I use the little heating pads for my sons. I don't make them with rice though, I make them with Horse Feed. I put them in the microwave for a minute and thirty seconds. and three minutes for me... and they will stay warm until mid morning and if I get cold I will get up and warm all of them up again. They really work well.

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Thanks for all the suggestions!

Boys everywhere - I'm not really sure how cold it gets, I've never actually taken the temperature! All I know is that I wear a nursing tank top to bed in my room, but when I go to feed the baby in the middle of the night I realize how cold it is in there! Generally I dress the baby in his warmest pjs (he's 3 months old)! The nights when I've noticed it's cold I'll generally leave his door open after that - it's been closed to keep out the sound from his brothers! My older two are 2 and 4 and their door generally stays closed so that they don't think it's time to get up and roam the house! They're generally up by 7 anyway, but since I turn on the hall light to go to their brother's room in the middle of the night for feedings they'll occasionally get up after seeing the light come in under their doors! I dress them a lot warmer for bed anyway so I don't think they're as cold as I am in my tank top, but I just feel bad going back to my toasty bed after feeling their rooms! My 2 & 4 year old boys share a room with a North facing window so it can get pretty chilly! The boys haven't really complained about it, but I'm afraid they won't sleep as soundly if they're too cold!

I have thought about heating blankets too, ooh, or the heated mattress covers, but since I've never had one before I wasn't sure about fire hazards, or if they have to be plugged in, etc! My 4 year old would probably be ok with all that, but my 2 year old... I Love the idea of putting it under them, but what happens if my 4 year old has an accident???

MommaofDP&AJ - I like the horse feed idea! I can go steal some from my parents house! BUT, does it stink?? I probably wouldn't mind the smell, it would just remind me of home ... but my boys haven't been around it much, they probaby wouldn't like it!

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The mattress pad covers do plug in!! Not sure if they have accident.. Didn't think about that..
I will let you know what I think once we get ours..

You could put one blanket for each kid in the dryer, or perhaps just the top sheet. That way, they climb into a warm bed and their body heat will also help maintain the cover heat.

Long ago, they would put hot potatoes from the oven in the bed, wrapped in a towel or sheet. They also used hot bricks from the oven, again, wrapped.

And a heavy comforter or two, even with a blanket and bedspread. I like the idea of those suede-like duvets on the comforters.

And I put the robe right on the foot of the bed or on the bed rail so it can be grabbed first thing. If I get up in time, I even stick the robe in the dryer for a couple of minutes.

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I was also going to suggest a few things that already were suggested.

If you don't have plastic on your windows- maybe you can put a blanket over top of the window to block some of that drafty cold air. I also recommend possibly putting the blankets in the dryer before they go to bed. I would stay away from electric blankets and such until they get older- never know if an accident will happen.

Do you have a space heater in their rooms? My oldest bedroom is one of the coldest rooms in our home and we have an oil filled radiator heater in her room (on really cold nights we will also put one in our youngest bedroom), just to give her a little more warmth. If you have issues with them using that- maybe get one in there and turn it on for a while before they go to bed and turn it off when you lay them down- but when you get up in the middle of the night- maybe turn it back on so they will get some more heat- and that way you won't have to deal with your 2 y.o. messing with the heater, also it probably would help them get a better nights sleep - maybe you can just unplug the heater before you leave their room.

On really cold nights (when we will get the Artic winds) we go to sleep with hats on our head- we always sleep with socks and fully dressed (although we usually always sleep fully dressed in the winter time).

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A few suggestions:

- Heated mattress pads: We use these on our beds but they never seemed to hold up or be very comfortable. My recommendation is DO NOT buy the cheaper Sunbeam heated mattress pads. Instead JC Penneys sells a different brand. It has a very thin wire in the pad so you can't feel the bump. It costs more but has lasted us longer than the other pads. Because the pads are washable, they are okay if someone has an accident.

- Instead of a heated mattress pad, this year we're getting my DD, age 6, an electric throw - not a whole electric blanket. I want her to be able to find a warm blanket if she needs it but not get wrapped up in one - which would be dangerous. She is so tiny, it isn't like she needs a huge blanket. Besides, an electric blanket can get VERY hot, especially if you double layer it, and DD never seems to believe me when I order her not to put the blanket on the highest setting.

- I have heard that closing off heater vents isn't good for the furnace. Instead, I recommend that you run the furnace fan all night. This will even out the temperature in the whole house. Closing doors isn't helping either.

- Consider letting the boys sleep together in one bed. Since they are so young you can let one boy sleep at one end and the other sleep at the other end. More than one person in a bed makes everyone warmer.

- Yes, do put a cheap plastic thermometer in each room.

- Inspect your heating ducts yourself. You might have to use an extension mirror or go up into the attic. One friend of ours moved into a brand new house and went a whole year wondering why one section would never get warm. Turns out the duct work was never connected and they were just blowing hot air into the crawl space. In our house, last year a contractor accidently stepped onto our attic ductwork and crushed the duct that went to our bedroom. We had to go up there and straighten it out then re-insulate around it. In a house that we owned previously, all the insulation in one section of the attic had been moved aside for some electrical work. We ended up re-insulating that section. You may have to shine a light through some of the ducts while another person in the attic looks to see if there is any light getting through. If you have holes big enough to let light escape, then heat is escaping, too, and those areas will need to be fixed.

- Once you've done everything you can to identify the problem, you might consider calling your utility company to ask for an energy-saving inspection. You might get coupons for compact light bulbs and other goodies, some good ideas on what else you can do, and rebates on major repairs.

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If it were me, I would move them into my room for the cold months. I am just the type of person that couldn't stay in a warm room with my kids in a cold room, even with plenty of blankets etc But that's me! How cold are the kids room(s) actually getting?

I would make sure they're wearing warm pajamas and maybe long underwear underneath as well. Socks too.

Are your windows leaking? Have you considered covering them with plastic to help hold in the heat? We used to do that to some of our windows in our old house. It was an adorable house, but at 100 + years old, it had leaky windows in some areas of the house and the plastic really did wonders. Dh also made plexiglass storm windows for some of the windows, which also made a big difference.

My sister preheats her kids beds with electric blankets, she has them on timers, so they go on during bathtime and then go off after the kids are in bed. Works well for them it seems.

Wool blankets will be warmer than cotton, but they are more expensive. Do you have any down comforters/duvets? Down is really nice and warm. IKEA has them in the twin size for $20ish.

ok we have no heating vents in our upstairs just a small baseboard heater so here are my suggestion.
1. warm thick socks
2. warm jammies
3. make those no sew fleece blankets they are very warm(you can even plan these ahead for birthday gifts for this next year give each of your kiddos one
4. watch target after school starts they will rock bottom discount down comforters in there collage section i got each of my kiddos each one for $9.98(full queen size in navy and pink and i got a purple one for me) a piece these are very warm in winter and help keep cooler in summer.
5.put sheets or blankets over windows to keep the drafts out.
6. on really cold nights heat up a towel and their socks and snuggle their feet if your feet are warm usually the rest of your body will be.

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Great ideas Cookie2.

Some ideas from when I was a child (in Canada and with limited family income) and what I have done with my own children.

We always wore housecoats when we were in our pyjamas as children.
I also had a bath at night and put a "babushka" headkerchief on my head when I went to bed.

One of my children does have a space heater she puts on in her room when she is studying. She is the furthest from the furnace and it seems the coldest room. She does not have it on at night.

She and I like lots of weight/blankets on our beds at night so.. I have used some carded wool comforters my grand-mother made, and every available wool blanket in the house. Wool if you can get is a phenomenal insulator in the winter months. I have been able to pick up "Hudson Bay" seal point 100% wool blankets in excellant condition in my thrift shop. It appears some one was clearing a home after the death of a loved one and these must have been kept for"good". They were sold for $8.00 and $14.99 and they typically retail for $300.00+.

Currently I have a "prayer" shawl someone gave me for my last significant birthday. I wear this when I get up in the night and during the day(it keeps the heat down).
I encourage my kids to put on a sweater and put slippers/thermal socks on.I bought a pair of down slippers inexpensively a few years ago, they have plasticized bottoms so I can wear them with a grip and out on my deck when I am at the lake)
I have worn sweats to bed/layers and of course socks.

I believe in shopping at home first so I would put sleeping bags on the bed, after all the blankets.
I found a use for those "odd" coloured afghans we have kicking around the house. They are put on the top of a closet in the off-season when not in use in the winter.

I heat beds with a hot water heater/bottle, I picked up a brand new cover for mine at a garage sale. We fight over who gets it for the night . Once it is warmed up and put under the covers it can be moved and really takes the chill off the covers when you first go to bed.It stays warm, is great at your feet and is very inexpensive. You'd be surprised who gets rid of them.

Here's a little side story, when my oldest was a baby, we were going to the lake, in the spring when it can still be cold out.
I asked my mother to look for a hot water bottle at our church rummage sale that was happenning that spring. Wow, was she surprised when she phoned to say she had actually found one( if you are familiar with church sales they are hit and miss).Well ,when we exclaimed to my mother inlaw (who was also helping at this sale), she stated that it was the one she had used and brought to the sale.Go figure! I still have it and use it at the lake.

When I was also a child my mother took old fur coats( from her and my relatives, but may have been from our church sale, where whatever you could stuff in a garbage bag was yours for $5.00).

Cut out the major part in the back and it was like a large square of fur and we put them on our beds.

I know some may be sqeamish at this but we really only heated with a wood stove.and it was an inexpensive way to keep us warm.

I'll post if I think of anymore.