Guides · Sleep bags · Shoulder season
1.0 tog or 1.5 tog sleeping bag for UK spring and autumn?
What bands does the NHS actually list?
Three, and only three, on the Best Start in Life safer-sleep page. Spring and autumn do not get their own row. The list is room temperature, with clothing adjusted and no other bedding.
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| Tog | On the NHS page? | Room temperatures named |
|---|---|---|
| 2.5 tog | Yes | 16 to 20°C — all year, standard rooms |
| 1.0 tog | Yes | 20 to 24°C — warmer weather and warmer rooms |
| 1.5 tog | No | Not listed — any 1.5 range comes from a brand chart |
| 0.5 tog | Yes | 24 to 27°C — hot weather and warm rooms |
Where do brands put 1.5 tog?
They invent the middle because NHS left a gap between 20°C (top of 2.5) and 20°C (bottom of 1.0). That overlap is already awkward. 1.5 tog marketing sits in the crack.
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| Source | 1.0 tog they sell for | 1.5 tog they sell for |
|---|---|---|
| NHS | 20 to 24°C | No 1.5 band |
| JoJo Maman Bébé guide | Not their lightweight row — they jump to 1.5 | 20–22°C, long sleeveless bodysuit |
| Love to Dream UK tog page | 20–24°C on their 1.0 products | They treat 18–22°C as 1.5 territory; their FAQ says 22°C can be either 1.0 or 1.5 |
| MORI Clever Year Round (as summarised by Modern Parenting, August 2026) | Not the pitch | One 1.5 bag marketed as year-round in temperate rooms; MORI still points to 0.5 in hotter weather and 2.5 in colder rooms |
JoJo's 1.5 row is a narrow 2°C slice (20–22°C). NHS already covers 20–24°C with 1.0 tog. If your spring bedroom lives at 21°C, the official list already has a bag for that number — you do not need a third tog to fill a hole the NHS did not leave.
How should I choose if the room swings 18–22°C in a week?
That swing is normal in UK shoulder season: heating off, then a cold night, then a 20°C afternoon that the brickwork holds. Brand charts assume a flat number. Measure, then decide whether you are buying a second official band or a middle product.
- Log cot-height readings for a week Bedtime and before dawn. If most nights are 16–20°C, NHS's 2.5 tog band already describes them. If most nights are 20–24°C, their 1.0 tog band does.
- Count how often you leave the official bands A single 22°C night in a 2.5 tog household is a clothing-down night on the bag's own table, not automatically a reason to buy 1.5 tog.
- If you already own 2.5 and 1.0, you already own spring and autumn Those two bags are the NHS list. A 1.5 bag is extra SKU unless your room sits for weeks in a brand's 1.5 window and you do not want to own 1.0.
- If you only want one middle bag, read that maker's own extremes MORI's year-round 1.5 still tells you to move to 0.5 or 2.5 when the room leaves their temperate claim. Love to Dream's 22°C FAQ lets 1.0 or 1.5, based on whether the baby runs warm.
Do I need a third tog just for spring and autumn?
Not on the NHS list. The official year is 2.5 / 1.0 / 0.5. A 1.5 bag is a brand convenience for rooms that hover around 20–22°C, or for shops that never stocked 1.0 tog (JoJo's lightweight row is 1.5, not 1.0).
Buying 1.5 and 1.0 and 2.5 for the same size is how a third tog becomes a bag you will not use. Pick the official pair that matches the log, or pick one brand's 1.5 chart and accept their hot- and cold-weather caveats.
What about all-season zip-panel bags?
A short aside, not the decision. Some UK bags (Modern Parenting's 2026 shortlist names Tommee Tippee's All-Season Grobag) switch between 1.0 and 2.5 tog with removable panels. That is two NHS bands in one garment. It does not create a 1.5 band, and it does not replace a 0.5 tog bag in a 24–27°C room.
In shortNHS has 1.0 tog for 20–24°C and no 1.5 band. JoJo's 1.5 row is 20–22°C. MORI's 1.5 year-round bag still yields to 0.5 or 2.5 at the edges. Log the room for a week before you buy a third tog. Buying comparison only — not a safety verdict.
Questions parents ask
- Does the NHS list 1.5 tog at all?
- No. The commercial list on the safer-sleep page is 2.5, 1.0 and 0.5 tog. A 1.5 rating is a manufacturer figure. Use that maker's clothing table for the bag you buy.
- Can one 1.5 tog bag cover the whole of spring and autumn?
- Only if your logged nights stay inside that maker's window. MORI still points to other togs when it is hotter or colder. A room that spends half the week at 17°C is on the NHS 2.5 line.
- The room is 18°C on Monday and 22°C on Thursday. Which tog?
- Those are two NHS bands (2.5 and 1.0). Clothing under one bag can stretch a little; a 4°C swing is why people look at 1.5 marketing. A week of thermometer notes tells you which nights are the exception.
- Is a 1.5 tog bag the same as an all-season panel bag?
- No. 1.5 is one thickness. A 1.0↔2.5 zip-panel bag is two official NHS bands in one product. Neither object removes the need to read the room.
Sources
Official pages first. If this page and the official page disagree, the official page wins.
- NHS — Safer sleep advice for babies (Best Start in Life) — checked 10 September 2026
- JoJo Maman Bébé — Sleeping bag and sleep snuggler guide — checked 10 September 2026
- Love to Dream UK — What is a TOG rating? — checked 10 September 2026
- Modern Parenting — Best baby sleeping bags UK — checked 10 September 2026
This is information, not a guarantee of any payment, and not medical, legal or product-safety advice for your home. Prices and rules change; figures carry the date they were checked. Recall status comes from official records only — a product we cannot find is not a safety all-clear. Tell us if we got a fact wrong.