Keep children warm in a winter power cut by dressing them in dry layers, gathering in one draught-reduced room and checking them frequently. Keep babies’ sleep spaces clear of hot-water bottles and heat pads, and never use a camping stove, gas hob or other fuel-burning appliance to heat your home.
When the heating stops, you can help children stay warm with clothing, blankets and a shared room. Keep babies safe from overheating, avoid indoor combustion heaters, and move to a warmer place if your home becomes too cold.
A calm plan helps you focus on warmth, safe sleep and getting support. In the UK, you can report a power cut by calling 105.
Why Does a Winter Power Cut Need a Child-Focused Plan?
Children need closer checks during a cold outage, especially if they are very young or have a health condition. Dress them in dry layers, keep them near you in one room and know when to seek help.
Who Is Most at Risk From the Cold?
Babies and young children can be more vulnerable to cold, as can older people and anyone with a health condition. Check children frequently for changes in how they look or behave, and keep wet clothing away from their skin.
If a child seems unusually sleepy, confused, weak or very cold, take the signs seriously. NHS guidance on hypothermia symptoms and what to do explains when urgent help is needed.
What Should You Do First, and Who Can Help?
Check whether the cut affects your home alone or the wider area, then report it to 105, the UK power cut number. Keep phones charged where possible, use a torch, and check whether any medical equipment or care needs depend on electricity.
If a child or another household member is especially vulnerable, contact your electricity network operator and ask about the Priority Services Register. It provides extra support during interruptions for eligible households, including those with young children or health needs. Friends, family and council warm hubs may offer a warmer place to stay if your home is getting too cold.
How Can You Keep Children Warm Safely?
Use dry clothing and blankets, gather in one room, and keep children active without letting them become sweaty or chilled. Keep all fuel-burning appliances outdoors and away from enclosed spaces because they can produce deadly carbon monoxide.
Which Clothing Layers Help Most?
Dress children in several comfortable, thin layers so you can adjust them as conditions change. Add socks, a hat and gloves if they are awake and cold, and replace damp clothes promptly. Check that layers do not restrict movement or cover a baby’s face during sleep.
Encourage gentle movement, such as walking around the room or a quiet game, then change any clothes that become damp with sweat. Keep children close enough for frequent checks, particularly younger children who may not explain clearly that they feel cold.
How Can One Warm Room Reduce Heat Loss?
Choose a room where your family can stay together safely, then close its doors to limit draughts and heat loss. Shut curtains at dusk, use draught excluders, and place rolled towels along gaps where cold air comes in.
Keep the room free of fuel-burning heaters, including camping stoves, barbecues, charcoal, gas hobs or ovens used for heat, portable gas or paraffin heaters, and generators. Use an audible carbon monoxide alarm as an added safety measure, though it does not make indoor use of these appliances safe.
How Should Babies and Older Children Sleep?
For babies, follow NHS and The Lullaby Trust safe-sleep advice: use suitable clothing and bedding, avoid overheating, and keep the cot or Moses basket free of hot-water bottles and heat pads. Never use an electric blanket or heat pad in a baby’s cot. The Lullaby Trust’s safer-sleep advice explains how to keep a baby’s sleep space safe.
For older children, add blankets or a sleeping bag and warm nightwear. A hat may help an older child who is awake and chilly, though keep a baby’s head uncovered for sleep in line with safe-sleep guidance. Check children regularly and adjust bedding if they become too warm.
How Can You Manage Drinks, Food and Safe Hot-Water Bottles?
Use a flask filled before the cut for warm drinks or food, and keep easy-to-eat, no-cook foods available. Offer regular drinks and snacks, and take care with any hot liquid around children.
For an older child, a hot-water bottle must be filled with hot, not boiling, water, checked for leaks and covered with a thick cover. Keep it away from the face and skin, and never put it in a baby’s cot or Moses basket. Remove it if a child could come into direct contact with it while sleeping.
How Can You Spot a Cold Emergency and Get Support?
Get urgent medical help if a child shows signs of hypothermia or becomes seriously unwell. If your home is becoming too cold to manage safely, arrange a warmer place to stay and contact the relevant support services.
When Should You Contact NHS 111 or 999?
Call 999 if a child is seriously ill, difficult to wake, confused, or you suspect severe hypothermia. For urgent medical advice when it is not an emergency, contact NHS 111; use the NHS guidance on hypothermia to recognise warning signs and decide what help is needed.
Do not wait for a child to become severely cold before acting. Move them to a warmer environment, remove wet clothing and seek medical advice promptly if you are concerned.
Where Can Your Family Go if Home Is Too Cold?
Ask friends or family whether you can stay somewhere with working heating. Your council may also provide information about local warm hubs or other community support during cold weather.
If someone in your household relies on powered medical equipment or needs extra help, tell your electricity network operator. The Priority Services Register can help eligible households receive support during a power cut.
Which Official Safety Advice and Contacts Should You Use?
Call 105 to report a power cut or find the local electricity network operator. For cold-weather preparation, the GOV.UK advice on keeping warm and well offers practical guidance.
For general power-cut preparation, the British Red Cross power-cut advice covers staying safe and checking outages. Use NHS 111 for urgent medical advice and 999 for emergencies.
Common Mistakes and a Quick Checklist
Keep warmth measures simple and safe: use layers and bedding, and avoid improvised heating that risks fire or carbon monoxide poisoning.
Which Indoor Heating Shortcuts Should You Avoid?
- Never use a camping stove, barbecue, charcoal burner, gas hob or oven to heat a room.
- Do not use portable gas or paraffin heaters, or a generator, indoors or in an enclosed space.
- Keep electric blankets and heat pads out of a baby’s cot or Moses basket.
- Do not put a hot-water bottle in a baby’s sleep space or leave one where a sleeping child can touch it.
- Avoid putting boiling water in a hot-water bottle; check for leaks and use a cover.
What Should Your Winter Power-Cut Checklist Include?
| Check | What to have ready |
|---|---|
| Warmth | Dry layers, socks, hats, blankets and sleeping bags |
| One-room plan | A suitable room, curtains, and towels or draught excluders |
| Light and contact | Torch, charged phone, power bank and 105 saved |
| Food and drink | Flask, water and easy-to-eat food |
| Safety | Audible carbon monoxide alarm; never use fuel-burning appliances indoors |
| Support | Electricity network operator details and a plan for friends, family or a warm hub |
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you keep children warm during a winter power cut?
Dress children in dry layers, gather together in one draught-reduced room and use blankets for warmth. Check them regularly, and arrange a warmer place to stay if your home becomes too cold.
How can you keep a baby warm without overheating them?
Use suitable baby clothing and bedding, keep the baby’s head uncovered for sleep, and follow NHS and Lullaby Trust safer-sleep advice. Keep hot-water bottles, heat pads and electric blankets out of the cot or Moses basket.
Can you use a hot-water bottle for a child during a power cut?
You can use a covered, leak-checked hot-water bottle for an older child, filled with hot rather than boiling water. Keep it away from the child’s skin and never place it in a baby’s cot or Moses basket.
Can you use a camping stove or gas hob to heat a room?
No. Never use a camping stove, gas hob, oven, barbecue or other fuel-burning appliance to heat an indoor space, because carbon monoxide can build up and cause serious harm.
Who should you call if a child becomes very cold during a power cut?
Call 999 if your child is seriously unwell, difficult to wake or showing signs of severe hypothermia; contact NHS 111 for urgent medical advice when it is not an emergency. If home is too cold, arrange to stay with friends or family or seek information about a local council warm hub.
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