Dd in bigger clothes than her age. Does it really matter?

[Karleeb30]

Dd is 6. She's 122-123cm tall and weighs just over 4 Stone. She is in mainly 7-8 clothes and some 8-9 yet she still has some clothes in 6-7 that fit. Depends on the fit and style. It's mainly because she does have a little tummy so does need things a little roomier plus 6-7 is usually way too short on her!! She's had a massive growth spurt since the first lockdown . Went from clothes being too long to now too short.

Mil works in a clothes shop that sell kids clothes (won't say where). She's asked if Dd needs anything, I told her she needs 7-8 or maybe 8-9 and she seemed disgusted implying that my daughter was huge or something!

I know some of the cute clothes Stop in 5-6 or 6-7 so she will have to look in the older girls section... but does it really matter?

we all know that kids are not all built the same! Sizing for an average sized kid of their age. Dd is quite tall so anything smaller than 7-8 is just too short and often a little tight around the waist. To think all 6 year olds would fit into one generic size is madness.

Plus it really depends on the shop. Some shops come Up crazily small and some bigger. H&M is my go to atm. Dd wears their 6-8 or 7-8 years clothes and fit perfectly!

She definitely has my body shape and tall like me!

She doesn't necessarily look big compared to her peers, maybe a little but not massively bigger.

Children come in different shapes and sizes.

My 9 year old wears age 12-13. She's very tall.

No it didn’t matter! I never wore the size that reflect age and I don’t know many children who do depending on how tall they are etc. just buy what fits, unless your child is clearly struggling with their weight nothing to worry about. Could be due a growth spurt etc. plus all shops sizing is different

Working in a clothes shop your mil should be well aware that sizing depends on the garment and proportions of those wearing it. Does she often make remarks like this?

It sounds like she is at the bigger end of average so probably no harm just keeping an eye on portions and activity. Better to keep a close eye now and make small changes that she won’t even notice than for it to become an issue later

Different brands have different sizing too!
My very petite 7 year old can easily fit into age 5-6 in some brands, but I would buy 6-7, 7-8 or 8-9 in others.
And it depends on personal preference. DD wanted a sloppy jumper so I ended up buying her aged 10-11 to get the size we wanted!

@Tee20x

Working in a clothes shop your mil should be well aware that sizing depends on the garment and proportions of those wearing it. Does she often make remarks like this?

She's only just started so hopefully she realise. She makes comments about a lot of things tbh!

That’s around 75th percentile for BMI according the NHS child BMI calculator, which it states is a healthy weight (73rd to 77th depending on how close to 7 she is). I wouldn’t let it worry you, but if you ARE worried, up her veg intake, don’t give too many sweet things and make sure she’s active.

And yes, clothes sizes vary enormously across brands.

@Sirzy

It sounds like she is at the bigger end of average so probably no harm just keeping an eye on portions and activity. Better to keep a close eye now and make small changes that she won’t even notice than for it to become an issue later

That really wasn't my question. Her bmi is actually the top end of normal. She has a very healthy diet but she also has a mild physical disability so she's not quite as active as some of her peers. She's under different professionals and not one of them is concerned over her weight. She's got skinny arms and legs, just carries a bit of a belly - exactly like me!

My 7 year old (soon to be 8) wears 11-12 from most shops.

She is very tall - one of the tallest in her composite class, despite being one of the youngest. Some of the older kids are 9 and she is taller than them.

She has very little fat on her, but is very “sturdy” and muscular as she is always on the go.

Every child is different.

There is no way an age 7-8 would fit her!

Dd1 is 11 and wears 13-14

Question was really about my frustration that kids are expected to be a certain size to fit into clothes!

Based on those measurements, on the NHS BMI calculator she is on the upper end of the healthy BMI (77th centile at least assuming she was bang on 4 stones and hasn’t gained weight since). Considering she has a tummy, isn’t fitting into her size, and does look bigger than her friends I would probably get an appointment with a health visitor and get them to measure her properly as she’s probably bigger than 4 stones. I have a child who is smack bang in the middle of a healthy BMI (50 centile) and over the 105th centile for height - he finds everything (even H&M and Zara) too big as clothes are cut for bigger centiles. Based on that, I think she’s probably bigger than what you’ve measured her.

Does she have a normal bmi? DDs are both two sizes ahead but are very tall (so am I). Normal BMIs.

Girls clothes are also usually smaller than boys clothes for the same size. Wonder why that would be? Especially when there are no physical differences until puberty.

@Karleeb30

Question was really about my frustration that kids are expected to be a certain size to fit into clothes!

And that mil was passing comments off about it!

@plantastic

Does she have a normal bmi? DDs are both two sizes ahead but are very tall (so am I). Normal BMIs.

Girls clothes are also usually smaller than boys clothes for the same size. Wonder why that would be? Especially when there are no physical differences until puberty.

Top end of normal.

I did wonder this. My son is a little older and probably bigger than what Dd is at the same age (more sturdy) yet he was always in the right size clothes so wondered if boys clothes were more generous!

My five year old had just started bursting out of some of his 7-8 clothes and he's seen a nutritionist and dietician recently who said he's bang on average in height and weight, so not even particularly tall, yet they are too short for him more than anything. Clothing size is not a reliable indicator for much! I have my suspicions that they make kids clothes small so you have to pay the extra for larger sizes!

Your MIL sounds very literal. What about tall children? Or are they expected to wear their age size trousers as crops and style it out

I just bought my 3 year old DD some age 7 tights. She’s really tall (98th percentile but much lower for weight) with ridiculously long legs. I don’t think she currently wears anything that’s her age size - maybe some pyjama shorts?

Being in much larger sizes could be a cause for concern, or it could just mean a tall child.

@Ozanj

Based on those measurements, on the NHS BMI calculator she is on the upper end of the healthy BMI (77th centile at least assuming she was bang on 4 stones and hasn’t gained weight since). Considering she has a tummy, isn’t fitting into her size, and does look bigger than her friends I would probably get an appointment with a health visitor and get them to measure her properly as she’s probably bigger than 4 stones. I have a child who is smack bang in the middle of a healthy BMI (50 centile) and over the 105th centile for height - he finds everything (even H&M and Zara) too big as clothes are cut for bigger centiles. Based on that, I think she’s probably bigger than what you’ve measured her.

Health visitors are a waste of time. They didn't pick up serious health issues she had at 2 so why would they care about her weight? Give up on them a long time ago. She's under other professionals now. They have never expressed a concern despite being weighed at all paediatrician apps!

Trousers in 6-7 would be up her ankles, shirts and dresses are like mini skirts and normal tops would be cropped!

She's also like me where she has quite a long torso!! I need to size up or buy tall clothes to be long enough for me!

My DD is still a 9-12 months on her lower half, 12-18 is still massive and she’s now 22 months. Not worried, she’s just a titch. I wouldn’t worry the other way either as long as he/she is healthy.

Think it depends on why they need sizes bigger.

Long arms and legs then yeah normal. Because they cannot fit in waist/stomach size, meaty arms kinda thing then yeah it’s an issue.

Children’s sizes are based on averages and “normal” height for weight ratios. If your child is wearing clothes far beyond their age then I’d recommend seeing their doctor.

6 year olds shouldn’t have “a tummy”, they should have visible ribs, collar bones, vertebrae etc. Their still developing bodies aren’t designed to carry excess weight.

The whole “sturdy, muscular, big bones, rugby player” etc really isn’t a thing in children who are prepubescent. Worst of all is seeing parents describing their 6/7/8 year old as “curvy” .

@Karleeb30 but with her physical disability I would have thought they would want to keep her under the 80-90th centile. Do chat with the peds involved then - for many it doesn’t clock because for kids without disabilities they usually wait until the child is overweight before taking action. And those actions might be inappropriate with yours? Eg DN is obese and has been told to increase his physical activity to 60mins a day and stop snacks to build a deficit.

Please stop asking about the child's BMI.

I have 2 DD, DD1 was a large chunky baby (almost 10lb at birth) and remained that way all through school, I don't think she every wore clothes that matched her age unless they were bought in the US . If I look back at primary photos she is always the tallest and whilst she was a solid build she never looked out of place especially if you put her next to the class 2 years up (which matched her clothes size). She is now mid 20s 5ft8 and a size 12-14 and very happy

DD2 on the other hand was a nightmare, again she was heavy at birth (only 9lb) and a chunky baby, but once she started school she became very slender but tall again in photos she was always one of the tallest. Clothes that had long sleeves or legs were a nightmare as she need the large size for length but the the would look too big or just simply fall down. The worst was secondary school skirts that had to be a certain length and come from a specialist shop. They just didn't cater for really slender tall people so she either got into trouble for having a too short skirt or wore one that went round her twice. She is still the same shape but adult clothes cater for this.