One of the most useful pieces of paper I ever received from my health visitor was a Tog Rating for my baby.

As a new protective mum you will be aware of your baby and their temperature, but you may not be aware of how easy it can be to put too much clothing on, especially in the winter in our central heated homes.

With so many issues related to temperature we have below tried to give you some guidance on how to assess whether you have too much or too little on your baby.

What is a Tog Rating?

The British "T0G" value is the international standard measurement of all blankets' thermal effectiveness (how well it keeps you warm). The higher the number then the better a blanket keeps you warm.

The TOG rating describes the warmth or 'Thermal Resistance' of a fabric, and is widely used in the UK to describe warmth levels of duvets and sleeping bags. For example, an adult winter duvet is usually between 10 and 15 TOGs and a summer duvet around 4.5 TOGs. It is recommended that quilts for babies and young children above 1 year should be no more than 4 TOGs, and the health professionals recommend that baby sleeping bags should be of a low TOG rating. TOG values need to conform to British Standard BS4745:1990 which is the method for determination of thermal resistance of textiles.

The tog value of duvets is measured on a togmeter and the name was taken from the common slang for clothes. This measurement is carefully controlled and described in a British Standard (BS5335:1991). You can get a copy of the paper which describes the measurements in great detail from British Standards Online.

Is Your Baby Too Hot?

Small babies are not very good at controlling their own temperature. It's just as important to avoid getting too hot as it is to avoid getting chilled. Overheating is known to be a factor in cot death. So how do we know what is too hot?

If the room is warm enough for you to be comfortable wearing light clothing (16 - 20°c) then it is the right temperature for your baby.

Standard 'tog' values are used to quantify the insulation on sleeping babies. The Tog Table below can be used as a guide to your baby's temperature.

Ready for Bed

Additional Information

• The total tog value of the bedding is the sum of the individual tog values of the layers.
• Duvets: the tog value of a duvet is usually recorded in the packaging or on the label. Remember that it is more difficult to adjust the total tog value of bedding when a duvet is used instead of blankets.
• Remember that swaddling may more than treble the tog value of the item of bedding which swaddles the baby.
• Recommended total in 65 degrees Fahrenheit is 8 togs.

Ask your midwife or health visitor for advice and a `TOG rating chart'.

Every item of bedding and clothing (including the nappy) will be allocated a TOG number usually ranging from 1/2 to 3. The ideal TOG rating for your baby may depend on whether your house has central heating or not. By adding together the TOG numbers of the vest, stretchsuit, nappy, socks, cellular blanket etc you can make sure that your baby is warm enough without overheating.