in a pull-up) and DD generally stays uncovered. He legs feel cool to touch when she gets up in the morning but it does not seem to bother her. In fact, she pushes the blanket off every time I try to cover her. DS now sleeps under covers but he just kind of started doing that on his own.

I *think* she wakes up if it gets too cold (at any time of night, really), but she's such a light sleeper that it's really hard to tell. And, sorry, I should have clarified- her room is much colder than the rest of the house, so once the heat from the evening sun has dissipitated, her room is only 68 if the heater is set at 74. When the heater is set at 72, where I currently have it set to be at midnight, then her room is about 66 or 67.

But, the only time I have her in just a t-shirt and diaper is when the room is about 78! Maybe she likes it warmer to sleep, or maybe I've interpreted her signs all wrong. Looking back on the patterns of when she seems to fidget more in her sleep and wake up more, if the room is 68, she seems to sleep best in at least a full sleeper.

Maiya will leave her covers on when she's awake, but once she starts squirming in her sleep, they are a lost cause!

Olivia kicks the covers off of her as well. Her room doesn't get very warm so I put her in layers - a onesie/long sleeved undershirt and blanket sleeper.

And that would be no problem if her room weren't so warm at bed time... I don't know, maybe she would be ok in a lot of layers? Maybe if she's tired she'll sleep even if she's dressed too warmly, and then the room will cool, anyway? Hmm, that's an idea to try...

Thank you both!

[macksmom]

Would she use a sleeping bag?

[runningmomofmany]

Our night time heat is set on 62 but our day time temp is 67, so I guess its an acclimation thing.

I don't know what to say other than you will have to weigh the risks of her getting cold vs the sound of the heat. I would tend to think being cold is more likely to wake her than the sound of the heat.

[Suja]

The alternative to a heater is a warm mist humidifier. It can keep the room warmer, without the hazards of a heater.

Ot you could get something like a Dyson space heater, which if I am remembering it right, is not noisy.

[Krystal5]

Would she use a sleeping bag?

Interesting question! I will have to try.

Our night time heat is set on 62 but our day time temp is 67, so I guess its an acclimation thing.

I don't know what to say other than you will have to weigh the risks of her getting cold vs the sound of the heat. I would tend to think being cold is more likely to wake her than the sound of the heat.

Could very well be an acclimation thing. I'm a wimp and would freeze! She can sleep at 62 if she's in enough layers. Not sure about me!

The heater is more likely to wake her now, but she might get used to it over time. And also, if it wakes her, she's more likely to be able to go back to sleep on her own. When she gets cold, she needs me to go in and warm her up. But who knows, maybe she could get used to the cold, too!

The alternative to a heater is a warm mist humidifier. It can keep the room warmer, without the hazards of a heater.

Ot you could get something like a Dyson space heater, which if I am remembering it right, is not noisy.

Oh, thanks for the alternatives. I will look in to those!

[Dreya]

Have you tried really warm jammies? The little one kicks blankets off a lot too and I just put him in warm jammies to make sure he's comfortable.

[impatient]

I see you are definitely made for warmer temperatures. I would die if I had to sleep at 78 degrees ... LOL. I hope you find a good working solution.

[Krystal5]

Have you tried really warm jammies? The little one kicks blankets off a lot too and I just put him in warm jammies to make sure he's comfortable.

Yes, we do have really warm jammies for her. It is just too warm to put her in them when she goes to bed. Or, so I feel, anyway. It's usually about 75 in there at bedtime now, and I just worry that she will cook if she had to sleep in 75 degrees with warm PJs! Maybe I'll try her in warm PJs, anyway, and see if she can sleep until the house cools down some...

I see you are definitely made for warmer temperatures. I would die if I had to sleep at 78 degrees ... LOL. I hope you find a good working solution.

Hahah, yeah. It's not like I set the thermostat for 78, it just gets that hot sometimes! When it gets up to 90, we sleep in basically nothing, and down stairs....

Thanks to you both!

[MaryJane]

You could also go in and cover her up after she's really asleep. I have to cover up my little ones again before I go to bed.

[Pineapple]

Sounds like her room really cools down a lot at night. Could you seal or cover the windows or leave her door open?

[3andMe]

I put S. to bed in a two-piece fleece pajama set (so I can change him at night without waking him up too much) and bare feet from Fall to Spring. We keep the house around 70 degrees, day and night. If it's too warm around bedtime, I turn the fan on in the room to cool him and the room down because it's easier to do that than to try to dress him in layers and put more on him in the middle of the night or to try to keep a blanket on him. He will not keep a blanket or socks on, although sometimes I will walk by and put a blanket on him if it seems particularly cold.

This morning I woke up and it was 63 degrees in the house and I realized I had forgotten to turn the heat back up from when I got too hot in my cleaning frenzy yesterday. Apparently nobody cared except me, and DD, who woke up complaining.

Anyway, any chance you can dress her warmly and then put a fan on in her room to cool it down around bedtime? That would be my solution. And also, if you have forced air, you can get the heating company to come out and rearrange the duct air flow to make more air go to one room as opposed to another. It might be something to look into, and many times it is no cost to either the owner or the renter. When I got forced air central heating installed in my house, I carefully considered which rooms I wanted to have more heat vs other rooms, and of course that was before I had children and their room was just the guest room. Luckily, their room is small enough that it still stays warm with the door closed. In addition, closing off vents to some rooms may increase the heat to Maiya's room at night.

The other thing, like S., she may just be a very light sleeper at certain hours, heat or no heat, during those hours, and you may be attributing the noise to her wakefulness, but on other days it could be anything. S. will wake up for anything between the hours of 8 PM and 12:30 AM and between 3 AM and 6 AM, and it could be from someone breathing too loudly or it could be just because. I might blame my DH for waking him up, but some days he just wakes up again and again and again for no reason at all, despite the white noise, despite being fed and warm and comfortable and not having a care in the world.

Good luck to you! I would say it gets better, but I have to admit that last night S. slept through the night and my 5-year-olds woke me up over and over again for random things (nightmare, needed something, needed to complain, couldn't find a stuffed animal, etc.). I feel like I'm back in the newborn phase again.

[ljs318]

We have a similiar problem. One bedroom in our house is always freezing in the winter and the other is always hot. At first I had the 2 girls in the cold room sleeping by now DD1 is in the hot room. I have a fan in her room to keep her cool and for DD2 I just go in and make sure she is covered before I go to bed. Do you think if you recovered her after she was asleep that it would stay on? What about cracking the window in the bedroom an hour or so before she goes to bed to cool it down from the afternoon sun. I definitely understand the frustration of uneven heating. Poor DD1 is always complaining she is hot... I think they both prefer cooler sleeping. DH and I do.

[Krystal5]

You could also go in and cover her up after she's really asleep. I have to cover up my little ones again before I go to bed.

The thing is, she never lays still, even in her sleep! She is a very active sleeper, and I would have to go in every hour or so...

Sounds like her room really cools down a lot at night. Could you seal or cover the windows or leave her door open?

We have nice windows and they are covered somewhat, but I could try covering them more... And that is with her door open! It's closed while we're up, but then I open it when we go to bed.

I put S. to bed in a two-piece fleece pajama set (so I can change him at night without waking him up too much) and bare feet from Fall to Spring. We keep the house around 70 degrees, day and night. If it's too warm around bedtime, I turn the fan on in the room to cool him and the room down because it's easier to do that than to try to dress him in layers and put more on him in the middle of the night or to try to keep a blanket on him. He will not keep a blanket or socks on, although sometimes I will walk by and put a blanket on him if it seems particularly cold.

This morning I woke up and it was 63 degrees in the house and I realized I had forgotten to turn the heat back up from when I got too hot in my cleaning frenzy yesterday. Apparently nobody cared except me, and DD, who woke up complaining.

Anyway, any chance you can dress her warmly and then put a fan on in her room to cool it down around bedtime? That would be my solution. And also, if you have forced air, you can get the heating company to come out and rearrange the duct air flow to make more air go to one room as opposed to another. It might be something to look into, and many times it is no cost to either the owner or the renter. When I got forced air central heating installed in my house, I carefully considered which rooms I wanted to have more heat vs other rooms, and of course that was before I had children and their room was just the guest room. Luckily, their room is small enough that it still stays warm with the door closed. In addition, closing off vents to some rooms may increase the heat to Maiya's room at night.

The other thing, like S., she may just be a very light sleeper at certain hours, heat or no heat, during those hours, and you may be attributing the noise to her wakefulness, but on other days it could be anything. S. will wake up for anything between the hours of 8 PM and 12:30 AM and between 3 AM and 6 AM, and it could be from someone breathing too loudly or it could be just because. I might blame my DH for waking him up, but some days he just wakes up again and again and again for no reason at all, despite the white noise, despite being fed and warm and comfortable and not having a care in the world.

Good luck to you! I would say it gets better, but I have to admit that last night S. slept through the night and my 5-year-olds woke me up over and over again for random things (nightmare, needed something, needed to complain, couldn't find a stuffed animal, etc.). I feel like I'm back in the newborn phase again.

Using the fan to cool it down is a good idea. I had never really thought about that. I've been too focused on how to keep it warmer! The only time it would be an issue are those days when we don't get home with much time before bed time... But if it's cold enough outside, we could probably at least make it cool enough to bundle her up. Good idea, thanks!

We could definitely try closing some other vents, too. I wonder if that would help...? It seems like the probem is that she has just one vent for her huge room, but it wouldn't hurt to try, I'm sure!

And, yes, she definitely is just a light sleeper. I know that the last 4-ish hours of her sleep anything at all can wake her. And often times, nothing wakes her, but she wakes anyway! What I'm basing the assumption that the cold does wake her on, though, is from when we did cosleep. If she started getting even more squirmy in her sleep than usual, and it was cold, I would cover her with a blanket, and often times, it seemed to help. Of course, it could have been a coincidence. I ask her, but she doesn't clarify! She never tells me she's cold. We can be swimming and her lips and fingers purple and her shivering and shaking, and she'll say she's not cold... If I ask her why she woke up, she says "Why I no want to sleep!"

We have a similiar problem. One bedroom in our house is always freezing in the winter and the other is always hot. At first I had the 2 girls in the cold room sleeping by now DD1 is in the hot room. I have a fan in her room to keep her cool and for DD2 I just go in and make sure she is covered before I go to bed. Do you think if you recovered her after she was asleep that it would stay on? What about cracking the window in the bedroom an hour or so before she goes to bed to cool it down from the afternoon sun. I definitely understand the frustration of uneven heating. Poor DD1 is always complaining she is hot... I think they both prefer cooler sleeping. DH and I do.

Yup, that's how we are! Except we have two bedrooms upstairs. Ours is pretty regular, but hers is one extreme to the next. The hottest in the sun, the coldest with out. I don't get it! I really don't get why the different. They both only have one exposed wall, and one window, that's the same size, and one heating vent. One faces east and one west, but neither gets that much sun (surrounded by two story buildings, ya know). But somehow, her room is always much more extreme than ours!



You know, it's funny. I've been saying she is an active, light sleeper, and that blankets won't stay on... Well, she's sick. Two nights ago, I gave her a "night time cough medicine" (it's really just zinc, vitamin C, honey, and melatonin), and she is SLEEPING. It's nuts. She's been in bed 2 hours now, and has only moved once. Her blanket is still on!! That never happens. She barely moved the last two nights (well, barely, compared to her normal). I keep checking to make sure she's breathing! Luckily, she's so stuffed up that I can hear her clearly over the monitor. I never realized just how active she is at night, until she stopped being so active... But, I won't keep using this stuff once she's healthy again, so I still really appreciate all your ideas!

[mommabert]

This is why G is still in footie pajamas!

[pumpkinpeejays]

My first thought was a sleeping bag, too! I have the opposite problem, Sonja's room is the hottest in the house. She runs warm to begin with, so she's still in just a short-sleeve nightgown, and we set the thermostat to 66 at night but it's way warmer in her room. For white noise, we have a fan that's on all night, circulates the heat a little. I just started putting flannel sheets on all the beds, which despite the air temp, she's still warm.

For Maiya, I think I'd try a sleeping bag, even if it's a lightweight one, with footsy pajamas. I remember when Sonja was an infant and we needed to use the humidifier for her in the winter with colds and such, it also warmed her room like a sauna, so you could try that too.