What tog duvet for a toddler?

Last updated: 7 July 2026 · A guide, not medical advice

The short answer

A toddler needs a low-tog duvet, around 4.0 to 4.5 tog for most of the year, going up to about 7 tog only in a genuinely cold room in deep winter. Little ones overheat far more easily than adults, so it is always safer to use a lower tog with a warm sleepsuit than to reach for a thick duvet. Duvets are not suitable until your child is at least 12 months old.

When can a toddler have a duvet?

Wait until your child is over 12 months. Before that, a tog-rated baby sleeping bag is the safer choice, because a duvet can cover a small baby's face or be kicked off and leave them cold. Many parents make the switch when they move their toddler from a cot to a cot bed or a first proper bed, often somewhere between 18 months and three years.

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What size duvet for a toddler?

Most toddlers use a cot-bed duvet, which is roughly 120 by 150 cm. It fits a cot bed and a junior bed neatly, and it is small enough that your child can manage it without getting tangled. When they move up to a full single bed later on, a single duvet (135 by 200 cm) takes over, usually still in a low tog to start with.

Keeping the tog low and safe

The golden rule with toddlers is that too warm is riskier than too cool. Keep the nursery around 16 to 20 degrees, use a room thermometer, and adjust the pyjamas rather than piling on a heavier duvet. A 4.5 tog duvet over a cotton sleepsuit suits most heated bedrooms all year. Skip a pillow until around 12 months as well, and introduce a thin toddler pillow only when your child is ready.

This is general guidance rather than medical advice. If you have any worry about your child's sleep or temperature, your health visitor is the best person to ask.

Get the tog right for your room

Not sure whether your child's room needs a 4.5 or a 7 tog? Our tog to GSM converter recommends a tog from your room temperature and shows what each tog means in different fillings. A washable synthetic filling is the practical choice for a toddler bed, since it will need cleaning often.