Girls' Fashion

How to size children's clothes when they're between sizes

Children's sizing is by age, but age is the least reliable guide, a tall six-year-old and a small six-year-old are two sizes apart.

• Go by height, not age. Most children's sizing is really height-based, and the measurement on the product page is more accurate than the label.
• Size up if you're buying ahead or near a growth spurt, but only one size. Two sizes up means sleeves over hands and trailing hems, which children won't wear and which are a trip hazard.
• Check the waist separately. Adjustable waistbands and elasticated styles last through a growth spurt where fixed waists don't.
• Measure their foot for shoes rather than guessing from their last pair. Children's feet grow in bursts, and shoes that are too small do real damage.

How to buy school-proof clothes

Children's clothes fail in predictable places, and a few things at purchase make the difference.

• Reinforced knees on trousers and jeggings: this is where they go first
• Elasticated or adjustable waists for independence in the toilet and longer wear as they grow
• Machine washable at 40°C. Anything requiring hand washing will not survive a school year
• Dark colours and patterns hide marks between washes far better than pale ones
• Check they can do the fastenings themselves. Buttons at the back and stiff zips mean a child who needs help all day

How to choose children's shoes

• Measure both feet, in the afternoon, and fit to the larger one
• Allow about 1-1.5cm growing room at the longest toe, more than that and the shoe slips, causing blisters
• Check width as well as length. A shoe that's the right length but too narrow causes more problems than one slightly too long
• Recheck every 6-8 weeks for under-fives, every 3 months after that. Children rarely say shoes are too small; they just stop wanting to walk
• Velcro or elastic laces for younger children who can't yet tie laces reliably

Kids' watches: what to look for

• Water resistance matters more than anything else. Children wash their hands, play in puddles and forget to take watches off. Look for at least 3ATM, ideally 5ATM.
• Digital is easier to read for children still learning the time; analogue helps them learn it. Some parents buy both.
• Check the strap adjusts small enough. Adult-sized straps on children's watches are a common complaint.
• Fitness trackers for children are best treated as step counters and fun rather than health tools, the heart rate features aren't accurate on small wrists, and children don't need to monitor their activity.

How to make children's clothes last through siblings

• Wash at 40°C or lower: hot washes shrink cotton and fade colours faster than any amount of wear
• Treat stains immediately. Cold water on protein stains, and never a hot wash before the stain has gone, which sets it permanently
• Line dry. Tumble drying is what shrinks children's clothes out of their size range before they've been outgrown
• Store by size, labelled, in sealed boxes rather than bags, damp and moths are what ruin handed-down clothes
• Wash before storing. Invisible food marks oxidise into brown stains over six months in a loft