Which tog sleeping bags should I buy for the first year in the UK?

Which togs belong in the first-year basket?

This is a shopping list, not a nightly dressing table. NHS safer sleep names three commercial togs:

• 2.5 tog — 'for use all year and for standard room temperatures of 16 to 20C'
• 1.0 tog — 'for use in warmer weather and in warmer rooms of 20 to 24C'
• 0.5 tog — 'for use in hot weather and warm room temperatures of 24 to 27C'

Most UK bedrooms with heating sit in the first two bands, so the usual basket is 2.5 + 1.0. The 0.5 is the heatwave / warm-flat add-on — see do you need a 0.5 tog. The NHS page does not list 3.5 or 0.2. Brands still sell both; treat them as extras, not as official first-year kit.

Do I need a 3.5 or a 0.2 as well?

Retailers line up 0.2 through 3.5 as a 'full set'. That is merchandising. The NHS commercial list stops at 0.5 / 1.0 / 2.5. Love to Dream's own tog page sells 0.2 for rooms it calls above 24°C and 3.5 for rooms it calls below 16°C. Those are brand charts, not NHS bands.

Buy a 3.5 only after a room thermometer shows the unused room is staying below the temperature that maker printed — and after you have tried warming the room or adding a clothing layer under a 2.5, which is what Lullaby Trust describes if baby feels cool. Buy a 0.2 only if 0.5 still feels too warm on the chest in a measured heatwave; Lullaby Trust also says that in really hot weather a short-sleeve vest or even just a nappy is fine.

How many of each tog should I put in the basket?

The NHS kit list is two sleeping bags (or sheets and a cellular blanket). Apply that two to the tog you will wash most often — usually 2.5 in a 16–20°C room, or 1.0 in a warm flat. Then add one of the next tog you actually need. That is often four units across two togs, or three if you accept a slower wash on the lighter bag.

A dual-tog 1.0↔2.5 bag can collapse the two everyday togs into one SKU. You still need a wash spare, and you still usually need a separate 0.5 for the NHS 24–27°C band. How many bags before birth is the unit count; this page is which togs those units should be.

Do not stack two bags to 'make' a higher tog. Lullaby Trust: two 1.0 bags do not equal 2.0, because air trapped between layers adds warmth.

What should I check on the label before I pay?

1. 1
   Tog and the maker's room range Confirm it is 2.5, 1.0 or 0.5 if you are following the NHS commercial list. If the hangtag shows 3.5 or 0.2, treat that as a brand extra.
2. 2
   Minimum weight, not age Many 0–6 month bags start at about 4kg. If you are shopping before birth, pair the bag with the under-4kg sheet and cellular-blanket kit.
3. 3
   Neck and shoulder fit line NHS: the bag should fit well around the shoulders so the head cannot slip down inside. Lullaby Trust names BS EN 16781:2018 for sleepbags.
4. 4
   No extra bedding pictogram NHS: depending on room temperature and tog, adjust clothing underneath. There should be no other bedding on top of the bag.

Where do I look for nightly tog matching?

Use a room thermometer and the NHS three-tog list plus the Lullaby Trust dressing page. The Trust says it cannot issue a clothing-to-tog chart because fabrics, trapped air and babies differ. Check the chest or back of the neck; hands and feet run cooler. If the skin is hot or sweaty, remove a layer.

In shortIn short: the first-year basket is usually 2.5 and 1.0, two of the tog you wash most, plus a 0.5 if the room hits 24–27°C. Skip 3.5 and 0.2 until a thermometer creates the gap. Do not print a homemade nightly chart — use NHS and Lullaby Trust for the night, and this list only for the basket.