Question About Turning Down The Heat
Q:“Due to financial issues with the cost for natural gas, I’m needing to keep the house pretty cool this winter…far cooler than I’M comfortable with, that’s for sure. We have a 6 month old (who is 21lbs) and a 2.5 year old, both are constantly dressed in layers, at least a onesie with a warm outer layer and socks/shoes. The thermostat is at 66. Is this okay?”
A: I wish my wife would let me keep the thermostat this low! I love to sleep in a very cold room, snuggled in thick covers. But, is this okay for young children? Newborns have little ability to regulate their own temperature, but as they get older, this becomes less of a problem. I don’t think 66 degrees Fahrenheit is too cold, this is only 2 degrees less than usual. Just be sure they are dressed warmly. Hands and feet are usually a good indicator, but if the body is bundled, and the extremities are not, then they will feel cold. If kids are wearing gloves and socks, and hands/feet are still cold, then they probably need more bundling.
~Dr. Bill Sears
Dr. Sears, or Dr. Bill as his “little patients” call him, has been advising busy parents on how to raise healthier families for over 40 years. He received his medical training at Harvard Medical School’s Children’s Hospital in Boston and The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, the world’s largest children’s hospital, where he was associate ward chief of the newborn intensive care unit before serving as the chief of pediatrics at Toronto Western Hospital, a teaching hospital of the University of Toronto. He has served as a professor of pediatrics at the University of Toronto, University of South Carolina, University of Southern California School of Medicine, and University of California: Irvine. As a father of 8 children, he coached Little League sports for 20 years, and together with his wife Martha has written more than 40 best-selling books and countless articles on nutrition, parenting, and healthy aging. He serves as a health consultant for magazines, TV, radio and other media, and his AskDrSears.com website is one of the most popular health and parenting sites. Dr. Sears has appeared on over 100 television programs, including 20/20, Good Morning America, Oprah, Today, The View, and Dr. Phil, and was featured on the cover of TIME Magazine in May 2012. He is noted for his science-made-simple-and-fun approach to family health.