Baby Sleeping Bags

Because it zips on, it can't be kicked off in the night or end up over your baby's face the way a blanket can. The Lullaby Trust lists a well-fitting sleep bag as one of the safe choices for cot bedding.

Go by the room temperature at night, measured with a thermometer. Most UK bedrooms sit at 16 to 20°C, which is 2.5 TOG, or 1.5 if the room stays at 18 to 20°C; below 16°C choose 3.5, from 21 to 23°C 1.0, and from 24°C 0.5. Our baby sleeping bag TOG guide works it out from your room temperature and your baby's age.

Go by the neck and chest, not the age on the label: the 0-9M has a 10cm neck and 31cm chest, the 9-18M 12cm and 35cm, and the 18-36M 12cm and 38cm. If the neck pulls up over your baby's chin without effort, it's too big for now.

Yes, once the neck fits closely. The 0-9M has a 10cm neck, so a small newborn may need a few weeks; until then, use a light swaddle or a sheet tucked in below the shoulders.

Work from the room temperature. At 16 or 17°C, a long-sleeve bodysuit and a sleepsuit in a 2.5 TOG; at 18 to 20°C, a sleepsuit on its own in a 2.5, or a short-sleeve bodysuit and a sleepsuit in a 1.5; from 21 to 23°C, a short-sleeve bodysuit in a 1.0. Check their chest or the back of their neck rather than their hands.