Teen bra fitting

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12 year old DD needs properly fitted for a bra. Up to now, she’s been in wee soft bras in a 28AA from M&S but they are too small and she now needs something more structured.

Is M&S my only hope? I would never set foot in an M&S for my own bra fittings so I am reluctant for DD, but is that the only option for teens? We have a Debenhams and House of Fraser in the closest city, but no John Lewis.

I suspect she’d be better in a 26” back but do they even exist?

I tend to buy either in store at Bravissimo or online for myself so no idea where to start for DD.

Most shops M&S, John Lewis, Debenhams and local department stores won't be doing bra fittings due to Covid-19. They also won't have their changing rooms open.

You are going to have to measure her up and get a range of bras in different sizes online then send what doesn't fit back.

I agree. There are no bra fittings or even changing rooms. I just ordered loads of bras for my teenager recently and there were hardly any sizes any where to order from! We just had to take what we could get.

My dd gets her bras from Matalan in normal times,

It is very difficult to get small back sizes. It always has been.

If you search for the boot or bust method for measuring theres a fantastic facebook page with a calculator to put measurements in to give you a size and really helpful admins that will be able to help you if you need it.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/_chat/3925952-Where-to-buy-bras-for-teens

I started a thread last month re 13yo dd and bras. I ordered some 28C online (boob or bust measured her as 26dd) from M&S and John Lewis. Both were way too small.

She's currently in some 28DD I bought from ebay and they're much better. It all seems a bit hit and miss. I'm a 28F and struggle to get the right size.

Angel bras from M&S are good for teens, get her to measure herself then order 3 or 4 in different sizes. They have both underwire or none options in colours young teens will like. Once my DD's got older I got them measured but at that age they are too self conscious. At one point I think asda had teen bras, worth checking online, only buy 2 in a size as they can change very quickly

I had to recently get bras for my 11 year old and her huge bazongas (poor child!) I measured her using 2 different websites, both said 32F and then ordered some but they weren't quite right so ordered some more still not right so we went to Sainsbury's and hid behind a mannequin and she tried some on over her T-shirt lol. Wouldn't work for everyone though as she's a 32/34 band (seriously she's like a grown woman!!) and they don't really go smaller than that in a supermarket. I ended up getting one band bigger and one cup size smaller (34 E) than she measured as she's more comfortable that way so trial and error is definitely involved if you can't try on!

Are you sure @nevergoingoutagain? Is she overweight?

A band size of 34 is quite big for an 11yo. That's a pretty hefty rib circumference. I'm a 40yo woman with a 28 inch ribcage and I'm a normal/slim size 8/10. My 13yo dd is 5ft 6" and a size 8 and measures 26" round her ribcage.

Primark are quite good for teen bras , £2 a bra.

If you can get a measurement via B or B, then buy a few of those around the size you need, and take back what do not fit well.
Not too much of an initial outlay.

I'm a size 16 almost 6 foot woman @nevergoingoutagain and your 11 year old daughter wears the same bra size as me. That seems unusual.

I agree a 34 band size for a child would be unusual.

The band size is often too big. I’m a 28, it’s a really common size people just don’t know it.

I mean, if I got measured in M&S now they’d put me in a 34 🤔

Yeah I’ve used BorB for myself in the past. (I’m a 28FF)

I used the same calculator for her and it suggested 28C or D. Said that her initial back size calculated was 26 but that was hard to get so to go for a 28 band size. Went to M&S (large store with as good a range as any other M&S I’ve been in) and the largest non-wired bra in a 28” back they seem to do is a 28B. Bought a pack of two and they are definitely on the small size. Off to look online for 28C. (I suspect a 28D will be too big for her.)

No way is she a genuine 28 band - definitely 26. I know how hard it is for me to get 28FF bras (esp when we lived in the US - 28” don’t really exist there) It really frustrates me that 26” backs don’t exist - plenty of teens, measured properly would be 26”.

Lurking as my 12yo has been living in Nike sports crop tops but she really needs a proper bra now and she won't countenance being measured in store even if the facility was available. I couldn't think of the name of the website that gave the advice. Boob or bust?

Really @ShowOfHands ? I'm 5ft 6, wear an 8-10 top and a 32 band bra and there's a lot of young kids bigger than me! Admittedly it's probably too big but the only bras I ever got fitted for were so tight I couldn't wear them. I go off comfort not size on the label, bras are like clothes, the fit and cut varies between shops and styles.

DD has come out as a 32FF. Goodness.

@emmathedilemma

A rib size of 34 inches on an 11 year old is rather rare. This is nothing to do with breast size but rib cage circumference. My mother is a size 14/16 and wears a 34 inch band. It would be quite remarkable on an 11yr old. Fit between shops is very different you're right but an 11yo wearing a 34 inch band is quite peculiar.

I've had DD(13) in Sloggi stuff as she doesn't like lace or pink.

I also bought a couple of sizes from M&S for her to try as she seems to have grown a lot this lockdown.

Royce do teen stuff and have a measuring video/calculator. It's not cheap, but there seems to be a fairly good choice of sizes from 30 chest.

Have been on Royce but they don’t do a 28C in non-wired. Flip, this is so much harder than it should be

I’ve found one on Boux Avenue so might order that and see how we go. Really want to avoid underwire

Mil took 13yr old dd to an independent shop on our local high street yesterday.
Her slightly small 36dd bra has morphed into 34f.
The bras fit beautifully, she let dd do the measuring and explained what she needed to look for in a bra.
79 quid later. I love my mil as does dd (not sure I would have paid that but mil uses them all the time).

John Lewis has a couple of 28C non wired bras

M&S just has a couple of sports bras in that size

I was going to suggest Boux Avenue for 28" back sizes but just seen that you gone there already.

I tried a non wired bra recently and I wasn’t comfortable so I’m back in wired.

Buying bras would be easier if bra manufacturers actually made the right sizes with none of this add 4/5 inches bollocks.

We got the lounge bra from Boux Avenue in a 28C for DD when she was 12. She was actually fitted and it was a really good fit.

Sadly she has grown, and now we have the same problem as you. I had some 30C T shirt bras from Matalan and she couldn't do them up. Her 34yo sister took them!

So I ordered some 32C from somewhere and they are too big.

She lives in the Small Sainsbury's seamless crop tops (adults) because I just can't find anything else.