Mattress Warmer for Baby?

Okay...I looked and looked (I love research!) and this is what I've found...
The wool, non electric version. Looks nice and comfy. See here:
http://www.comforthouse.com/woolcribpad.html

And the body heat activated, thermal, non electric version. See here:
http://perfectlysafe.stores.yahoo.net/81202-bedwarm.html

Personally, I like the look of both. I'd probably put the wool over the thermal deally for extra snugglyness. See what you think....hopefully this helps!

Unfortunately, it doesn't look like they make the kind of electric mattress warmer you are thinking of...

Good luck!!!

C.

Oh my please do not heat her up, at the risk of SIDS. All she needs is her sleep wear, some socks, and if you are worried about her hands, put a pair of mittens, or even a pair of socks on to keep them warm. With my first daughter I was worried about the same thing, so I would just put her in a onesie, pair of socks and a sleeper. I am very paranoid about SIDS because I had a brother die from it. I personally think it is far better for her to be alittle cold rather than the alternative. Good luck !!!

I wouldn't feel comfortable putting a mattress pad on a baby bed - I haven't seen anything made like that for a baby mattress. Have you tried the sleep sacks? You can put her in her winter jammies and then put her in a sleep sack - that will keep her warm and you don't have to worry about covering her up.

Babies sleep just fine and very well @ 65 degrees.If you get a warming pad on her bed she will become overheated and the possibly of dying in her sleep goes up tremendously from being to hot this goes as well for her sleeping in bed with you.Put her in footed sleeper with socks try to keep her swaddled usually babies have out grown this stage by 4-6 months that is why she is coming undone it is no longer comfortable for her.So I would recommend a sleeping blanket that zips up they sell them everywhere now and most are backed by the SIDS alliance/foundation research.She is a bit to young to have her own blanket in her crib yet I wouldn't do it but your a mom now and have to make your own choices when it comes to your baby.

Even though your baby is now six months old, you need to be aware that overheating has been implicated (according to recent research) in the incidence of SIDS. Babies can't regulate their body temperature as well as we do and cannot cool themselves effectively if they get overheated. You might look into this before getting a mattress warmer for an infant.

Put her in a one piece feety pajamas they have the ones that zipper up. You can always lay a blanket in her crib over the mattress and her sheet to keep it warm. I think they even make flannel sheets for cribs. The body temp of a baby is warmer than an adult.

Congrats on being a new mom, I was a new mom 3yrs ago, my baby turns 3 January 27th.

I can understand your concern about your baby being too cold, but I don't think a heating blanket/mattress/etc. is a good idea. If we get hot in bed, we can throw covers off, take off clothes, etc. They are "stuck" with what they get.
My daughter is now 18 months old and her room (in both houses) has always tended to be one of the coolest...no idea why. ANYWAY, I always worry about her being too cold, so I have used the sleep sacks with great results...but now that she is bigger, I am always covering her with her blanket, and she's always kicking it off! She really does sleep best when it's cool. Now she just sleeps in a long sleeve onesie and her footed fuzzy PJs. She sometimes wakes up in the morning with her fingers and toes cold...but those are often the nights she sleeps the best and longest! They'll let us know if they are uncomfortable (too cold). I'll recommend the "sleep sack" first hand!

i would say skip the warmer for your daughter. it could be a safety issue. if it gets over heated etc. i haven't read the other posts, so you might have gotten similar feedback. one idea is to have her wear pjs that have hand covers on them, or maybe putting socks on her hands (if she isn't a thumb sucker). i know my sons hands get cold when he is hungry. that may sound strange, but as soon as i feed him they seem to warm up.

I'd be scared to death of it shoring out and starting a fire in her bed! It seems like a really bad idea. I also wouldn't keep one in my own bed. I am just too scared of a potential fire.

i like the idea of a space heater with a timer or thermostat, so that it shuts off. also i thought, they have those great sleep sacks for little ones, no matter how much she moves around she'll stay snug inside.

I've read most of the responses you have received so far, and they are great. These women are so smart !
I just have to agree with warming your room rather than baby's bed. What can you do to conserve heat in the room ? Try heavier drapes on the windows, and a rug on the floor, even if you already have carpeting. Turn your thermostat up a little.
A few pennies at the thermostat compared to your baby's comfort and safety, are the savings really that much ?
Put a hot water bottle in baby's bed before putting her in it, but remove it when you have taken the chill off the sheets.
Flannel sheets are awesome ! I used them for my children. The moms who suggested socks on baby's hands are really smart ! I did that for mine, too. You could even put a soft little stocking type cap on baby's head. People did that routinely when my parents were kids.

Like an earlier response, the first thing I thought of was SIDS. You don't want to have it to warm for a baby, swaddling should be enough.

Good Morning M., How about using the blanket sleepers, some have mitts on the end of the sleeves for their little hands. They are zipped up completely inside and they can move their feet around also. Our 1 yo gr son's hands are cold also in the mornings his room is on the north side of the house. brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr Give it a try before looking for any type of bedding warmer. Well flannel sheets are always Nice..lol

God Bless you and yours
K. Nana of 5

I know his is going against all the other responses, so I hesitate in responding. But our old house was very cold (even with the heat on). When my daughter was an infant, she would start screaming once her head hit the cold sheets. So we put a electric heating pad in the crib. We would turn it on about 30 minutes before we put her to bed and then shut it off before we actually put her in the bed. I also put her in a "sleeping sack". I agree with everyone else's posts--you don't want to overheat your baby. But maybe just take the chill out of the bed before her in it.

I think a mattress warmer for a baby is a bad idea. There are so many safety issues. It's actually better for babies to be cool than too warm, being too warm is a SIDS risk. As long as she's in pajama's and swaddled, I'm sure she's warm enough. If she doesn't have much hair yet, you might want to let her wear a baby hat (the kind they give you at the hospital) to bed.

I would think that even if they have mattress pads like that for cribs, there would be a danger of your child getting overheated. We have an old house, so at night in our bedroom and our girls' bedroom, we use space heaters that use oil, rather than forced air and they work wonderfully without drying the air out too much, which can cause breathing problems and therefore sleeping problems. The one in our girls' room has a timer and temperature control so you can tell it to turn on and heat to a certain temperature and it will turn off and on in order to keep the room at that temperature all night. I just checked Home Depot's website and this is the "Oil-Filled Radiator" we have:
http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Produc...

This is a wonderful, safe option for you and it's only $60.
Good luck!

What about putting a portable heater in your room, one with a programmable thermostat so it shuts off when the room is at the set temp

Our DS's room is on the north side of the house and we haev recently found out that our duct work was ran wrong to that side of the house so his room is super cold. We put the window seal coverings on his window and that has helped a little but it is still pretty cold in there. We put him in two piece long sleeve pant pajamas, put socks on him and then put him in a footed blanket sleeper before he goes to bed. This is what we have had to do since he was a baby because it is so much colder in there. He is almost 2 now so his blanket is in bed with him but he kicks it off most of the time, but always wants it when he first lays down. Before adding a warmer or anything I would try layering her clothes and put a blanket on the bed when she is not in it and then right before you put her down, remove the blanket. That should help keep the sheets from getting quite as cold.

K.

Flannel sheets would be good but babies, as the get bigger, soak themselves. Electricity and urine? I don't think so.

Our son is the same way. From day one he couldn't stand his arms being swaddled or even under a blanket. He would always uncover his arms, and I would worry he's too cold. He's now 2, and still doesn't like his arms covered. He sleeps just fine so I've learned to not worry, cause he's sleeping great and the cold doesn't seem to bother him. I know it's hard not to worry, but if they seem ok with it, then they're fine.

I had read somewhere that you are not supposed to use and electric blanket to warm a baby and I would assume that it would be the same for a mattress warmer. Several reasons. One is that baby's skin is so much more sensitive than ours and it could burn them even on the lowest of heat temps. Another is the obvious cord hazard and another is the fire hazard. I know that these items are made safer than they used to be. Adults are not even supposed to sleep with one on even for the same reasons. Does anybody listen to that warning??? I don't.

My daughter who is 4, makes me nervous because 9 times out of 10 she doesn't stay under her blanket. AND to make it even worse, if she has footed jammies on, she will take them off in the middle of the night. She has done this ever since she figured out how to do this at 1 and a 1/2. So, I made sure she had under clothing on and tried to keep her room warm with out being too hot. (Now that she is older, I found a happy medium with the pajamas.) I also covered windows with blankets, kept her room door shut. Set a rolled up towel along window ledgings. Regulated the temp in her room. Whatever I could think of.

Her current room is NOT one that I can regulate the temps in. Which bites..... It is one temp for the whole apartment and that's it. I live in a 2 level townhouse and fortunately our bedrooms are upstairs, so it stays pretty warm up there and quite cool downstairs.

Anyway, don't know if that is much help, but that is the info that I have for you. Good Luck!

Wow, we have a lot in common....I am also a step-mom to 3 older "kids" and a mom to one of my own. (been together 8 yrs, married 6) We also live in a home that seems to be chilliest in our bedroom. Our son has always slept in our room in his own crib/bed. I too always felt bad for keeping an electric blanket on our bed, and nothing on his. He too would always wake in the morning with cold little hands. I found a child safe portable heater to help keep the room warmer, and I directed more of the heat towards his crib. My "baby" is now 4 yrs old, and he sleeps in footed pjs and with blankets on his bed. We still use the portable heater too. He is quite the tosser when he sleeps, so the blankets usually come off of him in the night. He still wakes with cold hands. Even as a baby, he seemed to sleep okay through the chilliest of nights, and his body was always warm. I never did put any kind of warmer in his bed, and I really don't know if it would be safe to do. I'm just letting you know what we did, and hopefully after hearing all of your suggestions, you can make a decision. Good luck keeping her toasty!

Would you be willing to turn the heat up and not warm your bed up until the baby is out of your room? I don't think you should heat your baby up, and if you want to make sure the room is warm enough, you'll need to know how cold it is yourself.

Once baby is in its own room, you could keep its room warmer, then use your heated bed again in your colder room.

You have received many great responses already. I just wanted to add that an overheated baby is at higher risk for SIDS. Though your baby is 6 months she is still at risk due to her age until after 1 year. Better to skip the mattress warmer and try out other options.

I would use a heating pad to preheat the bed before she gets in then take it out. I would also consider a space heater for the area. We've got an older house and I had to break down and add the space heaters in their rooms b/c it was soo bloody cold. I DID get the space heater that would regulate the temperature and automatically shut itself off when it hit that temperature.

Our son wiggled his arms out, too. He would wake himself up by hitting his face accidentally.
We ended up taking a second swaddling blanket, folding it so it was long and skinny, and wrapping it around the swaddle. It kept his arms in and helped him sleep very securely.

Good luck!