Taller by Fall

Kids' clothing brands compared: whose sizes run big or small

A size 8 is not the same height at every store. By the brands' own charts, the tallest kid a size 8 is made for is 52.5 inches at one store and 54.5 at another. Sizes are only 3 inches apart, so that gap is most of a size.

Big-kid sizes, 5 to 16

Each number is the tallest height, in inches, that the brand's chart gives for that size. A bigger number means the size runs longer.

Size	Gap	Old Navy	Carter's	Children's Place	Cat & Jack
5	45	45	45	44	47
6	48	51*	48	46.5	49.5
7	51	51*	51.5	50.5	52.5
8	54	54.5	53.5	52.5	54
10	57	60*	56	55	56
12	60	60*	58	58	59.5
14	62	65.5*	59.5	61	62
16	65	65.5*	none	62.5	64

* Old Navy sells these as double sizes: 6-7, 10-12 and 14-16. Carter's kids' sizes stop at 14. Where a brand has separate boys' and girls' charts, the boys' chart is shown.

Toddler sizes, 2T to 5T

Size	Gap	Old Navy	Carter's	Children's Place
2T	36	36	36.5	35
3T	39	39	39	38
4T	42	42	41.5	41
5T	45	45	44	44

Toddler sizes agree much more closely than big-kid sizes. The spread is an inch at most.

What the charts show

Gap and Old Navy step up about 3 inches a size and sit closest to the chart this site uses. If the calculator says 8, an 8 from either is the size it means.
The Children's Place runs the shortest. Each size tops out an inch or two below Gap's. A kid in the top half of a size elsewhere usually needs the next size up there.
Carter's matches the others up to 8 and runs short from 10 up. Its size 14 pants are made for kids up to 59.5 inches, where Gap's 14 goes to 62. Its chart for coats runs longer than its chart for pants.
Cat & Jack's small number sizes run long. Its 5 is made for 45 to 47 inches, which is a 6 at Gap or Carter's. By size 8 it is back in line.
Old Navy's double sizes each cover about 6 inches of growth. That is two years for a kid of average height, which makes them the most forgiving thing to buy ahead.

How to use this when you buy ahead

Work from height, not from the label. The calculator shows the height your kid is likely to be when each season comes back. Find that height in the table and take the first size that is tall enough.

For example, a kid who will be 53 inches next winter fits a size 8 at Gap, Old Navy, Carter's and Cat & Jack, but needs a 10 at The Children's Place.

Get your kid's height for next season

What the charts do not show

Width. These are regular fits. For kids who are narrower or wider than the regular cut, see slim, husky and plus sizes.
Shrinkage. Cotton knits can lose length in a hot dryer, so a size that is right on the line will end up short.
Single items. A brand's chart is its target, and individual styles miss it in both directions. The chart on the product page is the one that counts.

One short email when each season's markdowns begin: coats in January, swimsuits in July, costumes on November 1. Nothing else.

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