Every kind of kids' clothing has a stretch of the year when stores need it gone. This is the whole year on one page: what is marked down each month, and how far ahead you are buying.
| Month | Marked down | Buy for |
|---|---|---|
| January | Winter coats, snow pants, holiday pajamas. A second round on school uniforms. | Next winter, next December |
| February | Winter coats and snow gear. Prices are lower and sizes are thinner. | Next winter |
| March | The last of the winter gear, at its lowest price. | Next winter |
| April | A quiet month for clearance. Winter is gone and spring has not been marked down yet. | |
| May | Spring clothes and rain jackets. | Next spring |
| June | The last of the spring clothes and rain jackets. | Next spring |
| July | Swimsuits and summer clothes, first markdowns. | Next summer |
| August | Swimsuits and summer clothes. The best mix of price and choice. | Next summer |
| September | The last swimsuits. School uniforms, once the displays come down. | Next summer, next school year |
| October | Fall and back-to-school clothes. School uniforms. | Next fall |
| November | Halloween costumes in the first week. Fall clothes. Black Friday at the end of the month. | Next October, next fall |
| December | Holiday pajamas and outfits, from December 26. | Next December |
The pattern is the same all year. Clothes are cheapest in the weeks right after the weather they were made for, while stores clear the racks for the next season.
Clearance clothes sit in a drawer for most of a year. The size has to fit at the end of the season they are worn in, not on the day you buy them.
| What | Bought | Worn until | Months ahead |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter coats, snow pants | January | February | 13 |
| Rain jackets, spring clothes | May | May | 12 |
| Swimsuits, summer clothes | July | August | 13 |
| School uniforms | September | June | 21 |
| Fall clothes | October | November | 13 |
| Halloween costumes | November | October | 11 |
| Holiday pajamas | December | December | 12 |
School uniforms are the long one. A pair of khakis bought in September has to last to the end of the next school year.
For a kid of average height, a year ahead is one size up at most ages. This table shows the size worn today and the size to buy for 12 months from now.
| Age today | Boys wear now | Boys buy | Girls wear now | Girls buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 2T | 3T | 2T | 3T |
| 3 | 3T | 4T | 3T | 4T |
| 4 | 4T | 5 | 4T | 5 |
| 5 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 6 |
| 6 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 7 |
| 7 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 8 |
| 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 |
| 9 | 8 | 10 | 8 | 10 |
| 10 | 10 | 12 | 10 | 12 |
| 11 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 14 |
| 12 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 14 |
It is not always one size. An 8-year-old in the middle of a size 8 is still in it a year later, and a 2-year-old can skip a size. Where your kid sits inside a size today decides it, which is why the calculator asks for height.
Get every season's size for your kidShoes and boots are the exception to all of this. Feet do not track height closely enough to predict a shoe size a year out, so buy those when you need them.
One short email when each season's markdowns begin: coats in January, swimsuits in July, costumes on November 1. Nothing else.
Unsubscribe any time with the link in every email. How we use your email.
Clearance
Sizes