[Saya]

We are finally working on moving Anabel out of our room and into her own new big girl room. (We want to get it done soon before our homestudy is done, so there's no chance of her associating any new baby with getting kicked out of mommy and daddy's room.) Problem is, the way the house is designed the room doesn't have it's own heating unit. So we need to find a space heater that is as safe as absolutely possible, with any and all possible safety features. Also, it's a very small room, so we want one that won't take up lots of space, e.g. it can be mounted on a wall OR can fit in a small space on the floor and is incredibly sturdy and won't be tipped over.

Does anyone have any ideas? Of course we'd like to save money, but in this case safety is much more important then cost to me.

[greenrobin]

It's been several years since I bought one, but we once had a ceramic disk heater. I liked it because it was small, put out quite a bit of heat, and when tipped over, just shut itself off. It also had the added advantage of being unable to catch anything on fire. The disks just wouldn't get hot enough to even cause tissue paper to smoke. And the housing never got too hot, either.

After my kids got big, I bought a couple of long, low ones that remind me of baseboard heaters. They work well, but are very hard on the electric bill.

Both kinds have a thermostat control.

And that's all of my experience with space heaters.

[binkybear]

I'm not sure about the background info like if this is her room just for now or for a number of years, or is this a house you'll be in for a number of years or if this is just a solution for this year alone.

If this is going to be her room for at least a few years and depending on your what winters are like where you are I'd probably look at a longterm solution, like a direct vent unit or something an HVAC company would install. It will cost more upfront but overall you'll probably save more in the long run, the safety features out weigh a standard space heater, and the room having a permanent unit would probably assist in resale if you ever do sell.

[greenrobin]

I just thought of something else--we live in a century house, so heat doesn't go to all rooms equally. In the back of one of the old house magazines we read, I've seen ads for heaters that attach at the baseboard and are kind of semi-permanent. I think they plug directly into the outlet but mount on the baseboard itself. They have an element that heats contained oil which radiates the heat out into the room. They are rated at various btu's and can be had for as little as $149 for the small ones.

It's not a perfect solution, but it works until you can find a better one.

[Stormster]

Let me know if you do find something. Ours is sch a hazard every morning we have to put it away. Such a pain!

[loveajax]

we bought a "kid safe" one for DD (it was like plastic and supposed to go on a bureau...not a freestanding one). and then for some reason, I just freaked about using it. i wasn't so worried about her touching it as it starting a fire. (i am actually a total paranoid freak when it comes to fires). i think i am being unreasonable!! some of the ones mentioned here sound super safe. (and poor DD is a popsicle because DH is being a miser with the heat this year!!)

[binkybear]

Another thought for a quick non permanent fix. I rotate a cold mist and warm mist humidifier depending on weather and how my sinuses are feeling. Hub HATES hates hates the little old vics warm mist humidifer I use every once in a while, becuase it heats up the room so quickly. That might be an option (if other allergies aren't a huge concern. Sometimes when used too much warm mist can affect carpets and stuff.) But it does warm up a room, that I can say for sure!

(ever see doorway fans? They can transfer heat from one room to another. But the door would have to be open and that might not work, unless you babygated her door to allow for the fans (???) )

[Shadowfaerie]

We have a 28.00 oil filled heater purchased at Target and it's wonderful. We have two in are bedroom/suite (because it gets really cold in there) and one in our son's bedroom. They really make the entire room warm without just focusing on one little area of the room. My son can touch it and not get burned as well, so they're pretty safe. I'd link to it but it's just giving me the entire URL, but they're listed on the Target online site called "Oil-Filled Heater".

[emtb79]

Ive done the oil filled heaters. So I second them.

[slugbug0930]

We also have one of the oil filled heaters. We chose it mainly because they don't make any noise and DD is a light sleeper.

[Forever_family]

We have a similar problem with our old house. Our handyman/contractor came to see what he could do. After bidding $2000 because he would need to drill through and repair century old woodwork he recommended the oil base heaters, there are more perm. ones. We purchased ours at Target for $30. My dad was once a contractor and mostly bid on fire jobs, he hates space heaters and when I asked him he 2nd the oil filled heaters. They can't catch anything on fire. You just need to make sure your electricity is up to code, and it does do a # on the bill. Good luck!

[Saya]

I haven't been posting much today, but I just wanted to say thank you to everyone for your advice. You've given me a lot to think about - I'd actually heard that the oil-filled ones were LESS safe then some of the others. I need to go back and do more research!

[gwenrenee007]

This one isn't small and it is a bit expensive, but it is safe and doesn't cost much to run. My friend has one and it heats her entire first floor for 18 cents a day and it is cool to the touch and can't cause a fire.

I would be most concerned with burns and fire with a heater unit in a child's room.


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