Dressing your baby appropriately at bed time

“I am so confused! I am overwhelmed with so much choice for bedding for my baby’s cot and I am unsure what a Tog rating is.  Also, how should I dress my baby at bedtime?  I don’t want him to be too hot or too cold.”Many parents want to know the practicalities of dressing their baby for sleep. This month Baby Sense takes you through sensible attire for slumber time.

There is a multitude of bedding available for your baby.  Anything from top sheets to blankets, swaddle blankets to sleeping bags.  In the early days, your newborn should be swaddled with a 100% cotton swaddling blanket or receiver folded into a triangle to swaddle your baby. On warm night or if your baby’s nursery is over 21 degrees, this is all your baby requires over her vest and babygro to keep her warm. If it is cooler, cover your swaddled baby with a cotton, wool or blanket made of another natural fibre. The benefit of using blankets is that they can be layered to keep your baby at the correct temperature either by adding or taking away a layer.  Remember to always put your baby with their feet at the bottom of the cot and never put the blankets up past their shoulders.  Pillows and duvets are not recommended until your baby is over 2 years old.

As your baby reaches three months of age, she will outgrow swaddling and may begin to kick her blankets off. At this stage, the best cover for your baby is a sleeping bag. We strongly recommend sleeping bags as they keep your baby covered, limit the risk of over heating and there is no risk of blankets covering your baby’s face and suffocating her. If the room is cooler than 18 degrees use a second blanket over your baby but keep it under her arms so that there is no risk of covering her face.

What is the recommended temperature for your baby’s room?  The ideal temperature is between 18 and 21C.  Get hold of a room thermometer so that you can check the temperature of the room on a regular basis.  If possible, adjust the temperature in the room with a thermostatic control.  If you don’t have one of these then plan your bedding and what your baby is wearing instead.  A good way of being able to be in control of your baby’s temperature is to use a sleeping bag with an appropriate tog rating.

What is a Tog rating?  A Tog is a measurement of warmth and has nothing to do with the thickness or weight of the bedding.  The higher the tog, the warmer the product is.  A 2.5 tog is good for using all year round in a room that is around the recommended temperature.  In warmer weather (20-24C) use a 1 Tog rating and when the weather is hot (24-27C) use a 0.5 Tog.

There are a number of external factors that can affect how warm your baby is.  If your baby has a raised temperature due to illness, you may want to use bedding with a lower tog rating until their fever subsides.  A Babygro alone is 1 tog, whilst a warm sleep suit can add up to 4 togs.  Here is a short graph to give you an idea of how to dress your baby for sleep.

Warmth Chart

24°C - 27°C Too warm for comfort

Cool the room and use short sleeved body vest with Summer and 0.5 Tog Sleeping bag only

Cotton baby grow or pajamas with 1- 0.5 Tog sleeping bag only

Vest, cotton baby grow & 1 - 2.5 Tog sleeping bag

Need a vest plus long sleeved cotton babygro or pajamas with 2.5 sleeping bag and blanket

If your baby is too cool during the night he will wake up.  You can feel the back of his neck to check that he is warm, and if his skin feels damp he may be too hot.  Don’t worry if you feel that hands, arms and feet are a little cool.  This is quite normal and is actually your baby’s way of regulating his temperature.  Do not buy sleeping bags with sleeves and it s not necessary to put a hat on when your baby sleeps. Ensure the sleeping bag you use is 100% cotton with cotton fill as polyester carries the risk of overheating.

If you are using the correct tog rating and dressing your baby appropriately for the temperature there will be no need to add any further blankets.  Look at the Baby Sense Range of Swaddle Blankets, Sleeping bags and our newest addition of the Baby Sense Blanket.  Happy Shopping.