Guides · Sleep bags · TOG
Why doesn't the Lullaby Trust have a baby sleeping bag tog chart?
What did the Lullaby Trust publish instead of a chart?
On How to dress your baby for sleep (reviewed 28 February 2026) the Trust answers the chart request directly. Families often look to them for a table matching room temperature to clothing, layers and tog. They say they are unable to provide that specific advice. The same three-sentence refusal is repeated on the room-temperature page, the sleeping-products page and the cold-weather page.
What they do publish is a room range, a how-to-check, and a pointer to the bag in your hand. The recommended room temperature is 16–20°C. Use a room thermometer. Feel the chest or the back of the neck — hands and feet run cooler. If the skin is hot or sweaty, remove a layer. If the chest feels cold, add a clothing layer or choose a higher-tog bag. Follow the manufacturer's tog guide for that product.
Why do they refuse a single table?
The Trust gives three reasons, in the same order, every time the chart question appears.
Swipe sideways for the full table
| Their reason | What that means in the cot |
|---|---|
| Every product uses different materials, and different percentages of materials | Two bags both labelled 2.5 tog are not required to feel the same. Thermal insulation varies by fabric and fill. |
| Heat trapped between layers changes the insulation significantly | A bag plus a baby-grow is not the bag's tog on its own. Two 1.0 tog bags do not add up to 2.0 tog — trapped air between them increases warmth. |
| Every baby is different | The 16–20°C range is a guide. The check is the baby's chest or neck, not a cell in a blog table. |
The Trust also says not to put extra blankets on top of a sleeping bag, not to double a blanket and count it as one, to take hats off indoors, and to look for BS EN 16781:2018 on sleep bags. Those are product rules, not a dressing grid.
What should I use instead of their missing chart?
- Read the bag you own Find the maker's tog and °C range on the label or the care leaflet. That is the chart the Trust tells you to follow. Weight, not age, is how most bags are sized.
- Put a thermometer in the sleep room The Trust and the NHS both use 16–20°C as the room guide. Guessing from how the room feels to an adult is the error they are trying to stop.
- Use the NHS three-band list as context only The NHS lists commercial bags as 2.5 tog for 16–20°C, 1.0 tog for 20–24°C, and 0.5 tog for 24–27°C. It does not name 1.5 or 3.5. If your bag's label disagrees with those bands, the label on that bag still governs how that product was tested.
- Check the baby, not the table Chest or back of the neck. Hot or sweaty: remove a layer. Chest cold: add a clothing layer or step up a tog. Do not add a blanket over the bag.
What tog ratings does the NHS actually list?
The NHS Best Start in Life safer-sleep page lists three commercial tog ratings. It also says there should be no other bedding with a bag, and that you adjust clothing underneath.
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| Tog on the NHS list | NHS room-temperature band |
|---|---|
| 2.5 tog | All year; standard rooms 16 to 20°C (61 to 69°F) |
| 1.0 tog | Warmer weather; rooms 20 to 24°C (69 to 73°F) |
| 0.5 tog | Hot weather; rooms 24 to 27°C (73 to 80°F) |
How do I check if my baby is too hot without a chart?
The Trust's method does not need a grid. Feel the chest or the back of the neck. Hands and feet are usually cooler; that is described as normal. Hot or sweaty skin means remove one or more layers. A cold chest means add a clothing layer or a higher tog. In really warm rooms they say a short-sleeve vest or even just a nappy can be enough. In rooms below 16°C, they say extra clothing or a higher-tog bag — still no extra blankets on the bag.
In shortIn short: the missing chart is a published refusal, not a gap MayTally should fill. Use the bag's own tog guide, the NHS three-band list for context, a 16–20°C room where you can, and the chest-or-neck check.
Questions parents ask
- Why do brand blogs still print a tog chart?
- Retailers need to explain the togs they sell, including 1.5 and 3.5, which the NHS list does not name. Those tables are the maker's or shop's own pairing of product and room. They are not a Lullaby Trust document.
- Can I add two lighter bags to make a warmer tog?
- The Trust says no. Two 1.0 tog bags do not equal 2.0 tog, because air trapped between layers increases warmth. Use one well-fitting bag and change the clothing underneath, or change to a higher tog.
- Is 16–20°C a rule I must hit every night?
- The Trust calls it the recommended range and a guide. Every baby is different. If you cannot hold that range, they still want the chest-or-neck check, lighter or extra clothing as needed, and no hats indoors.
- Does a British Standard replace a tog chart?
- BS EN 16781:2018 is the sleep-bag standard the Trust names. They also say there is no safety standard related to SIDS, so a code on the label is not a dressing table.
Sources
Official pages first. If this page and the official page disagree, the official page wins.
- The Lullaby Trust — How to dress your baby for sleep — checked 10 September 2026
- The Lullaby Trust — Room temperature — checked 10 September 2026
- The Lullaby Trust — Baby sleeping products — checked 10 September 2026
- NHS Best Start in Life — Baby safer sleep advice — 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.