On Baby Clothes and Sizing

Well, baby clothing, just like adult clothing and shoes and diapers, etc. are very much dependent on manufacturer as far as how well they fit. Different companies have different ideas when it comes to particular sizes which makes it a little hard to figure out where your baby falls in.

One problem I ran in to with some of the clothes that we received for our little one, especially with some of the hand-me-down clothes was that if they were labeled an older or larger size, I'd set them aside for later use and then when our baby was that age, he didn't fit into them. It is a good idea to try things out and put them into your own stacks of what relative size they are rather than going simply based on the label. Once you get familiar with some of the popular brands out there, it becomes easier to separate them for use.

One more thing before I go into the specifics, my little one is on the larger size (he's always been over the 80th percentile in size), so my descriptions may be a little biased towards a larger baby. Babies also vary a lot (okay, so it was two things), some are long and lean, some are chubby and short, some are lean and short, some have long legs, some have long torsos... you get the idea. Keep your baby's shape in mind when sorting out clothes, it'll help a lot.

Here is a rough guide to sizes of popular brands:

Gerber: Fit small, especially the packaged outfits and clothing. They also are a narrow fit and ideal for leaner kids. You may have to use one size bigger according to the label than you kid actually is.

The Children's Place: These clothes fit pretty normally for the size labeled. They are a little wider than Gerber, but not overly so. You may find that some of the bodysuits (onesies) fit a little short in the torso, but most of the other clothes, like shirts and pants fit just fine.

Garanamals: These clothes have a regular fit. They are pretty wide when it comes to shirts and bodysuits.

Gymboree: Again, sizing is normal but may fit wide.

Old Navy/The Gap: These clothes for infants are sized 0-6 and 6-12 so they don't have the variety that most of the other companies do. I have found that the 6-12 size seem to fit closer to most 6-9 clothes and at least for my little one will make it no where near 12 months.

Miniwear: Again, pretty normal sizing as far as length. The bodysuits have a close-fitting shape for babies with narrow torsos.

Carter's/Just One Year/Child of Mine: These clothes fit large. The bodysuits are narrow fitting and long. These are some of my favorites, probably because I feel my baby can wear them longer and for the most part, fits into the correct size in this brand - but that is just because he is big.

Socks of any brand, use caution. In my experience and what I've heard from other moms, socks don't stay on very well. Some of this I've noticed with some because they get stretched out to fit the feet, even a slight amount, and then they slowly (or not so slowly) revert to their non-stretched configuration. Many socks are just super small and way off of the mark for foot size based on baby age. Most don't have enough elastic at the ankle area to keep them on the foot. I still have yet to find a brand that fit well and stay on reliably - with the exception of some that I got handed down from my sister... sadly, there is no brand name on them, so I can't go get more.

One last thing. Pajamas of any brand, especially those with feet seem to fit small. I have heard this from other moms too. I have always had to go up at least one size if not two on pajamas. This may be due to the fact that they are supposed to be close fitting for sleeping safety. I have some pajamas labeled for 18 mo. that my 7 mo. old is too big for so check the fit on these early on and do not set them aside just because of what the label tells you.

I hope this helps and good luck!