Your little one is ready for bed, but you’re stumped about how to dress them. You want your baby to be as comfortable as possible so they get a good night’s sleep. Luckily, there’s something called a TOG rating that can help.
In this article, we’ll tell you what TOG is and provide a TOG chart that suggests the best TOG rating for baby’s sleepwear based on the temperature in your nursery. Then we’ll give you some safe sleep tips so your little one can be off to dreamland comfy and carefree!
Table of contents
- How to dress your baby for sleep
- What is TOG?
- Choosing the right TOG
- TOG chart: Optimal TOG weight for the room temperature
- Sleep safety tips
How to dress your baby for sleep
Before we get into the intricacies of TOG, let’s spend a moment talking about what your baby should be wearing to bed. The rule of thumb is to dress your little one in warm enough sleepwear that they will not need a blanket.
That’s because loose blankets are not considered safe for children under one year old, as they pose a suffocation hazard.
Wearable blankets, like swaddles and sleep sacks, however, are considered safe alternatives. Swaddles — which are large blankets that wrap snugly around your baby — can be used until your little one tries to roll on their own, often at about two months.
After that, most parents will transition to the sleep sack, which is simply a wearable blanket designed so that the fabric cannot cover your baby’s face. Sleep sacks also leave your baby’s arms and legs to move freely, so if they roll, they can easily roll back.
What is TOG?
TOG stands for “thermal overall grade,” and is the measurement standard for the textile industry indicating the warmth of a garment. The term is most often used when talking about sleep sacks and other baby sleepwear.
You may think TOG relates to the thickness of a fabric, but it’s a little more complicated than that. Whereas sometimes thicker garments have a higher TOG, certain materials — like down, for example — are very light, yet very warm.
When it comes to baby clothing, TOG ratings generally range from 0.2 to 3.5. The rule of thumb is the higher the TOG, the warmer the garment. This brings us to our next point: why does it matter?
Why is TOG important?
Because newborns can’t yet regulate their own body temperatures, ensuring you’re not overdressing your baby is important, especially for sleep. Not surprisingly, when a baby is dressed comfortably — not too hot and not too cold — they’ll sleep better.
On top of that, one of the risk factors for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is overheating. Dressing your little one appropriately for the temperature of the room is one way you can minimize your baby’s risk.
Choosing the right TOG
As we said, choosing the right TOG for your baby’s sleepwear comes down to the temperature in your baby’s nursery. If possible, keep the temperature in the nursery at about 68 to 72 degrees Fahrenheit — considered the optimal temperature for a baby catching their zzz’s.
Of course, your nursery could be warmer or cooler than that for any number of reasons. Choose a garment with a lower TOG rating (0.2-1.0) if the room is warm and one with a higher TOG rating (2.5-3.5) if the room is on the cool side.
We’ve made a chart to help you navigate the best TOG for your baby’s sleepwear in order to take the guesswork out of dressing your baby for bed.
Keeping our TOG chart handy will help when you’re feeling bleary-eyed and sleep-deprived, we promise!
TOG chart: Optimal TOG weight for the room temperature
Now it’s time to put theory to practice. Let’s take a look at how the above chart translates to real life.
80 degrees and above
If baby’s room is 80 degrees Fahrenheit or above, dress your little one in a sleeveless onesie or just their diaper and a very light sleep sack with a TOG rating of 0.2.
74 to 79 degrees
If your little one’s nursery is 74 to 79 degrees Fahrenheit, roughly what’s viewed as the ideal nursery temperature, dress baby in a short-sleeved onesie or just a diaper along with a lightweight sleep sack with a TOG rating of 0.5.
69 to 73 degrees
If the room temperature is 69 to 73 degrees Fahrenheit, dress baby in a romper or onesie topped with a 1.0 TOG sleep sack.
61 to 68 degrees
In a cooler room, 61 to 68 degrees Fahrenheit, dress your little one in a long-sleeved romper or onesie as well as a 2.5 TOG sleep sack.
60 degrees or under
If the room is cold — 60 degrees Fahrenheit or under — dress your baby in a long-sleeved onesie, layered with a romper and a 3.5 TOG sleep sack.
Sleep safety tips
With the TOG chart in mind, let’s review the overall safety considerations when dressing your little one for sleep. We’ll also include some of the general safe sleep rules.
Don’t let baby overheat.
As we said earlier, babies don’t thermoregulate. That means if you add too many layers, or if those layers are too heavy, your baby could overheat.
You want to dress your baby in just one more layer than you would dress yourself in: If you’re wearing one layer, put your baby in two.
Keep an eye out for the following signs that your baby is too hot:
- Sweating
- Labored breathing
- Red cheeks
- Heat rash
If you notice any of these, offer your little one fluids and move them into a cooler room. Then re-dress them in lighter clothing. You can also give them a sponge bath in lukewarm (not cold) water.
Dress baby in natural fabrics.
When choosing the layers to dress your little one in, stick with natural fabrics like cotton or linen, as they are breathable.
Skip the hat.
Not only can a hat slip off a baby’s head during their slumber and pose a suffocation hazard, but it can also cause your little one to overheat. As we said, overheating increases the risk of SIDS and your baby’s head plays a part in temperature regulation.
Never dress baby in a 4.0 TOG garment.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) advises to never dress your little one in a sleep sack with a 4.0 TOG rating, as it’s simply too hot and is likely to cause them to overheat.
Share your room, not your bed.
An adult bed has sheets and pillows that pose a suffocation hazard. But even though bed-sharing is a no-no, room-sharing is a definite yes. It reduces the risk of SIDS and is great for bonding.
Always place baby on their back.
Before a baby gets head and neck control, sleeping on their side or stomach is dangerous as they could find themselves face-down and unable to breathe.
This is why choosing a breathable mattress, like Newton Baby’s Original Mattress, is so important. Our breathe-through, dual-layer cover and Wovenaire ® Core offer the ultimate in breathability, making it a favorite for safe sleep.
Stick to sleep-approved surfaces.
Only put your baby down to sleep in the crib, travel crib, and bassinet and never let your little one sleep on a bouncer, swing, or rocker.
Choose a firm and breathable mattress.
Newton Baby’s mattresses are firm, breathable, and even washable, giving you peace of mind while your little one catches those zzzs. They’re also free of foam, glue, latex, or springs.
Instead, our mattresses, like the ever-popular Essential Mattress, Original Mattress, and Waterproof Mattress, feature a Wovenaire ® Core made of 90% air and 10% food-grade polymer for a cleaner, hypoallergenic sleep.
Keep the crib bare.
No toys, stuffed animals, crib bumpers, or pillows should be placed in the crib, as these pose a suffocation hazard. The only things that should be in your baby’s crib are the mattress, a fitted sheet, and your little one.
Sleep Soundly, Baby
With your trusty TOG chart and our tips, you can breathe easy when it’s time to put your baby to bed.
We at Newton Baby want your baby to get the best sleep each and every night. Our Essential, Original, and Waterproof mattresses are completely breathable and firm yet comfortable, perfect for these first years of sleep.
Trusting Newton Baby with your little one’s mattress means a good night’s sleep for the whole family!
