Baby room temperature for sleeping: what US health agencies say, and what they don't

In shortWe found no room temperature in degrees in the US government safe sleep pages we read, from the NICHD, the CDC and the CPSC. They ask you to dress your baby for the room you have and to watch for signs of overheating. Cotokim's proposal starts from that room, for example at 68 to 72 °F (20 to 22 °C): Bodysuit and a light sleeper inside a 1.5 TOG sleep sack.

We found no official "ideal" number. In the safe sleep pages we read from the NICHD, the CDC and the CPSC, there is no room temperature in degrees. What they ask is about your baby, not the thermostat: dress your baby for the room, keep the head uncovered, and watch for heat.

At 70 °F (21 °C), the band is 68 to 72 °F (20 to 22 °C).

During the day

Bodysuit, short or long sleeve, with pants or a light sleeper.

For sleep

Bodysuit and a light sleeper inside a 1.5 TOG sleep sack.

Sleep sack: 1.5 TOG, from one maker's chart. Source: HALO (sleep sack maker).

Cotokim proposal. We did not find a room temperature in degrees, or TOG ratings, in the U.S. government safe sleep pages we read (NICHD Safe to Sleep and the CDC). They ask you to dress your baby for the room and to watch for signs of overheating. The temperature bands and the clothes in this table are a Cotokim proposal; the TOG column is the chart of one sleep sack maker. Source: NICHD Safe to Sleep, CDC.

Check on your baby

Dress your baby for the temperature of the room they are in. Source: NICHD Safe to Sleep.
Sweating or a hot chest are signs that your baby is too hot: take off a layer. Source: CDC, NICHD Safe to Sleep.
Too many layers of clothes and bedding for the room temperature can overheat a baby, and overheated babies are at higher risk of SIDS. Source: NICHD Safe to Sleep.

For safe sleep

For sleep, keep your baby's head uncovered. Source: CDC.
Take your baby's hat off when you are indoors. Source: NICHD Safe to Sleep.
For warmth in the crib, use a wearable blanket or an extra layer of clothing. The crib holds only a fitted sheet. Source: NICHD Safe to Sleep, CPSC.
No weighted blankets or weighted swaddles, and no other weighted objects in your baby's sleep. Source: CPSC, NICHD Safe to Sleep.
Stop swaddling at the first sign that your baby is trying to roll over, at any age. NICHD says to stop when babies start rolling over; Cotokim follows the earlier sign. Source: NICHD Safe to Sleep.

A guide, not a rule: every baby is different. Feel your baby's chest and adjust. For a premature or sick baby, follow your baby's care team.

Cotokim's list counts the clothes for each size by your city's climate and your due date.

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What the US agencies say

Dress for the room. Dress your baby in clothes suitable for the temperature of the room ³.
Too warm is the risk. A baby can get hot or overheated with too many layers of clothes and bedding for the room temperature, sometimes called overbundling, and overheated babies are at higher risk for SIDS ³.
Watch for signs. Sweating, flushed or hot skin, or a chest that feels hot to the touch ³. The CDC lists sweating and a hot chest ¹.
Head and face uncovered. Keep them uncovered during sleep ³, and take the hat off indoors ³.
Warmth on your baby, not in the crib. A wearable blanket or an extra layer of clothing ³, and nothing but a fitted sheet in the crib ⁴.

What they don't say

None of these pages gives a room temperature in degrees, and none uses TOG, the warmth rating printed on sleep sacks. So the chart below is Cotokim's proposal, not an official US rule, and the chart says so.

Cotokim's proposal, by room temperature

Room temperature	During the day	For sleep
below 64 °F (18 °C)	Long-sleeve bodysuit, a footed sleeper or pants, and socks. Add a cardigan if your baby's chest feels cool.	Long-sleeve bodysuit and a footed sleeper inside a sleep sack of 2.5 TOG at most. No blanket and no hat.
64 to 68 °F (18 to 20 °C)	Long-sleeve bodysuit with a sleeper or pants, and socks. A cardigan if your baby's chest feels cool.	Bodysuit and a sleeper inside a 2.0 TOG sleep sack.
68 to 72 °F (20 to 22 °C)	Bodysuit, short or long sleeve, with pants or a light sleeper.	Bodysuit and a light sleeper inside a 1.5 TOG sleep sack.
72 to 75 °F (22 to 24 °C)	Short-sleeve bodysuit with light pants, or a light sleeper.	Short-sleeve bodysuit or a light sleeper inside a 1.0 TOG sleep sack.
75 °F (24 °C) or more	One layer: a short-sleeve bodysuit or a romper.	Short-sleeve bodysuit, with or without a 0.5 TOG sleep sack. On hotter nights, the bodysuit alone.

We did not find a room temperature in degrees, or TOG ratings, in the U.S. government safe sleep pages we read (NICHD Safe to Sleep and the CDC). They ask you to dress your baby for the room and to watch for signs of overheating. The temperature bands and the clothes in this table are a Cotokim proposal; the TOG column is the chart of one sleep sack maker. The sleep sack TOG in each band is the one that maker lists for that range, from 64 to 77 °F ².

How to check the room and your baby

Measure where your baby sleeps. The chart goes by the temperature of the room, which is why Cotokim's list includes a room thermometer.
Dress by the band. Pick the line for the room, for the day or for sleep.
Check your baby. A guide, not a rule: every baby is different. Feel your baby's chest and adjust. For a premature or sick baby, follow your baby's care team. Sweating or a chest that feels hot are signs your baby may be getting too hot ¹: take off a layer.
Adjust with layers, never with a blanket. For warmth, a wearable blanket or an extra layer of clothing ³.

The goal is a baby who is not too hot: too many layers of clothes and bedding for the room temperature can overheat a baby, and overheated babies are at higher risk of SIDS ³. The temperature bands and the clothes on this page are a Cotokim proposal, not an official number. For a premature or sick baby, follow your baby's care team. Checked by the Cotokim team against the sources on this page. It does not replace advice from the health care team that looks after you and your baby.

Frequently asked questions

Is 70 degrees too cold for a baby's room?

We found no official number to compare with. A room at 70 °F falls in Cotokim's band of 68 to 72 °F (20 to 22 °C), where the proposal for sleep is: Bodysuit and a light sleeper inside a 1.5 TOG sleep sack.

Is 72 degrees too warm?

A room at 72 °F falls in Cotokim's band of 72 to 75 °F (22 to 24 °C): Short-sleeve bodysuit or a light sleeper inside a 1.0 TOG sleep sack. What tells you is your baby: check for signs of heat ³.

What if the room is colder than 64 °F?

Add a layer of clothing under the sleep sack, never a blanket ³. Cotokim's proposal for below 64 °F (18 °C): Long-sleeve bodysuit and a footed sleeper inside a sleep sack of 2.5 TOG at most. No blanket and no hat.

What if the room is hotter than 75 °F?

Fewer layers. Cotokim's proposal for 75 °F (24 °C) or more: Short-sleeve bodysuit, with or without a 0.5 TOG sleep sack. On hotter nights, the bodysuit alone.

Should I keep the heat on all night?

We found no US government source with a rule for heating at night. What the agencies ask is the same in any room: dress your baby for it and check for signs of heat ³.

Source credits

Material from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is available at no charge on cdc.gov. Our use of it, including links to CDC pages, does not mean that the CDC, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) or the U.S. Government endorses Cotokim. Reference to specific commercial products, manufacturers, companies, or trademarks does not constitute its endorsement or recommendation by the U.S. Government, Department of Health and Human Services, or Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Courtesy: Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. Safe to Sleep® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

We link to pages of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) in our own words; this does not mean that the CPSC endorses Cotokim.

Brands appear only for the charts of their own products (sizes, packs, TOG). Cotokim has no deal with any brand.

Written by the Cotokim teamChecked by the Cotokim team against the sources on this page, on October 14, 2026

Sources

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Providing Care for Babies to Sleep Safely. Read on October 14, 2026.
HALO Innovations, sleep sack maker, What TOG values are SleepSack Wearable Blankets available in?. Read on October 14, 2026.
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), NIH, Ways to Reduce Baby's Risk (Safe to Sleep). Read on October 14, 2026.
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Safe Sleep: Cribs and Infant Products. Read on October 14, 2026.