What is a TOG?

icon share Share
August 23, 2021
2 min read

Having a baby brings about a lot of new terminology to a parent’s language, and TOG is just one of them.

What is a TOG

TOG stands for thermal overall grade, or in simple terms, how warm an item of bedding is. It describes the thickness and warmth of all different sorts of bedding, but for babies and children it generally relates to swaddles, sleeping bags and sleep suits.

Babies cannot regulate their temperature

These are most helpful as your baby cannot regulate their temperature like adults can and gives you a better guide compared to something being a “winter weight” or “summer weight”.

TOGS range from 0.2 – 3.5 with the higher number being thicker and warmer. A 0.2 TOG rated garment would be appropriate for summer whereas a 2.5-3.5 TOG garment is better for cooler temperatures.

Most products will come with a TOG guide and it is always important to dress your baby appropriately and ensure they are not too cold or too hot.

Our donnas are 7.5-11.5 TOG!!

An all seasons duvet generally has a TOG of 7.5-11.5 so it’s easy to see why even in the colder months and a higher rated sleeping bag or swaddle, you will most likely still need to heat the room a little to a comfortable temperature.

The benefit of putting your baby or child in a TOG rated garment is that you have piece of mind that your child is comfortable during sleep time and less likely to wake from being uncomfortable.

Your baby will wake up if they are too cold

Being too cold is one of the key reasons for early morning and overnight waking.  Ideally you can get the room to a comfortable 22 degrees but if not you need to make sure your baby has adequate warmth.  If you need to use a blanket to create extra warmth always remember safe sleeping guidelines.

All Dr Golly sleep programs provide temperature charts for appropriate TOG dressing for the temperature of the room.

Learn more about the Dr Golly Philosophy here.

Shop the Dr Golly age appropriate routines here.

Related Blog Posts

Close