Children's Clothing Buying Guide

by Staff Writer
Published April 28, 2010 | Updated June 25, 2015

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Kids grow up so fast, and you'll be shopping for children's clothing many times over the years. This children's clothing buying guide will provide you with some tips to help you get the best children's clothes for your money at every stage of their young lives.

Buying Children's Clothing:

• Baby Clothes

  You'll go through many sizes of baby clothing in your child's first year. Before you buy anything, consider the time of year your baby will be born. Summer newborn clothes should be lightweight and breathable to keep your baby from getting heat rashes, while winter clothes should include hats, mittens, and booties. Baby clothing sizes are based on months, based on the sizes of average babies at certain ages; keep in mind that some babies will be bigger or smaller than average. If the size only gives one month instead of a range, remember that it will be the same size as the higher end of the range; for example, 3-6 months clothing is the same size as 6 month clothing.

Baby Clothing Sizes:

Size	Average Age	Length	Weight
Newborn	Birth to 2 weeks	Up to 21.5 inches	5-8 pounds
0-3 months or 3 months	2 weeks to 3 months	19-23 inches	8-12.5 pounds
3-6 months or 6 months	3 to 6 months	24-26 inches	12-15 pounds
6-9 months or 9 months	6 to 9 months	27-28 inches	16-18 pounds
9-12 months or 12 months	9 to 12 months	29-30 inches	19-20 pounds
12-18 months or 18 months	12 to 18 months	31-32 inches	21-23 pounds
18-24 months or 24 months	18 to 24 months	33-35 inches	24-28 pounds

• Toddler Clothing

  As your baby grows from an infant to a toddler, you'll want durable clothing that will last through all the crawling and falling. During potty training, you'll want pants with elastic waistbands, so they won't have to deal with zippers or buttons. Make sure you have enough clothes to get you to laundry day, as well as a few extras, in case of accidents. Toddler clothing sizes are based on children's ages in years, and you'll probably only need new clothes once a year at this stage. You can tell it's a toddler size by the T after the number.

Toddler Clothing Sizes:

Size	Average Age	Height	Weight
2T	2 years old	33-33.5 inches	24-28 pounds
3T	3 years old	36-38.5 inches	28.5-32 pounds
4T or Child's XS	4 years old	39-41 inches	33-36 pounds

• Children's Clothing

  Before you start shopping for kids' clothes, talk with your children about what they would like; they're old enough to have opinions about colors and styles that they prefer. Basics, like jeans and T-shirts are good to have, and you'll want to have a few nicer outfits for special occasions, too. Both girls' clothing and boys' clothing follow the same sizing parameters from ages 4 to 6, then split, as the sizes no longer coordinate with age.

Children's Clothing Sizes:

Size	Height	Weight
4 or S	42-44 inches	37-41 pounds
5 or M	45-47 inches	42-46 pounds
6 or L	48-49 inches	47-53 pounds
6x/7 or XL	50-51 inches	54-58 pounds