What tog sleeping bag to send to nursery?

What number should I ask nursery for?

Ask for the sleep-room thermometer reading, not ‘what tog do other parents send’. The Lullaby Trust says it is hard to guess temperature and tells parents to use a room thermometer where the baby sleeps. The same 16–20°C band appears in the EYFS safer-sleep FAQ and in DfE Help for early years providers.

1. 1
   Ask where the thermometer sits A reading from the corridor or the playroom is not the cot-room figure. UH Sussex nurseries keep thermometers in playrooms and aim for 16–20°C, and they note rooms can run higher in summer.
2. 2
   Ask for a typical nap-time reading, not the winter night figure Home tog charts are built around 2am bedrooms. A July afternoon in a baby room with several cots can sit above 20°C. Foundation Years says providers use professional judgement when the room is outside 16–20°C.
3. 3
   Open the manufacturer’s tog guide for that bag The Lullaby Trust will not publish a clothing-and-tog chart. It tells families to follow the maker’s tog guide for the room temperature, and to check the chest or the back of the neck.
4. 4
   If the setting names a tog before it names a temperature Write both down. A request for 2.5 tog is a product request. It only matches NHS commercial wording if the room is in the 16–20°C band that NHS Best Start lists for that rating.

What does the NHS actually say about tog?

NHS Best Start says sleeping bags are usually given a tog rating, the bag should match the time of year, clothing can be adjusted with the tog, and there should be no other bedding. It also lists commercial bands that shops print on labels:

The Lullaby Trust’s dress-for-sleep page (reviewed 28 February 2026) says families often ask for a chart and it cannot provide one: materials differ, air trapped between layers changes warmth, and every baby is different. Official records show a temperature band and a check on the chest or neck — not a setting-wide tog order.

Why does nursery still ask for 2.5 tog?

Many rooms copy the NHS 2.5 tog line for a 16–20°C room and put it on the induction list. That is tidy if the thermometer agrees. It is a mismatch if the same room sits at 22°C after lunch. UH Sussex writes that sleep bags must be the correct size and an appropriate tog for the baby’s age and room temperature, and that summer rooms may run higher. Bristol Childcare checks parent bags for the correct tog for the season and temperature and does not add a blanket on top of a bag.

If the list says 2.5 tog and the key person later says the room felt warm, ask them to read the thermometer and to say how they check the chest or neck. DfE tells practitioners to feel the chest or the back of the neck; hands and feet run cooler. That check is the override, not a parent tog chart printed at home.

Can I send a 1.0 tog and a blanket ‘in case’?

Lullaby Trust early-years guidance says there is no need to use any additional bedding when using a baby sleep bag, and the bag should be well fitted so the baby cannot wriggle down. Doubling two bags, or adding a blanket on a bag, is the layering pattern that page warns against: trapped air increases warmth. If the room is cool, the maker’s guide may point to a higher tog or an extra clothing layer — not a quilt. Hats stay off indoors.

In shortSend the tog that matches the nursery thermometer and the maker’s guide. A 2.5 tog request is only as good as the 16–20°C reading behind it. Lullaby Trust has no layer table to fill the gap.

What should go on the settling form?

• The tog and weight band of the bag you are sending, copied from the label.
• The home night temperature, if you measure it, so the key person can see why your home bag may differ.
• Whether the baby sleeps in a vest, a sleepsuit, or a nappy only under the bag at that tog.
• A spare bag in a lower tog if the setting agrees to swap when the room is above 20°C.

For the leave-in versus daily-carry choice, see leave a sleeping bag at nursery or take it home. For how many bags that creates, see how many sleeping bags for nursery and home.