Ordering childrenswear online has one recurring problem, and it is not style. It is sizing. The good news is that ten minutes with a tape measure removes most of the guesswork, and the measurements stay useful for months.
Why age based sizing misleads
A label reading four to five years describes an average child, and very few children are average in every dimension. Plenty of four year olds are tall and slim, or shorter with a longer body. Buying by age alone means accepting whichever compromise the manufacturer chose. Buying by measurement means choosing it yourself.
The four numbers to take
- Chest. Around the fullest part, under the arms, with the tape flat and not pulled tight.
- Waist. At the natural crease where the child bends sideways, which is usually higher than where trousers actually sit.
- Hip. Around the widest point, keeping the tape level all the way round.
- Height. Against a wall, no shoes, heels together, marking the top of the head.
For trousers and leggings it is worth adding a fifth: inside leg, measured from the crotch to the ankle bone. That single number decides whether a pair looks right or looks borrowed.
Measuring without a fight
- Measure over a thin layer such as a vest rather than over a jumper.
- Keep the tape snug enough to stay in place but loose enough to slide a finger under.
- Write the numbers down with the date. In a year you will want to know how fast things changed.
- If the child will not stand still, measure a garment that currently fits well and lay it flat instead.
Growing room without swamping them
There is a real temptation to size up and buy two seasons of wear in one go. It rarely works, because a child in clothes that are too big trips more, rolls sleeves constantly, and often simply refuses to wear them. A small amount of room in the length, where hems can be turned up, is far more useful than room in the width.
The exception is outerwear and heavy knits, which are worn over other layers and forgive an extra size more comfortably than a t-shirt does.
Reading a product page
Every clothing item on this site lists the available sizes on the product page, along with the material, pattern and type. Material matters more than people expect when sizing. A cotton jersey has some give and will tolerate being slightly snug, whereas a woven fabric with no stretch will not, so between two sizes the stretchier fabric is the safer bet in the smaller size.
When you fall between sizes
Go up for anything worn over other clothes, anything stiff, and anything you want to last more than a few months. Go down for stretch fabrics, for close fitting tops, and for nightwear where a loose fit is more of a nuisance than a snug one.
Once you have the numbers written down, browsing the kids range becomes a much faster job, and considerably fewer parcels go back.
