Deciphering Baby and Toddler Sizes

Baby sizes can be really confusing, especially since many stores display them differently. Here is a quick guide for you.

1. Preemie size is for a Preemie. This is not for a small baby. Usually even if your baby is small, they are still too long for a preemie outfit.

2. Newborn size is a good choice for a smaller baby (under 8 lbs) for about the first month of their life.

3. Month Sizes are displayed differently depending what store you are in. You will see 0-3 or 3 for average babies aged 0-3 months old, and 3-6 or 6 for average babies aged 3-6 months old. Remember when you just see one number, such as 3, that means the baby is up to 3 months, not just became 3 months. This seems to be a confusing point.

4. Now the tricky part. Some stores skip 6-9 months. The reason for this is that babies don’t grow as rapidly during their 6-12 months, and there isn’t much difference between 6-9 month clothing and 6-12 month clothing.

5. The next size is 12-18 months or 18 months.

6. The next size is 18-24 months or 24 months. So in going with the previous patterns, 18-24 should be the same as 2T right? Wrong. This is where it switches. Size 18-24, or 24, is for babies ages 18 months to 24 months. Size 2T is the size for the entire year of the 2 year old child, not up to 2 years old as the previous sizes have followed.

7. 3T is for a 3 year old, 4T is for a four year old, and 5T is for a five year old.

8. Then there are youth sizes 3, 4, and 5. If you go to the front of Gymboree, you will see size 4, if you go to the middle of Gymboree, you will see size 4T. What is the difference? Not much. The “T’s” are usually a little wider in the tushy to allow for a diaper, or if your child still has “baby fat” or hasn’t thinned out to look more like a kid yet. I find that they are not that much different in size. They usually are different in price, however. Youth sizes tend to be more expensive than Toddler sizes.

--Remember that these are made for the average size child. If your child is between the 25-75 percentile, they should be able to follow the sizes according to their age. If your child is below the 25 percentile, they might need to go down a size. If your child is above the 75 percentile, they will need to go the next size up.

--Also Gerber brand is tiny. Buy a size up.

I hope this helps!