Why don't NHS and brand baby sleeping bag tog charts match?

What tog bands does the NHS actually list?

The NHS Best Start in Life safer-sleep page names three commercial sleeping-bag togs and pairs each with a room band. It also says to adjust clothing with the tog, and that there should be no other bedding.

A separate NHS page on dressing a newborn says a sleepsuit plus a sleeping bag is usual, and that if the baby feels cold in a bag you add a clothing layer — not extra blankets. For winter thickness it tells you to check the manufacturer's recommendation. That already points away from one national grid.

Where do JoJo and Little Green Sheep disagree with the NHS — and each other?

Brand pages have to place the togs they sell. That is why 1.5 and 3.5 appear, and why the 16–24°C stretch gets sliced differently. Little Green Sheep's own guide also disagrees with itself on 1.0 tog.

Which? (3 October 2025) adds another pairing: 14–16°C as 2.5 tog with vest and sleepsuit, or 3.5 tog with a sleepsuit only; under 14°C as 3.5 tog with vest and sleepsuit. That is a fourth grid, still not the NHS list.

Why do the numbers not line up?

• The NHS is listing three common togs, not every retail SKU. 1.5 and 3.5 exist on shop shelves; they are absent from the NHS bullet list.
• Brands are pairing their own products with clothing. JoJo's 16–18°C row is a 2.5 bag plus two layers; the NHS 2.5 row does not specify that outfit.
• Boundaries overlap on purpose. 20°C is the top of the NHS 2.5 band and the bottom of the 1.0 band. JoJo puts 20–22°C on 1.5 tog. A parent searching "20 degrees which tog" gets three answers.
• One brand page can disagree with itself. Little Green Sheep's summary puts 1.0 tog at 21–23°C; the wear section puts 1.0 tog at 20–24°C.
• The Lullaby Trust refuses to referee. Materials, trapped heat between layers, and differences between babies are why they will not publish a matching table.

Which figure should I follow tonight?

Do not average the rows and do not treat this article as a fifth chart. Tonight's order is: thermometer in the sleep room, the °C range printed on the bag you are using, clothing underneath rather than a blanket on top, then chest or neck. If the bag is a JoJo 1.5 or a 3.5 winter bag, the NHS list will not name it — that is expected. Use that maker's guide for that product, and use the NHS bands as the official three-tog backdrop.

1. Read the tog and room range on the bag in the wash basket, not on a comparison tab.
2. If that bag is 2.5, 1.0 or 0.5 tog, the NHS bands are the official pairing to hold beside the label.
3. If that bag is 1.5 or 3.5 tog, you are already off the NHS list — stay on the maker's °C range.
4. Feel the chest or neck after 20–30 minutes. Adjust clothing, or change bag, rather than stacking bags or adding a blanket.

What about 1.5 tog and 3.5 tog?

They are retail thicknesses. The NHS safer-sleep page does not mention them. JoJo sells both and maps 1.5 tog to 20–22°C and 3.5 tog to rooms under 16°C. Which? maps 3.5 tog to rooms under 16°C or 14°C depending on clothing. Little Green Sheep's guide checked here sells 1.0 and 2.5 and does not build a 3.5 column. The Lullaby Trust's winter advice is "higher tog" or an extra clothing layer below 16°C — it does not write 3.5.

In shortIn short: the mismatch is real and documented. The NHS has three togs; brands add SKUs and split the same degrees differently. Cite the page you are holding. MayTally is not publishing a replacement grid.