@tigertiger: "sounds like a dehumidifier would suit your needs"

Good idea, we'll will look into that.

Though one additional hurdle that I forgot to mention, is that the wife is more sensitive to dry air (it irritates her throat), so we cannot get rid of too much humidity either.

You can set the humidity level on most machines. 60% is about the level that you stop mould. Also this should dry your room and bedding. If you are wiping water from the walls or windows in the morning, dry air is not a problem. I would have thought that environmental dust was a bigger problem for irritable throat in Kunming, to be honest. I think that spores from moulds may also be an irritant, but I stand to be corrected.

@Ishmael

I can't seem to find "Humans Seeking Penguins" in the personals/classifieds section. ;)

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@Jan & @tiger

Itchy or irritable throat is a telltale sign of allergy.

Fungal spore allergies via mold on windows & walls may not be the entire problem.

Allergen of dust mites, not just mold, are quite common. Both thrive even in moist 40-50% humidity levels. Dust mites most often accumulate on damp pillows and bed sheets, causing allergic reactions upon contact with the skin. On average we sweat 150 - 200ml of water every night. So best to wash & dry pillow cover and bed sheets often.

If said allergies aren't the cause of your wife's irritable throat yet dryness is. Perhaps place a miniature humidifier on her side of the nightstand. Localized vapor mist for your wife when heater is turned on highest for the baby during the coldest wee hours.

Like Miniso, Carrefour and Walmart are also participating in Unionpay's 60rmb minus 30 promotion using the bank apps. Small humidifiers may be sold. I've seen various miniature humidifiers at Nome (Nordic style version of Miniso).

Both Miniso and Nome are participating in aforementioned 昆明广场's 50%-off event from 12/15-12/24. I believe the shopping center at 财富中心 near Metro is holding similar 5折 store event via Meituan in coming days from 12/12-12/15.

I've recently witnessed ladies sporting hand-held, blue LED-lit portable humidifiers, jetting moisture directly to their faces. lol Perhaps keep an eye out for those during X'mas shopping.

Cold showers or swimming each morning...

The moisture is to keep their skin young looking, and the blue LEDs are to make them look ghostly white /high class.

Another phenomenom that has been growing for a while, are "coffee houses" who's main function is to provide studio-like infrastructure to take better quality short videos to post on internet apps.

Some seem to offer the infrastructure "for free", and instead make revenue by charging a lot for the coffee and snacks that the patrons are expected to buy.

In our block, one such establishment now has a small snow cannon in the second floor window, from where they shoot snow out to the walkway in evenings, so that their customers can stand in the snow with their umbrellas and take winter selfies.

This may not relate to the thread topic of staying warm, but to the wastefulness certainly.

Though if one could get the service naked in the morning, it would probably work as an implementation towards what @vicar suggested.

A quick update on TKP's event:

Uniqlo announced only the shopping mall's 200rmb vouchers can be used on the 15th of December.

Nationwide UnionPay event still holds for Uniqlo on 12/12, as do the Meituan 10am grab for Uniqlo at 北辰财富中心 (欣都龙城VCpark):

www.meituan.com/dz/deal/54635699

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@Jan

Though one could argue posing in front of fake snow for a few minutes would be less wasteful vis-a-vis energy (e.g. avtur), time, and money than flying entire family to the North Pole for selfies in real snow.

Perhaps that's why American parents have been taking their children to sit on Santa's lap for mall photos for well over a century.

@Janjal. I have just remembered. The fastest way to drive damp out of bedding would be to use an electric blanket. They are usually on special offer in all of the big supermarkets at this time of year. They are much better quality that they were 15 years ago, and are usually up to EU standards.