Keeping the Kids Warm and Safe This Winter
With home heating costs as high as they are—often too high to heat the whole house—many parents ask themselves, "What is the best way to keep the kids snug at night?" As adults, we are often most comfortable turning the thermostat down at night and snuggling under the covers. Some of us bring our small children into our own rooms or even our own beds. But many want their babies and toddlers to have a warm and cozy room of their own.
Space heaters save money compared to built-in heaters because they only use enough energy to heat the room that you are using. Modern space heaters can be made safe enough to use in a child's room or nursery. This guide has everything you need to pick the right space heater for a kids room or nursery
In a hurry? Click here to shop the top-selling space heaters on Amazon.com today.
Although it's questionable to use a space heater in your child's room while you are sleeping, you can use one where he or she plays or naps. Look for the following features in a heater for use around small children:
Space heaters save money compared to built-in heaters because they only use enough energy to heat the room that you are using. Modern space heaters can be made safe enough to use in a child's room or nursery. This guide has everything you need to pick the right space heater for a kids room or nursery
In a hurry? Click here to shop the top-selling space heaters on Amazon.com today.
Safety Features to Look for on Space Heaters for Use Near Children
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| The Vornado Tempa Nursery Heater is a Top Seller |
- Cool surface temperature. A ceramic heating element, if it has a large surface area or is enclosed in a large container, can be kept cool enough not to burn a probing finger, even at its hottest setting.
- A safety switch that turns the heater off if it falls over, or gets knocked over.
- A switch that turns the heater off if its temperature exceeds a certain limit (that is, a thermostat, or something that works like a thermostat).
- If the heater has a fan to circulate air, the grate around the fan should have small enough openings to keep fingers away from the fan.
- If the heater is to be wall-mounted, you need a place to install it high enough up so that the warm surface and the controls are out of reach.
Two Good Portable Heaters for Use Near Children
Based on safety features and customer reviews, here are the top two space heaters recommended for use in baby or children's rooms.
1. Vornadobaby Tempa Nursery Heater
This may be your best choice for a portable electric heater to use around kids. The entire Vornadobaby line of heating, cooling and conditioning appliances are made with children in mind. A tip-over switch will immediately cut power if the unit tips over, and its coil-free design means a cool-touch exterior even after hours of operation, making it safe for little fingers. A locking control panel allows you to set the temperature and not worry about curious fingers changing those settings. Plus, all Vornadobaby products come with a Happy Parent 5-Year Guarantee which means a lot coming from this well-respected home appliance company.
2. DeLonghi Mica Panel Heater
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| The Delonghi Mica Panel Heater is available on Amazon and has 100s of customer reviews |
This is one of the best wall-mountable flat panel heaters for use around kids. Panel heaters with a mica or ceramic element provide quiet heat without any fans or blowers. These heaters can be set on the floor, or mounted on the wall, keeping them and their cords out of reach. Safety features include an internal tip-over switch which will turn it off if it falls over. Like the Vornado heater above, this DeLonghi mica panel heater puts out considerable heat (1500 watts), but unlike the Vornado, it has no fan to circulate the heat. Nevertheless, the front panel remains warm, not hot, to the touch, keeping little fingers safe.
We have had a DeLonghi panel heater in my son's room since he was a baby and it has provided quick, quiet, and comfortable heat on demand. It's no wonder his room is our favorite place to play, read, and cuddle once the weather gets cold.
Wall Mounted Heaters for Kids Rooms and Nurseries
Pick a wall-mounted space heater for unobtrusive warmth year-round? These wall-mounted options are great because they are out of babies way and have no cords to worry about.
Heat Storm Phoenix Infrared Space Heater with WiFi
Save floor space for your little explorers, and opt for a wall-mounted infrared heater like this one from Heat Storm. This smart space heater combines with the humidity in the air to create safe warmth without reducing humidity or oxygen in your room. Wifi app allows you to check on the temperature from anywhere, and the grill always stay safe-to-touch.
Click below to learn more about this amazing family of ETL Safety Certified heaters:
Econo-Heat Flat Panel Heater
Energy-efficient and Quiet Space Heater
Econo-Heat fits the whole checklist of must-haves for a safe space heater for a child's bedroom or nursery.Econo-Heat 0603 E-Heater, White
- Econo-heat mounts on the wall so there are no cords to worry about.
- Econo-heat is virtually silent
- Econo-heat is energy efficient, using only 120V
- Econo-heat can be painted to blend into your room
- Econo-heat gets top reviews from satisfied Amazon.com customers
Read the many satisfied customer reviews of the Econo-Heat 0603 E-Heater at Amazon.com.
Econo-Heat 0603 E-Heater, White
This popular wall-mounting space heater can be painted to blend into your space. Act fast, when the weather gets cool, this space heater tends to sell out quickly.
Sunpentown SPT SH-1507 Mini-Tower Ceramic Heater
The Sunpentown tower heater is a small ceramic heating unit with two settings that can heat a small room easily despite its small size. Read the many satisfied customer reviews on Amazon.com to see why this one is a favorite. Plus, it is super cute and brings a pop of color to your room! This orange space heater would look so cute in my little boy's modernistic bedroom.
Sunpentown SPT SH-1507 Mini-Tower Ceramic Heater
This mini-tower can heat your room and add a pop of unexpected color, too! Buy Now
Sunpentown SPT SH-1507 Mini-Tower Ceramic Heater
This mini-tower can heat your room and add a pop of unexpected color, too! Buy Now
Buy the DeLonghi Safeheat 1500W Heater on Amazon
This basic, portable space heater option from Delonghi moves easily from the playroom to the bedroom
The Delonghi SafeHeat ceramic heater packs a lot of features into a portable space heater that can travel with you from room to room. Safe, quiet ceramic heat will warm your room while safety features like auto-shutoff prevent the unit from overheating, and little fingers cannot get into the closely spaced grille. No need to put this unit away in the summer months - just put it into fan mode to cool off your room!
Stadler Anna Heater
A Modern, Standing Heater
The Anna Heater by Stadler has minimalist good looks which blend into any space. Easily mistaken for a stereo speaker, this heater features safety features such as a self-regulating ceramic heating element and shut-off switch in case the unit should tip over.
Once you put one in your child's bedroom, don't be surprised if you want another for your family room, living room or office. This unobtrusive design is great for modern and contemporary spaces.
Want to see more space heaters with sleek, modern styling? Click here.
Stadler Form Anna Heater
Need your space heater to look hot while keeping your room warm? Pick the ANNA from Stadler.
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Is It Okay to Leave The Heater On While You Sleep?
For years, experts have recommended against leaving an electric heater unattended in a child's room. Consumer Reports says it’s safest to keep little kids away from space heaters. “Don’t leave an electric heater unattended when it’s plugged in.” Children have been injured and killed in accidents caused by space heaters. A space heater’s thermostat can get stuck and overheat the room to a dangerous temperature; a heater can set bedding and other materials on fire if it is too close to them. Hot elements can burn a child who touches them.
Some parents would go to sleep with a space heater on in a child's room, but most wouldn't. You can't be sure that electric heaters and their safety features will function perfectly; short circuits and manufacturing defects happen. Appliances nowadays have more safety features than they used to but aren't necessarily manufactured any better.
Some parents would go to sleep with a space heater on in a child's room, but most wouldn't. You can't be sure that electric heaters and their safety features will function perfectly; short circuits and manufacturing defects happen. Appliances nowadays have more safety features than they used to but aren't necessarily manufactured any better.
Safety Rules for Space Heaters
Here are some things that you should clearly NEVER do if you use a space heater, according to Consumer Reports and the National Fire Protection Association:- Never use an electric heater that isn’t “Underwriter’s Laboratory” certified, that is, that doesn’t have a "UL" sticker on the bottom.
- Except in a real emergency like a massive power outage, don’t use a portable fuel-burning heater indoors—this goes for gas, kerosene, or coal—because of the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning.
- Never drape things (like wet clothes) over a heater to dry them. They very often catch fire.
- Do not use a heater within three feet of anything combustible such as bedspreads, curtains, or clothes.
- Never set a portable heater on a high surface where it could fall down onto something that could burn.
- Never let an electric heater get wet.
- Don’t put the cord of an electric heater under the carpet where it can get trampled and worn; keep it visible.
- Don’t overload your electric outlets, which could cause a fire. It's safest not to plug a second device into the same outlet or extension cord as a heater.
Need a humidifier or air purifier made for the nursery? Learn more about the full Vornadobaby line here.
