During cold winter months, Jack frost seems to always find a way to nip at our toes and noses. After a long day of making Frosty snowmen and pretty snow angels, kids can be easily exhausted and vulnerable to winter sickness and chills. If you've been shoveling snow, you're vulnerable as well. For those living in northern cities, the freezing temperatures getting on and off the subway or bus invites colds and flus. Even a cozy home in the country has its flaws. Outdoor chores make everyday tasks like going to get the mail, or chopping wood, a grueling task that seems to take forever. What's the best way to get warm and cozy? The tried and true thermal blanket gets you warmed up in a hurry.
We should add a new line to the old song, “Oh, the weather outside is frightful ...”, and continue with, “but the blanket inside is so delightful”. That would be a thermal blanket! Cold winter weather has that habit of chilling us to the bone. Shivering children come inside, after a victorious snowball fight. This is when it's most critical to get them warm. A thermal blanket does the job best and fastest.
A thermal blanket is usually made of cotton or cotton blends and, at first glance, don't look up to the job. Not heavy like thick woolen blankets, a thermal blanket has layers of interwoven threads in patterns of squares, with quite a bit of air space between and within the squares. The layers are key to the extraordinary warmth a thermal blanket provides. There are even elasticized thermal blankets, designed to fit around you cozily, with that comforting sensation of being “tucked in”. One popular fleece thermal blanket is designed to produce about 25% more warmth around your feet.
Fibers are woven in such a way that they capture and retain heat. The person wrapped in it will have no worry of waking up cold in the middle of the night. A thermal blanket is not to be confused with an electric blanket. Electric blankets use up valuable energy, and pose the danger of fire. Thermal blankets, on the other hand, work by naturally holding heat on the wearer, with no risk of catching on fire, and no added energy costs.
Thermal blankets can also be a life line. When people suffer from frost bite or hypothermia, the first thing to do to preserve their life is wrapping them in a thermal blanket. Never submerge a person suffering from hypothermia in hot water. Leave medical care to the professionals. However, you can do your part by initially wrapping the person in several layers of thermal blankets, gradually and steadily raising their temperatures.
Even without such dire circumstances, a thermal blanket (or two or three) is a good buy for simple cases of feeling chilly to warm you and the kids in a hurry. This blanket comes in many attractive disguises. You'd never guess what a workhorse this pretty blanket is!
|
