Should my baby wear a hat to sleep?

No. Babies release heat through their heads, and safe-sleep guidance from the AAP and NHS says no hats indoors during sleep. Hats are for outdoors in the cold.

Does my baby need socks at night?

Usually not. A footed sleepsuit or a sleep sack covers the feet, and cool hands and feet are normal in sleeping babies. Judge warmth by the chest or back of the neck, not the toes.

When should we stop swaddling?

At the first signs of rolling, per AAP safe-sleep guidance. Many babies show rolling attempts around 2 to 3 months. After swaddling, an arms-free sleep sack is the usual next step.

What TOG sleep sack should I use?

As a common rule of thumb: around 2.5 TOG for rooms of 16-19°C, 1.0 TOG for 20-23°C, and 0.5 TOG or lighter above 24°C - adjusting the bodysuit underneath. Brands differ, so check their chart and always confirm with the chest check.

What Should My Baby Wear to Sleep Tonight?

The TinyLayers Guide · Updated July 17, 2026

Quick answer

Dress your baby for the room temperature, not the season. In a typical 20-22°C (68-72°F) nursery, that's a long- or short-sleeve bodysuit under a 1.0 TOG sleep sack. Then confirm with the chest check: warm and dry is right.

It's 9pm, the nursery reads 21 degrees, and you're standing over the drawer holding two sleep sacks and a bodysuit, doing mental math you were never taught. Every parent knows this moment. The good news: the answer follows a simple rule, and you can verify it in ten seconds once your baby settles.

The room decides, not the calendar

Babies sleep in a room, not in the weather forecast. A July nursery with air conditioning can be colder than a January one with radiators. So the only number that matters is the temperature near the crib - a small thermometer there beats any seasonal rule. Once you know the room, sleepwear follows.

A plain-English chart

Sleep sack warmth is measured in TOG (Thermal Overall Grade) - higher is warmer. This table reflects common TOG chart guidance used by major sleepwear brands; treat it as a starting point, not a prescription, and check your brand's own chart.

Room temperature	Typical outfit
Under 16°C (61°F)	2.5 TOG sack + sleepsuit + long-sleeve bodysuit
16-19°C (61-66°F)	2.5 TOG sack + long-sleeve bodysuit
20-21°C (68-70°F)	1.0 TOG sack + long-sleeve bodysuit
22-23°C (72-73°F)	1.0 TOG sack + short-sleeve bodysuit
24-25°C (75-77°F)	0.5 TOG sack + short-sleeve bodysuit
26°C+ (79°F+)	0.5 TOG or lighter, or bodysuit only

Notice what's missing: blankets. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends keeping loose blankets, pillows, and soft objects out of the sleep space entirely for the first year - a wearable sleep sack does the blanket's job without the risk.

The chest check: your ten-second confirmation

Charts get you close; your baby tells you the rest. About 10-15 minutes after settling, slide a hand onto your baby's chest or the back of the neck:

Warm and dry - you got it right. Close the door calm.
Sweaty, damp, or hot - remove a layer.
Chest feels cool - add a layer.

Cool hands and feet are normal in sleeping babies and not a sign to bundle up - immature circulation keeps extremities cooler. The chest is the honest reading.

Three rules that don't change with temperature

No hats indoors during sleep. Babies shed heat through their heads; a hat blocks that and raises overheating risk.
Stop swaddling at the first sign of rolling, per AAP guidance - usually around 2-3 months. Move to an arms-free sack.
When torn between two options, go lighter. Overheating is linked to sleep-related infant death risk; slightly cool is the safer miss, and the chest check will catch it either way.

Or skip the mental math.

TinyLayers reads your room temperature and answers in one glance - tonight's sack, tonight's layer, done. Learn more →

Related guides

Sources

TinyLayers provides general dressing guidance only and does not replace medical advice. Every baby is different - for fever, premature birth, or any medical concern, follow your clinician's guidance.