Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Keeping warm at night

We've had our first real winter cold this month, but sleeping under secondhand down comforters keeps us toasty.

From the archives: more tricks to feeling warm when the thermostat is low.

17 comments:

Natalie W. said...

Thanks for the tip on the down comforter. My husband has allergies so our down comforter stays on the guest bed. Is there a particular synthetic variety you like? Having just moved to northern TN from GA, I'm not used to these cold nights. I think I'm scrimping when I cut the heat back to 68 deg. at night. What do you keep it at? Thanks so much! Natalie

Melissa said...

I know what you mean. I couldn't live without my down comforter!

Anonymous said...

In Texas I do not need a DOWN comforter. I use quilts. I love a nice quilt for cold nights. We do not have many nights when the heat comes on. We have central heat, I keep it set at 58. Each of the boys sleep in flannel pajamas (made by me) and under a quilt. Sung as a bug in a rug...I sleep with socks and in a 'regular' cotton gown. My husband in a cotton t-shirt and flannel sleeping pants. We sleep very well under a sheet, a quilt, and with our little dog Beaulah Mae. (yes, I admit it, she sleeps by my head, she thinks she is a HAT, she is on top of my pillow by my head) Roxie

Anonymous said...

My husband has allergies too - we got a wool blanket for Christmas that is just great! I love a cool bedroom with a heavy pile of covers. . . ahhhh. Each season has its rewards :)

Anonymous said...

I, too, am interested in what temperature you set during the night and day. I am trying to learn to be more frugal and don't have a good handle on what the "norm" would be. Me thinks I may be a tad too comfortable!

Dianna said...

I love having a low thermostat at night and cozying up under warm quilts . . . until my baby cries. Brr!

Anonymous said...

Rice socks! Fill an old cotton sock with rice and tie a knot at the top. Heat it in the microwave, but be sure to check it every 30 seconds or so until you know how long it takes your microwave to heat up your sock. DD burned the rice in one of them when she had it in for a bit too long. Fortunately, we just needed to untie the knot, empty it, and fill it with new rice. They can be reheated as often as you like.

We put them under the covers while we're getting ready for bed and it warms up that spot a lot, but it also radiates out to the rest of the bed so it's not as cold. I also put one in my lap when I'm watching TV if it's cold outside - better to heat me than the entire house by turning up the thermostat.

You can also put a rice bag in the freezer and use it as an ice pack. Just like the heat, the rice stays cold for a couple hours without dripping all over the place like an ice bag.

Anonymous said...

How does the baby stay warm? Do you put blanket sleepers over her pjs when it is cold at night?

Beth said...

We love "down alternative" blankets. Here in NC we can get by with flannel sheets plus a d-a blanket most nights; we pull the mattelasse up if it's really cold.

We bought our blankets from Overstock.com. I've also seen them at Costco and Aldi.

Jane said...

I have found that bright warm colors help me to feel warmer. I have a bright red comforter cover that I use in the winter. It just looks warmer.

Anonymous said...

I just bought an electric mattress pad for this season & I absolutely love it!! Double controls (my husband never turns his on), so I get to be as toasty as I like, & he doesn't have to bake.

Brenda

Betty Canuck said...

The boy has several flannel type sheets. Simply because they dry fast in the dryer, if you catch what I'm implying.

The daughter has 3 twin sized comforters.

We have 3 quilts, 1 comforter, and 2 thermal cotton blankets that are supposed to cool in the summer and warm in the winter???

Our bedroom is very poorly insulated and is about 12 degrees C at night.

We keep the house at about 15 degrees C at night and just under 20 degrees C during the day.

Today it was about -12 degrees C outside all day with a massive wind that was strong enough to move the dust around in our poorly insulated bedroom.

I also heat up barley husk bags to pre-warm my bed.

We were the warmest at night with our combination of quilts and blankets and a Down mattress cover. However... that didn't survive the laundering that I had to put it through when my son...

sigh... and as it was a gift and replacing it was way too expensive... I just but more barley husk bags!

Betty Canuck said...

Oh, and my husband works nights, so on the odd time that we are actually in bed together we can loose about 2 of those blankets.

Anonymous said...

We put our temp no higher than 68 in the winter (living in new england), or as we call it "Dick Cheney"*; generally holding at 60.

*Our Vice President's habit is to have all his hotel rooms set at 68 F prior to arrival, (that, and Diet Coke on ice) according to an article someone in our family read. Therefore and ever after, 68 = Dick Cheney in our family code talk : )

db myrs

Meredith said...

Our temperatures have varied from house to house--what feels warm in one is downright chilly in another!

In this house we keep it about 66 during the day at 68 at night. We would keep it colder if the kids' bedrooms weren't the coldest rooms in the house.

On very cold nights when the baby was smaller, we would bring her in to sleep with us. Otherwise, I like a fleece blanket sleeper over the pjs.

She's old enough now to use a thivk baby blanket and a down pillow.

I have never used a down alternative blanket, but I second the wool suggestion. We use my husband's wool bedding from West Point when we camp, and it is as warm as down to me.

Natalie W. said...

Meredith,
Thanks for the suggestions! I find that 67 or 68 is comfortable for me at night...If I were to go any lower, I'd need to take some of your readers' suggestions and make sure my bed is super toasty before jumping in! (the electric matress pad sounds wonderful!) I too have my husband's West Point wool blankets. I never thought about using them! They're not pretty and are scratchy, but I bet they are so warm! Thanks for all the suggestions! Best, natalie

CC said...

We put our temp down to 62 at night. My husband and I loooooove our electric mattress pad. But the kids are so warm blooded they usually take off their jammies and sleep in just their underwear!!

Just want to add a caution. We ended up with BEDBUGS after getting a 2nd hand mattress! Be very careful about 2nd hand blankets, comforters, and mattresses. Do whatever it takes to kill anything on them before bringing them into your house!