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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU to expect baby clothes to be the same size regardless of where they are bought?

53 replies

honeytea · 26/02/2013 10:52

Inspired by the vanity sizing thread.

I have noticed that baby clothing sizes is very random. The highstreet shops seem to manage to make their clothes pretty uniform when it comes to sizes but the more expensive brands seem to just imagine how big a 2 month old baby will be and make the clothes to fit this random size.

My DS is 2 months old and huge so I don't expect him to fit into clothes made for 2 month old babies but I do expect the size to be consistant. Most of his clothes come from ASDA, NEXT, H+M, primark, and highstreet Swedish shops, he is in age 3-6 months in these clothes without exception. He has a few posh clothes that were given to us as gifts and the sizes are so strange. Today he is wearing a polarn o pyret in size 56 (newborn-1 month) and a petit bateau babygrow in size 6 months.

AIBU to think that it would be easy enough to have a standard size and for shops to make clothes that fit those sizes?

OP posts:
Abigail9580 · 26/02/2013 22:42

Just to go slightly off op, can anyone help me with regards to clothes. My DS is nearly 7m, and has enormous thighs, but really short legs ( takes after his dad!) anyway I'm really struggling to find trouser. I don't mind rolling them up, but today he spent the whole time popping out ( literally) of his 9-12 m baby grow from sainsburys. Anyone else have this issue?!

breatheslowly · 26/02/2013 22:44

I think a variety of widths is quite useful as babies aren't all the same ratio of width and height. DD has long legs and needed footless babygrows/rompers and socks as normal babygrows just pulled on her feet. It is quite hard to find them in winter and I was a bit pissed off to have searched for them all winter when DD needed them only to see shops full of them in summer when she no longer needed babygrows.

Petit Bateau is small because French children's clothes are generally small. It would be the normal size in France. I think German and Dutch clothes are more like our sizing or even a bit bigger, but haven't had many of them for DD.

I find that shops that label clothes as 3 rather than 2-3 or 3-4 confusing (like Gap). DD's GAP 2 seems smaller than her other 2-3 clothes and she has moved up to GAP 3 before moving from most of her other 2-3 stuff.

bedmonster · 26/02/2013 22:52

With RL kids stuff, it all comes up small. DS is a big boy and has taken size 2T since he was about 10m (i've always just taken it to mean age 2) and the DDs always a T number above their real age. Does that make sense? I suspect not!!
And just to add to the mix, Mamas and Papas babygrows are always tiny. DP went off to get some at the weekend and came back with 2 packs in age 18-24m. They are too tight really, but probably wearable for a month or so. The vests by contrast seem perfect. Wondering if DS just has longer legs than other 15m olds, but we don't have this problem with other shops Confused

Disappearing · 26/02/2013 22:55

Abigail, my 2 DC had massive thighs, and I found these trousers all fit well, they're mostly jersey jogging bottom style, so not the smartest:

M&S ones

Boots ones

Gap ones - size up in these

John Lewis cords were also good, but when I checked their website they no longer seem to be available in baby sizes, perhaps its a seasonal thing.

Sirzy · 26/02/2013 23:10

It's not just different shops though. DS has 2 pairs of trousers from next both aged 18-24 yet he is outgrown one and the other is still slightly too long on him. There is no logic to it!

BinksToEnlightenment · 26/02/2013 23:29

YANBU! It's madness.

Abigail, I find the best thing to do is to ignore the size on the label. Have a good look at the pair you want; compare length and take it off the hangar to see the waist. Even measure it up against another pair that you know do fit.

I second the Gap suggestion. Their trousers always fit my stocky daddy's legs baby.

Also, in Next they often have some with an elasticated waist and some with elasticated ankles too. (They look nicer than they sound!) I found they fit better and for longer than any.

Bogeyface · 26/02/2013 23:36

Good luck with that! I bought a pack of sleep suits each from Next and Boots when I was expecting DC6. The Boots 0-3 were smaller than the Next newborn (I think, or the other way around!).

I have found that once you hit 2yrs+ they are pretty standard but before that is a real lottery especially if you have a tall/chunky/skinny one.

Abigail9580 · 27/02/2013 07:35

Thank you both for the suggestions, am also glad to know it's not just me who's baby seems to have super human thighs!! I think I'll start taking some trousers out with me that I know fit then I can compare!

BinksToEnlightenment · 27/02/2013 07:48

Glad to be of some help!

My DS is two now, but his trousers are from 12-18 and 18-24. He even wore a pair of shorts that were 6-9 until this summer.

He is a little stocky and not really long but only to the same extent his dad is. Like a little toddler rugby player. But 6-9? Those shorts are monstrous!

Sirzy · 27/02/2013 07:51

Binks my skinny 3 year old still have a pair of 6-9 month shorts which fit!

BinksToEnlightenment · 27/02/2013 07:59

Really? So it's not just me? This is crazy. Where are yours from? Mine were an ebay purchase from Zara.

Just how big do they think these six month olds are?

TolliverGroat · 27/02/2013 08:00

French stuff (like Petit Bateau) is by and large the same size as UK stuff, but labelled differently - so "6 months" means "up to 6 months", 12 months means "up to 12 months", etc.

German clothes are generally sold by height rather than by age, I think (at least, they are when I buy them online).

Petit Bateau do come up on eBay a fair bit in the smaller sizes.

Original poster
honeytea · 27/02/2013 08:11

That males sense tgat tge French brands are up to 6 months. In Sweden they sell clothes by height but tgere still isn't much consistency.

OP posts:
madamginger · 27/02/2013 08:18

Sirzy - my 6 year old DD has a skirt from m&s that's 18-24 months that still fits!! Its the best £20 I've ever spent lol

LeMousquetaireAnonyme · 27/02/2013 08:27

It does make a bit of sense though!
French babies are smaller and leaner in average than the UK babies and Scandinavian ones are massive, Asian are tiny. It is all to do with genetics.
All baby clothes come with a guidance in height and weight which is what you should follow.
I had massive babies and sobbed they were out of baby clothes so fast! They are so cute!

Nicolaeus · 27/02/2013 08:45

Yup French 6 months is up to 6 months. They often also include the height which makes DH paranoid cos DS short

I generally find the French stuff cuts small altho friends gave us a tracksuit which DS wore from age 3 months to 15 months !! I just assume that it stretched....

Nicolaeus · 27/02/2013 08:51

Oh and DS is 17 months and still has an unworn t-shirt that is 6-9 months - it's still huge on him and has a slogan I dont like on it so am in no hurry for him to wear it

PoppyAmex · 27/02/2013 10:23

To be fair I know that continental babies tend to be smaller (French, Spanish etc) and I would imagine Swedish babies are taller so it makes sense that Polarn and Petit Bateau are different.

My whole family thinks a 3kg newborn is "hefty" and almost fainted at the news of 4,8kg DD. all the Portuguese clothes are tiny.

MummyPig24 · 27/02/2013 10:55

Gap is no good for my ds. Went to a 2nd hand clothes sale today and saw a pair of age 4 shorts he would have loved but they never would have fitted. He is 5 but a little shorter than average and slim but solid and gap trousers just don't go round his waist! By contrast a new pair of Age 4-6 trousers from h&m had to be pulled right in. His next 4-5 jeans also need to be pulled in a little but are fitting ok length wise now. I buy 2-3 for dd (3 in a few weeks) from most places and it is ok, 3-4 would drown her.

JenaiMorris · 27/02/2013 11:02

All baby clothes come with a guidance in height and weight which is what you should follow

Sirzy · 27/02/2013 11:18

The weight isn't accurate though. DS was born weighing 6lb 14 yet clothes for up to 5lb were too big!

VisualiseAHorse · 27/02/2013 11:22

Petit batuea stuff is very slim-fit, as if designed for long, thin babies.

I got a 6-9 month sleepsuit for my baby for Halloween from Tesco. He is 10 months now and the legs and arms are STILL too long.

I also hang up clothes according to size in the baby's wardrobe - stuff that is still too big all goes at one end.

Tolly81 · 27/02/2013 11:24

I think it's a pain when clothes from the same shop come up different sizes, but nothing fits dd as she's another beanpole - 98th centile for height, 25th for weight. H&M seems to fit her best as the clothes are tall and slim, Saino's also quite good. Starting putting her in pjs at 4 months as she was already out of 9-12 m babygros and it was getting ridiculous (she also has massive feet but a long body so cutting the feet out as many people infuriatingly suggested was a waste of time). Now I take some of her clothes that she's almost growing out of to the shops with me to check that what I'm buying is bigger and check how much bigger it is!

BeCool · 27/02/2013 11:24

YABU - why would baby clothes be any different from any other clothing? If I'm buying for a baby, for me or for DC the sizes always vary hugely.

Babies aren't all the same size at birth, 6-9 months etc in case you hadn't noticed :)

Do you expect Govt legislation perhaps to 'standardise' clothes sizes Confused. What would you do about the imports?

VisualiseAHorse · 27/02/2013 11:26

Abigail9580 - try Frugi or Cut4Cloth or Lollipop clothes- they make clothes designed for cloth nappies, and fit well on babies with chunky thighs and short legs. They are pricey, but cheaper on eBay.