3.5 tog sleep sack advice and experiences please

[TheCosyRain]

We have our thermostat set to 18 degrees however at night my baby’s room can drop to 17. She’s about to turn 1 year old.

After a few nights of her waking up cold in the night she now goes to bed in a long sleeve vest, baby-grow and a 2.5 tog sleep sack. It has helped. However last night it dropped to 16 and she woke up a couple of times and I think she’s cold.

I’ve just gone online and ordered a 3.5 tog with removable arms from jojo. But although I believe many bedrooms drop to this temperature and lower at winter I never see much about 3.5togs being used. I do think my girl likes to be on the warmer side. Just feeling a bit unsure about what’s best as when she goes to bed at night the bedroom is usually warmer at about 18 degrees.

Do many of you use 3.5 tog bags in similar circumstances? Experiences please? Tempted to add a thin jumper to her 2.5 tog until the thicker one arrives!

If you think your baby is cold I would trust your instincts. However, I have only used more than a 2.5 tog once and that was camping. 2.5 is usually suitable at 16 degrees with various layers which is why they’re the most common the UK, most people’s houses aren’t cold enough for 3.5. We dress babies too warmly.

I've also only used 3.5 tog for camping with fleecy pyjamas underneath. The same sleeping bag you have from Jojo. We also use the sleeves for camping.

At home i only use 2.5 tog, no sleeves

I used the Jojo 3.5 tog with arms with my DD. Just with a sleepsuit under. She also liked to be warm and woke frequently when not. Arms were needed in Winter/minus temps.

I used 3.5 tog only a few times when the room dropped below 16 degrees. I wouldn’t use it for above 16 degrees. The risk of cot death with overheating is higher. I’d rather add a cellular blanket in the night when the remote rather drops

I never used at 3.5 for my eldest and her room often got to 12/13 in the early hours (old drafts house). But my second definitely runs colder and wears a long vest sleep suit and 2.5 tog already and her room gets to 15/16 at the moment. I’ll likely just use a cellular blanket to throw over her when I go to bed when it gets really cold, or maybe a 3.5, but that’s only for when her room gets low as 12/13

We’ve started using our 3.5 tog with arms as well. He wears a long sleeve onesie under it. The heating is always off in his room so it gets pretty cold during the night but he’s always warm and cozy when I check his hands/feet. If it gets any colder I’ll probably add a vest under his onesie like I did last winter.

Our house is old and gets cold at night. Far below 16! We used thermals (especially vests) under sleep suits. Then 3.5 tog sleep sacks. Hot water bottles to warm beds first (removed once they got in). And occasionally blankets on top - once they were old enough to move them (by 13&15 months both mine had learnt to climb out of cots and cot beds, so were in toddler or floor beds but I know that’s unusual). Thermal curtains (and insulating the windows) made a difference in the room too.

For comparison: some nights we’d be in hoodies, with double layered heavy weight duvets, and wool blankets to pull on top and toss off.

I read all of the UK advice, but also looked at the scandi countries advice - so upgraded our blankets to better materials etc.. My kids would be freezing with a cellular blanket and a 2.5 tog (not a judgement, you’d actually see their breath in the room on a proper winters night - and yes, the house needs work, but in the meantime they need to be comfortable, safely).

We used a 3.5 tog with our son from age 12 months to 2.5 years ( during winter ). We only turn on the heating downstairs so the bedrooms regularly drop to 13 degrees at night . He slept nice and cozy in his 3.5. On slightly milder nights we removed the sleeves . Now he’s old enough to have heavy duvet.

We used to have the same 3.5 Jojo ones as you with the sleeves they were a game changer for us!

Our house is 1800s and regularly drops to 13 overnight. I'm literally sat here in the lounge and the thermometer is 14.1! 2.5tog just wasn't cutting it and the 3.5 kept DC super cosy and warm. They do take a while to dry though so worth getting 2. They have good resale value on vinted too!

Put a heater in their room for goodness sake! 16/17 degrees is freezing!

17 degrees is freezing? Bit of an exaggeration.

Thanks for the replies. It became apparent when she woke up that she’s got hand foot and mouth which explains the wakings! But I will keep the thicker sleeping bag when it arrives incase it’s ever needed!

I also wondered about what tog to get because my room drops to about 16-17 overnight. Then I realised (brain fart!) that my own duvet is a 2.5 tog and I should be dressing baby in the same amount of layers since we'll be in the same room. In the middle of winter, I am comfortable wearing a light long sleeve top over my thin pyjamas. If it's cold I add a light blanket.

So kiddo is going to have the 2.5 tog sleeping bag, plus vest and babygrow, and as long as I don't feel cold she should be comfortable too. If it feels cold to me, I'll add a cotton cellular. Fingers crossed.

I use a 3.5 tog, in fact my just 3 year old is in one tonight. If you go by the recommendations, 3.5 tog is meant to be for practically arctic conditions! But both mine have worn them in the winter months. Sleeveless to start and then with sleeves when it gets colder (sometimes one sleeve on and one sleeve off too!).

Trust your gut. For both mine, waking in the early morning has always been the indicator that I need to move up a tog. It just happened this past week and as soon as I put the 3.5 tog on, no more wake ups!

Just thought I would update incase anyone in future is in the same position and searches mumsnet for an answer (as I often do).

The 3.5 tog says I got says it’s for 16 and below but also shows putting it with a sleepsuit. I’ve been putting her to bed in it with sleeves detached and just a long sleeve vest as her room starts at 18/19 and drops to 16/17. She’s been sleeping well and not too hot when I’ve checked.

I thought last night was more mild so I put her in long vest, sleepsuit and her 2.5 tog. She woke in the night and her room was 17. She was cold. So I changed her into her 3.5 tog and she settled straight away and went back off to sleep.

So for us this is working well and the 3.5 tog has been a worthwhile purchase especially as it will only get colder as we go into winter.

We've changed to a 3.5 tog sleeping bag this last week due to what felt like a million wakings during the night all of a sudden. She now wakes only to feed at 3/4 hour intervals.
We put her in a sleepsuit with no vest and the 3.5 tog, our room changes between 16/17 throughout the night.

It's worked wonders for us.

I’ve used 3.5 when room dropped to 12/13.

Otherwise was a big fan of the JoJo bags with sleeves or I also had sleepsuits with padded arms.

SoI'm

Hi,

I am due my first baby on 18th Dec and am worried about keeping my baby warm. My house can get quite cold when no heating is on and I’m just trying to figure out the best way to kee my baby warm on a night time when we don’t have the heating on.

Is a 3.5 tog sleeping bag enough on top of a vest and baby grow? And mittens for his hands.

Thanks

Do you know what sort of temperature your bedroom is usually? It’s probably a good idea to check if not so you can be properly prepared. The 3.5 I have now is for 16 and below.

With a newborn you need to be careful not to overheat them. Also, you will be getting up with them a few times at least throughout the night so you will have plenty of opportunity to adjust what they are wearing accordingly. It’s better that you risk them being a little bit too cold rather than too warm.