Question

[Deblyn]

Do Americans use hot water bottles?

[lowlander]

Canadians do.

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[logcabinmama]

Some do and others don't. A lot of us are using the nice new 'Rice Bags'. We have one, but can't find the stopper. Oh well, the rice bags work great.

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[mrszouave]

Maybe some of the OLD FOLKS do......hahahhahha

I use a heating pad....those new fangled baby electric blankies.

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[Guest Guest]

Hi lowlander, I'm 55 and have heard of hot water bottles all my life. I've maybe even seen one once or twice but I've never known of anyone to use them. Like Beb, we use heating pads.

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[This message has been edited by Dee (edited October 29, 2002).]

[Guest Guest]

no...

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[lowlander]

oh boy .....are you guys out of touch.....

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[Deblyn]

I know it probably seemed a bit of a funny question, but I was just curious. It is starting to be hot water bottle weather here in England. I take two to bed with me, and they have knitted wool covers which I use sometimes. I like them very hot, and wrap my nightie round them before I put it on. We don't have central heating in our house, and it can get quite chilly in the autumn and winter. another granny story coming up................. my mother can remember that before hot water bottles were invented, they used to heat a stone or a brick on the stove and wrap it in a bit of flannelette sheet and use it to warm the bed. Then came along something called a "stone pig", which was a bottle made out of china/clay, and the end where you filled it looked like a pig's snout, hence the name. We now have rubber ones. Mine are plain pink, but the children have clear ones with little rubber fish that swim about inside when you fill them with water. Now isn't that all so interesting?!!!! When it's really cold, I wear bed socks too - real passion killers!

[Guest Guest]

Lowlander,

Down here in Texas that's what Dogs are for.

That's where the old saying "A three dog night" came from. You could judge how cold it was by how many dogs it took to warm the bed.

However, I always use a hot water/Ice bottle

for muscle aches or last week it was for a swollen Jaw.

My Daschund still climbs in when it gets cold though, great as a foot warmer.

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Always Seek&Follow the Light.....Wheeler

[lowlander]

Ah heck.....truth be known .....Hey MM, shall we tell them how we really keep warm here at night and in winter????

While I wait for you to reply, I'll tell them anyways......

Okay, usually on cool/cold nights, we heat large rocks in our fireplaces, or over the fire, get them really hot then place them into the ends (foot end) of our beds.....

But on really, really cold winter nights, we just invite our sled dogs indoors. And like wheeler said, we use them as/for warmth. Only up here we can have as much as an eight dog night, as most dog sleighs can have up to eight pulling them. Occassionally the females have just had a litter and then the puppies can curl up next to our kiddies.

 

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[Guest Guest]

Yep! 4 beagles here!

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[Deblyn]

Don't think hubby would be chuffed at having to share the bed with the dog, much as he loves him! He doesn't even like him being upstairs in the house. He gets away with murder (dog, not hubby) when he's away, though. He's such a handsome puppy, it's hard to tell him off! He's nine now, and he's a Basset Hound/Lab cross called Dixie (as in Dixie Deans, the famous football player from the 1960's).

[Guest Guest]

That is an interesting question. We had hot water bottles when I was small, but we didn't use them for heat, just for sore muscles & things like that. Most Americans keep their homes warmer than you Brits, day and night or some use electric blankets. It is an American thing...people seem to think if it is newer and fancier, it is better. Anyway, after I grew up, I always had a heating pad, which I used a lot, due to arthritis-type lupus problems. But when I was living in Central America, we didn't aways have electricity, so I bought a hot water bottle. It was great! Now, I won't use a heating pad...the hot water bottle is so much better. I do sometimes use a corn-filled thing that I put in the microwave for my neck during the day.

I remember reading that in colonial times, they had a bed iron which was an iron thingy they put in the fire to get it really hot and then they ran it all over the sheets to warm them up before you got into bed. It didn't keep you warm all night but it did warm up the sheets initially until your body heat took over. That would have been good considering how cold bedding in an unheated room can get!

[Guest Guest]

BTW, a very small hot water bottle or special bag with ice in it does wonders for migraines, too!

[Guest Guest]

I don't use anything lke those. My DH is so much warmer then I am that I sometimes have to throw covers off. When he gets out of bed in the morning the dogs then jump in with me. I know how cold the house is by whether my black dog wants to get under the covers with me or not. di

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