The AAP’s simple guideline
According to the AAP’s parent site, your baby needs just one layer more than you would wear to be comfortable in the same setting. Layering your baby’s clothing is safer than relying on blankets, and the AAP recommends keeping the room at a comfortable temperature.
No specific room temperature is given by either the AAP’s parent site or the NIH Safe to Sleep campaign. The guidance centers on how your baby feels rather than a thermostat reading.
How to tell your baby is too warm
These are the signs listed by the NIH Safe to Sleep campaign:
- Sweating
- Skin that is flushed, red or hot
- A chest that is hot when you touch it
Feel the chest or the back of the neck rather than the hands and feet. If your baby is sweaty, take off a layer.
Hats and covering the head
The AAP advises against putting a hat on your baby indoors after you are home from the hospital; hats belong to the first hours after birth or the NICU. Safe to Sleep adds that your baby’s head and face should remain uncovered while sleeping.
If you are double-checking layers because your baby keeps waking, getting the temperature right matters, but it is seldom the full explanation. The waking itself is what Actually Sleeping fixes.
What a TOG rating means
TOG is short for thermal overall grade, a warmth rating that manufacturers print on sleep sacks and swaddles; the higher the number, the warmer and thicker the sack. TOG does not appear in the AAP’s guidance, and brands vary in how they rate products and which room temperatures they suggest. Treat the manufacturer’s chart as a starting point and adjust for your baby.
How it all fits together
| Room feels | You would wear | A typical baby setup |
|---|---|---|
| Warm | A T-shirt | A short-sleeve bodysuit, or a bodysuit under a light sleep sack |
| Comfortable | Light long sleeves | A long-sleeve sleepsuit with a light-to-medium sleep sack |
| Cool | A sweater | A long-sleeve sleepsuit with a warmer sleep sack |
These illustrate the one-extra-layer rule rather than setting firm requirements. Your baby’s skin is what really tells you. Hands and feet frequently feel cool even when a baby is warm enough, since they are small and exposed; judge by the chest and neck.
What to avoid
- Loose blankets and quilts. Leave them out of the sleep space throughout the first year.
- Weighted sleep sacks or swaddles. According to the AAP, weighted products on or near a baby are not safe. Read weighted sleep sacks.
- Swaddling once your baby is trying to roll. At the first signs of rolling, stop swaddling and switch to an arms-out sleep sack.
- Hoods, hats and heavy fleece in a warm room.
- Heaters or electric blankets close to the crib.
When the real question is night waking
Lots of parents begin comparing TOG ratings because their baby keeps waking and they suspect the baby is too cold or too hot. A baby who is overly warm or chilly may wake more, so it is worth getting right. Still, temperature is seldom the full explanation. A baby who wakes several times a night in a comfortable room while dressed correctly is usually waking between sleep cycles and needing help to drift off again.
That is the part you can fix, and fixing it is what Actually Sleeping does. Dr. Sam writes a plan for your baby within safe-sleep rules, with bootcamp-style coaching before the first night and daily 1:1 check-ins. We guarantee that your baby will sleep 8–12 hours through the night within 14 days of consistent, correct implementation of your sleep plan. If that does not happen, you receive a full refund. Hear from families in our 129 client video reviews. Also see early morning waking.
Swapped the sleep sack three times and your baby still wakes? Book a free consultation with Actually Sleeping.
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Actually Sleeping offers 1:1 coaching: Dr. Sam writes a sleep plan for your baby, you get bootcamp-style coaching before the first night, and we check in daily until it works. 700+ families coached, 129 video reviews, and a written guarantee of 8–12 hours through the night within 14 days, or a full refund.
Common questions
How warm should my baby’s room be?
Neither the AAP nor the NIH sets a specific number. They recommend a comfortable room temperature and dressing your baby in one layer more than you would wear, then checking for sweating, flushed skin, or a hot chest.
Which TOG sleep sack is right for my baby?
TOG is a warmth rating set by manufacturers, not an AAP standard, and it varies between brands. Start with the maker’s chart, then pick clothing and a sack that together come to about one layer more than you have on.
Does my baby need a hat for sleep?
No. The AAP advises against a hat indoors once you are home from the hospital. A hat can overheat a baby, and the head and face should remain uncovered during sleep.
My baby has cold hands. Should I add a layer?
Not necessarily. Hands and feet commonly feel cool. Check the chest or the back of the neck instead. If they feel comfortable and are not sweaty, your baby is warm enough.
References
- HealthyChildren.org (AAP). A Parent's Guide to Safe Sleep.
- HealthyChildren.org (AAP). How to Keep Your Sleeping Baby Safe: Preventing SIDS.
- Safe to Sleep campaign, NICHD (NIH). Ways to Reduce Baby's Risk.
- American Academy of Pediatrics. AAP Updates Safe Sleep Recommendations: Back is Best. News release, 2022.