What heater is best for my baby’s room?

Safety first

Key considerations when choosing a heater for your baby’s room should be the size of the room, how cold it gets (influenced by the likes of insulation and drafts from windows or doors), and above all, safety. Nearly every winter there are reports of fires started by heating appliances toppling over or setting nearby curtains or bedding alight, and of suffocation from leaky gas heaters, or toxic emissions from faulty fuel-burning heaters (those using paraffin or kerosene).

Whichever heater you decide on, make sure it is approved by the SABS. Read the instruction and information manual, and set it up as directed, making sure it’s not only out of baby’s reach, but at least a metre from curtains or other flammable fittings, or from doorways or other places where there’s a risk of it being knocked over. Always plug the heater straight into the wall socket, rather than use extension cords that could potentially overheat and start a fire. 

Best for newborn babies

You need a heater that will warm their room comfortably, but not too much – the ideal recommended temperature is between 20ºC and 22 ºC. Authorities from the US National Institutes of Health to the Western Cape Government report that warm room temperatures, like heavy clothing and blankets, can increase the risk of SIDS – sudden infant death syndrome.

Babies are unable to regular their body temperature until they are about two years old, and in the first year, especially, when they are not yet able to express their needs, they can be in danger of overheating. 

“Parents tend to overdress them in layers of clothes and double blankets,” says Vredenburg paediatrician Dr Susan Annandale. “The general rule is what the mom wears plus an extra layer of clothes or warm blanket. This must also be kept in mind if there is a heater on in the room.”

Overheating can cause dehydration, and some heaters can also dry the air, resulting in baby’s delicate skin becoming dry, chapped, itchy and open to infection, at a stage when their immune system is immature. “We would suggest parents have a small bowl of water next to the heater to prevent the air drying out so much.”

Look for a heater with a thermostat that can heat the room, then switch itself off when it reaches the right temperature. A good oil heater or radiator can maintain the temperature and keep the room warm for quite a while after it’s turned off. A quality fan heater, too, can be effective and safe (Clicks stock a range from Safeway to Dyson and Electra); as can a ceramic heater (such as the Kambrook Barrel Ceramic Heater 360 Degree), or a convection one (like the Kambook Heater Convection).

Best for crawling babies or toddlers

When babies get mobile, they tend to home in on bright, shiny things, and may try to touch a heater or even insert small fingers through grills, putting them at risk not only of burns but of tipping the heater over and starting a fire. At this age, a wall-mounted heater set well out of reach can be a sensible choice (such as the Milex Nanotec Wall Plug Heater or the Alva Electric Wall Panel Heater).

Babies and toddlers should never be left unsupervised with a heater, even if you consider it unreachable (toddlers can be ingenious climbers). It’s safest to use the heater to get the room to the right temperature, then switch it off yourself, if it doesn’t have a thermostat you can set.

“I also suggest parents switch off the heater 30 to 60 minutes before taking the child out of the room,” says Dr Annandale. “Small babies with reactive airway disease may start coughing, going from a 22ºC room to an outside temperature of 10ºC or even less.”

IMAGE CREDIT: 123rf.com