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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU to think kids' clothes sizes are generous?

121 replies

early30smum · 04/06/2017 21:06

Lots of discussion recently about kids' diets, healthy eating etc. (on here and in the news/with my own friends). AIBU to think that a lot (not all) kids' clothes seem to be cut fairly generously in sizing? Do you think this is deliberate as is common in womens' vanity sizing?! My DD is 8 (just) and is by no means skinny. She's a healthy weight according to the nhs BMI thing but she's in the last quarter of the healthy range if that makes sense.

Yet, when I buy her clothes, they are really quite big for her, especially in certain shops. H&M size 7-8 stuff is actually loose on her. Asda, ditto.

OP posts:
Gileswithachainsaw · 04/06/2017 22:04

It does vary but more come.up.big than come up small.

Not so bad with tops but skirts and trousers are a pain. Dd1 always ends up with really short skirts as she's 10 but needs a 7/ 8 or 8/9 age waist.

CountryCaterpillar · 04/06/2017 22:04

I have tall children, usualky about 2 years taller than age but not unusual wide. We buy marks slimfit school uniform in the bigger size for length and love things with the adjustable buttons. Dungaree dresses are good, size down in pants.

inkydinky · 04/06/2017 22:05

Not in my experience. But my two are tall. Above 98th centile for height and 75th weight. My 7 year old wears age 9-10 and my 10 year old wears 11-12/12-13!

Original poster
early30smum · 04/06/2017 22:07

Hmm maybe my DD is just a funny shape then! She's, as I say, not super slim, but she is petite I guess... most things are too big round the waist!

OP posts:
RapidlyOscillating · 04/06/2017 22:08

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

SparklyLeprechaun · 04/06/2017 22:21

Yanbu. I have never been able to find well fitting trousers or leggings for my kids in a high street shop. The waists are massive and if you go a size down they are too short. Yes, sizes vary between shops but they seem to be invariably big in the waist.

PickAChew · 04/06/2017 22:29

It really varies, but i find that it leans more to the generous side, these days. Next used to be great for skinny kids, but when DS1 (who was a skinny kid until he hit puberty) turned 9-ish, I bought him some school trousers which all turned out to be massive and we had to start buying their skinny fit for him.

M&S have always been on the short and wide side.

BlurryFace · 04/06/2017 22:32

Eh...my 2 yo DS2 fits great in most 2-3 clothes, with the odd thing that's 3-4 (though that's down to DS1 growing out of them quickly, and it makes no odds if a jumper or coat is a bit baggy).

DS1(3yo) though is just too bloody long for 3-4s, he's in 4-5 trousers with those adjustable elastic waists on their tightest setting because all his 3-4 trousers are like pedal pushers and his 3-4 tops are like crop tops. People are often surprised at him only being 3, after asking which school he goes to etc.

user1487941567 · 04/06/2017 22:34

There is a lot of variation but I find my 7yo is consistently fitting in to a 5yo waist size. I buy the age 8/9 to ensure the length as he's tall and thin but I have to make sure the waist is elasticated or I take it in myself. He is not at all underweight, he's bang on a healthy weight.

SomewhatIdiosyncratic · 04/06/2017 22:49

YANBU

My DCs are small and slim, but proportionate in height and weight. For length DS1 is generally the lower end of his age. He's never grown out of the width of his clothes. Fortunately he favours shorts over trousers, but I have to remove them when they get to the hotpants stage. At 6 he wears 4-5 t-shirts for length, age 3-4 shorts with the waist pulled in, and is just begining to get snug in age 2-3 pants.

In children's clothes I'm halfway between age 11-12 and age 13-14 in tops. In adults' clothes I'm size 8 tops (5ft 2). Normally my size 10 thighs and hips are too broad for children's trousers, but I recently bought some age 13-14 shorts and have pulled the waist button elastic in by 2 inches on each side!

M&S "slim fit" polos have a sensibly loose look on DS rather than his usual saggy look. When I bought his first school uniform, I went for the age 2-3 trousers with drop down hems as the age 3-4 looked like a saggy sack of spuds by the time I'd pulled the elastic in (he's at the older end of the school year). The logoed uniform starts at a 24" chest, so at 6, he still has 4 inches to spare but has used up much of the growing room in the arms.

He struggles to look neat because everything is either too saggy or too short. (Not helped by a tendency to tufty strong minded hair too. A surfer dude look tends to work best!)

Gileswithachainsaw · 04/06/2017 22:51

user dd had a pair of age 5 shorts that she successfully wore (letting out the adjustable waist) til she was 8/9 by that time they looked pretty faded so we went to get some more and came away empty handed as I kept having to size down til you guessed it the age 5 pair finally fitted.

We also had a Tesco dress age 18-24m. She was about 5/6 when it actually fitted.

Someone's either screwing up labels or no one actually gives a shit cos there's just no way.

Sisinisawa · 04/06/2017 22:53

My nearly three year old is just growing out of age 9-12 month clothes. He was a healthy term baby.

Yanbu

Zoflorabore · 04/06/2017 22:54

My dd is 6 and a little bit overweight but tall with it.
I have found that River Island is huge! Really surprised about that as the women's clothes only just fit meGrin

She is a size 13/1 in shoe and weirdly I found that RI shoes are small so she needs a 1.

Her clothes are mainly 9-10 depending where we shop but if she wears Oilily which is only for special occasions, the sizes are ridiculously small and she wears age 12.

Schroedingerscatagain · 04/06/2017 23:00

We've had this problem for years, DD 14 is 5'3 with a 22 inch waist, finally primark have brought in a size 4 across the range which has been a god send

DS 13 is my real problem 5'1 about to hit puberty and only 20" waist, long skinny legs and at the end of all the kids ranges with alterable waists 😱

Men's boxers, trousers etc start at 28-30" waist which are way too big and as he's like his dad who's 6'2 he won't fill out till his mid thirties
So I'm in for a world of fun shortly

CowParsleyNettle · 04/06/2017 23:01

Yes! DS is 3 in three months. He's 50th percentile for height and weight and yet I cannot find trousers to fit his tiny waist. He's got shorts that are now on their third summer of wear!

Saying this I still wear an age 14 M&S school shirt when I compete my horse, it's brilliant, washes up bright white and never creases and must be over 20 years old... and it's still loose fitting!

treaclesoda · 04/06/2017 23:04

I think kids clothes are huge around the waist. My two children are slim, but not skinny. Neither of them can wear anything with an elasticated waist because they just fall down.

Ironically my 10 year old DD often wears adult size 4 clothes because those are smaller than the age 11-12 things that tie in with her height. Confused

treaclesoda · 04/06/2017 23:06

Same 10 year old has a particular pair of knickers that are part of the uniform for an organisation that she belongs to. They are age 3 Shock

timeforheroes · 04/06/2017 23:08

All 3 of my DCs wear a size or two smaller than they are, but are average in terms of weight and height. They're all slight so HAVE to have the adjustable waist trousers or they just fall down, and if we get a fit round the waist they'll be too short in the leg.
DTwins are 22 months and wear 9-12 month leggings as they're the only ones that fit like actual leggings on them! Tops they are more in 12-18/18-24 as long as they aren't long sleeved. Find the body fits fine but they have long flappy arms!

whosafraidofabigduckfart · 04/06/2017 23:13

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

elliejjtiny · 04/06/2017 23:17

I find it varies. My 9 year old is tall and slim and he wears 7-8 clothes in most shops. My 4 year old is a nightmare with trousers. He's short and stocky and wears nappies, I find 4-5 jogging bottoms are the only trousers that fit.

Greenifer · 04/06/2017 23:17

YANBU. DD is 10 and if her legs and arms weren't so long she would be comfortably in an age 6-8 in most places. I bought her a pair of age 4-5 shorts the other day for PE in M&S. They are looser than ideal around the waist but just about stay up.

We buy a lot of stretchy belts whenever we see them. Up to age 10, most things have adjustable waists. After that you are fucked without good belts IME.

BumWad · 04/06/2017 23:18

Yes they do. Too big! Just like adult vanity sizing

KakunaRattata · 04/06/2017 23:18

My first thought was don't be daft, then I realised every single pair of ds2's pants have elastic and button waists pulled in tight, wonder what they'd be like let out?

Paddingtonthebear · 04/06/2017 23:18

Yes I agree. I tried to buy my 4 and a half year old DD a top and trouser set from m&s recently. The age 4-5yrs trousers were ridiculous. I tried every size down on her and the only ones that fitted were 18-24 months! She's 50-75th centile so not small for her age!

Greenifer · 04/06/2017 23:21

Also, the size differential between boys and girls clothes is really odd. DD is a Pokemon obsessive so we've got her a few T shirts from the boys'' section as she isn't keen on pink or sparkles. These are all age 5-6, baggy and an appropriate length (she is average height for a ten year old). On the same trip, we bought her a couple of girls' tops which are age 7-8 and fit around the same. V odd as boys and girls are really not that different in size pre-puberty.