Short answer: measure the temperature of the room your baby sleeps in, not the weather outside, and match it to the TOG chart for the brand you buy. For most Australian bedrooms that means a 1.0 TOG bag for the long shoulder seasons, 0.2 TOG for hot summer nights above about 24 degrees, and 2.5 TOG once the room drops into the high teens. Only the coldest rooms in the southern states and the highlands need a 3.5 TOG. Adjust the clothing underneath before you change the bag, and check your baby’s chest or the back of the neck rather than their hands or feet.
What TOG actually measures
TOG stands for Thermal Overall Grade. It is a measure of how much warmth a fabric holds in: the higher the number, the warmer the bag. A 0.2 TOG bag is a single layer of light cotton or bamboo; a 1.0 TOG is lightly lined; a 2.5 TOG is quilted; a 3.5 TOG is a thick winter bag. The rating describes the bag alone, which is why every brand pairs it with a layering guide for what to wear underneath.
There is no Australian standard for how TOG is tested or labelled on baby sleepwear, so a 1.0 TOG from one brand can feel slightly different from another. That is not a reason to worry, but it is a reason to use the chart from the brand you bought rather than a generic one, and to put a simple thermometer in the nursery. Red Nose recommends a safe sleeping bag, with a fitted neck, armholes and no hood, over blankets, because nothing loose can cover your baby’s face and the bag makes it harder to roll onto the tummy.
TOG by room temperature
The ranges below are typical of the charts published by Australian brands such as Love to Dream and ergoPouch. Treat them as a starting point and confirm against your own brand’s chart.
| Room temperature | TOG | What to wear underneath | Typical Australian setting |
|---|---|---|---|
| Above about 24 °C | 0.2 TOG | Nappy only, or a singlet or short-sleeve bodysuit at the cooler end | Summer in Brisbane, Darwin, Perth and inland NSW; heatwaves anywhere |
| About 20 to 24 °C | 1.0 TOG | Short-sleeve bodysuit, moving to a long-sleeve bodysuit at the cooler end | Spring and autumn in most cities; summer nights in Melbourne, Hobart and Canberra |
| About 17 to 21 °C | 2.5 TOG | Long-sleeve bodysuit, adding a cotton sleepsuit at the cooler end | Winter in Sydney, Adelaide and Perth; autumn and spring in Melbourne |
| Below about 17 °C | 3.5 TOG | Long-sleeve bodysuit and sleepsuit; socks if the feet are exposed | Unheated winter rooms in Melbourne, Hobart, Canberra, Ballarat and alpine areas |
Where the ranges overlap, the clothing underneath is the lever. A 1.0 TOG with a long-sleeve bodysuit and a 2.5 TOG with a singlet can suit the same 20-degree room; choose whichever you own and dress accordingly.
Australian seasons and states
Australia’s climate makes it hard to give one answer. A Brisbane family may only ever need a 0.2 and a 1.0 TOG. A Melbourne family with no heating in the nursery can swing from a 0.2 TOG in a February heatwave to a 3.5 TOG in July. In Sydney, Perth and Adelaide the common pair is a 1.0 TOG for most of the year and a 2.5 TOG for winter. In Canberra, Hobart and regional Victoria, a 2.5 TOG covers much of the year and a 3.5 TOG the coldest months.
The nursery temperature also changes overnight. A room that reads 23 degrees at bedtime can be 18 degrees at 4 am in autumn. Dress your baby for the coolest part of the night rather than the warmest, and if you use a heater or cooler, keep it on a thermostat so the room stays in one TOG band.
How to check for overheating
Hands and feet are a poor guide because they are often cool even when a baby is comfortably warm. Slide a finger inside the neck of the bag and feel the chest or the back of the neck. It should feel warm and dry. Sweaty, damp hair, flushed cheeks, a hot chest or rapid breathing mean your baby is too warm: remove a layer or drop a TOG. A cool chest means add a layer underneath. Overheating is a recognised risk factor in Red Nose safe-sleep guidance, so when in doubt, dress lighter. Never add a blanket over a sleeping bag; change the layers inside it instead.
From swaddle to arms-free bag
Newborns can be swaddled in a TOG-rated swaddle such as the Love to Dream Swaddle Up, which comes in the same 0.2, 1.0 and 2.5 TOG weights as the sleeping bags. Red Nose advises stopping swaddling as soon as your baby shows the first signs of rolling, often around three to four months and sometimes earlier. From then on, arms must be free. A transition bag with zip-off wings, or a convertible bag that opens at the arms, lets you release one arm for a few nights and then the other, keeping the TOG and the familiar fabric the same while only the arm position changes.
Three bags that cover the Australian year
Love to Dream Swaddle Up 1.0 TOG
The arms-up zip swaddle most Australian newborns start in. The 1.0 TOG suits rooms around 20 to 24 degrees, and the 0.2 and 2.5 TOG versions cover summer and winter. It is sized by weight, so check your baby’s weight against the chart rather than their age, and retire it at the first signs of rolling.
Who it’s for: newborns from birth to the rolling stage.
Check price on Amazon.com.au · 0.2 TOG version · 2.5 TOG version
ergoPouch Sleeveless Sleeping Bag 0.2 TOG
An organic-cotton sleeveless bag with a fitted neck and armholes, a two-way zip and a bell-shaped bottom that leaves the hips free. The 0.2 TOG is the summer bag for warm rooms; the 1.0 and 2.5 TOG versions use the same cut for cooler months, so you can keep one familiar bag style all year.
Who it’s for: arms-free babies and toddlers in warm rooms, or as the summer half of a two-bag set.
Check price on Amazon.com.au · 1.0 TOG version · 2.5 TOG version
ergoPouch Sleep Suit Bag 2.5 / 3.5 TOG
A quilted winter bag whose bottom zips into two legs, so a toddler who stands in the cot does not trip and you can carry a sleepy baby to the car without undressing them. The 2.5 TOG covers most Australian winters; the 3.5 TOG is for unheated rooms that drop below about 17 degrees.
Who it’s for: cold-climate families and toddlers who have outgrown a plain bag.
Quick checklist
- Put a thermometer in the nursery and read it at bedtime and overnight
- Choose the TOG from your brand’s chart, then fine-tune with the clothing underneath
- Feel the chest or back of the neck, not the hands or feet
- Fitted neck and armholes, no hood, no blanket on top
- Stop swaddling at the first signs of rolling and move to an arms-free bag
Frequently asked questions
What TOG sleeping bag should I use in an Australian summer?
For rooms above about 24 degrees, use a 0.2 TOG bag with a nappy or a singlet underneath. For milder summer nights around 20 to 24 degrees, which is common in Melbourne, Hobart and Canberra, a 1.0 TOG with a short-sleeve bodysuit is usual. Check your baby’s chest and remove a layer if it feels hot or sweaty.
What TOG does my baby need in an Australian winter?
A 2.5 TOG bag suits most winter rooms between about 17 and 21 degrees, which covers Sydney, Adelaide, Perth and Brisbane. A 3.5 TOG is for unheated rooms that drop below about 17 degrees, typical of Melbourne, Hobart, Canberra and regional areas. Always confirm with the chart for your brand.
What should my baby wear under a 1.0 TOG sleeping bag?
At the warm end of the 1.0 TOG range, around 24 degrees, a short-sleeve bodysuit is enough. At the cool end, around 20 degrees, move to a long-sleeve bodysuit or add a light sleepsuit. Brand charts vary slightly, so follow the one for the bag you bought.
How do I know if my baby is too hot in a sleeping bag?
Feel the chest or the back of the neck. If it is sweaty, damp or hot, or your baby has flushed cheeks or is breathing quickly, remove a layer underneath or switch to a lower TOG. Hands and feet are often cool and are not a reliable guide. A warm, dry chest means the layers are right.
Can I put a blanket over a sleeping bag if the room is cold?
No. Red Nose recommends against loose bedding in the cot, and a blanket over a bag risks covering the face and overheating. Instead, move up a TOG or add a long-sleeve bodysuit and sleepsuit underneath the bag, and consider a thermostat-controlled heater to keep the room steady.
Related guides: compare every swaddle and bag we recommend in our best baby sleeping bags and swaddles in Australia roundup, and set up the rest of the sleep space with our picks for the best bassinets and portacots.
