Newborn or 0-3 months? Experts help break down the confusing world of baby sizes and how they relate to clothes.
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It shouldn&#;t be complicated, but for some reason, baby sizes on clothing are unsettlingly confusing &#; particularly if you have no frame of reference. (&#;Can newborns wear 0-3 size clothes?&#; &#;And why isn&#;t that the same thing as newborn-size?!&#;) And making things more baffling is the fact that, much like the clothes themselves, there&#;s no one-size-fits-all rule when it comes to figuring out which clothes from what brands will fit your baby when.
&#;It&#;s impossible to give hard and fast rules when it comes to baby clothes sizes, especially since brands all size and label things a little differently,&#; says Jenn Bonnett, a fashion and wardrobe stylist who primarily works with kids. &#;Additionally, all kids are different sizes, regardless of their age, so it&#;s important to keep in mind that the sizes we see are based on the average. If your baby is in the 99th percentile, you&#;re going to need to size up.&#;
&#;It&#;s impossible to give hard and fast rules when it comes to baby clothes sizes, especially since brands all size and label things a little differently. &#;
&#;Jenn Bonnett, fashion and wardrobe stylist
But even without there being a universal guide for baby clothes sizes, there are general rules that will make onesie-buying far more fun than stressful. Here, experts break down the confusing world of baby clothing sizes.
Is newborn the same size as 0-3 months?
&#;Newborn-size represents an average baby at birth up to 21.5 inches long and 5-8 pounds, which can be a very wide range,&#; explains Dr. Amna Husain, a board-certified pediatrician and American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) spokesperson in North Carolina.
In terms of how weight relates to 0-3 month clothing, the range is typically 8-13 pounds, according to Husain, but there are other considerations to take into account &#; namely, length.
&#;Infants come in all shapes and sizes, so the range is helpful if you have an infant on the smaller/petite end versus the larger/longer end,&#; says Husain. &#;I&#;ve found that sorting clothes by length versus what the tag says can be helpful since some brands run small and others large.&#;
How long do babies fit in newborn clothes?
Finding your newborn clothes size can be difficult. Whether you&#;re trying to choose a coming-home outfit for your own little one or pick out something sweet for a loved one&#;s new baby, newborn-size (NB) clothes, or something a bit bigger with some room to grow, such as 0-3 months, is most likely the way to go. Which one will fit right off the bat? Ultimately, it comes down to baby&#;s size, which is nearly impossible to predict before birth.
&#;I recommend having a variety of sizes on hand for your newborn including newborn and 0-3 months,&#; says Husain.
While babies are known for their ability to grow &#;and outgrow clothes &#; at warp speed, Husain notes that not everyone will be packing the newborn-size clothes up after a week or two. &#;You may have your little one wearing newborn clothing for 4-6 weeks if they&#;re closer to the 4-5 pound range,&#; Husain points out. &#;Every baby is different, but it&#;s smart for parents to remove the tags and wash a few &#; not all &#; newborn clothes before birth. This way, they can be returned if baby quickly jumps to the next size up.&#;
&#;I recommend having a variety of sizes on hand for your newborn including newborn and 0-3 months.&#;
&#;Dr. Amna Husain, pediatrician
Use the same line of thinking if you&#;re buying clothes for a newborn or baby shower gift. NB-size clothes may not fit for long &#; and some bigger babies may never get a chance to wear them &#; so it&#;s a safer bet to buy a size or two up for newborns.
Baby clothing sizes explained
Just as caring for babies gets easier with time, so does cracking the DaVinci-like code of buying clothes for them. Not only will it become more apparent which end of the height and weight spectrum your child is on, but you&#;ll also become familiar with how favorite brands run.
&#;While a big part of choosing the right size baby clothes depends on a particular brand, my personal rule is considering that the tag means &#;up to,&#;&#; says Husain. &#;So if a label says &#;3 months,&#; I think of it being about it being able to fit somewhere between 0-3 months, or if it says &#;6 months,&#; it can fit somewhere between 3-6 months.&#; Husain notes that while this rule won&#;t necessarily work for every item of clothing and every brand, it will make shopping simpler until parents get an idea of baby&#;s shape, as well as brand preferences.
&#;My personal rule is considering that the tag means &#;up to.&#; So if a label says &#;3 months,&#; I think of it being about it being able to fit somewhere between 0-3 months, or if it says &#;6 months,&#; it can fit somewhere between 3-6 months.&#;
&#;Dr. Amna Husain, pediatrician
Here&#;s a concrete example: Baby Gap&#;s 3-6-month size range fits babies 12-17 pounds and 23-27 inches, while Carter&#;s 3-month clothing fits babies 9-12.5 pounds and 21.5-24 inches and their 6-month clothing fits babies 12.5-17 pounds and 24-27 inches. The difference between 9 and 12 pounds is a lot in babies.
In addition to having a few NB pieces set aside before baby&#;s birth, as a general rule of thumb, it&#;s always smart to size up when you don&#;t know baby&#;s exact size. For instance, when buying clothes for a 3-month-old, opt for the 3-6 month (or larger) size range instead of the 0-3 month range.
A few other good reasons for the size-up rule? Clothes may shrink in the laundry over time, but babies will continue to get bigger.
&#;My son was outgrowing his clothes, so, in a rush one day, I grabbed a couple of Cat & Jack rompers from Target in what I thought was his size,&#; notes Mia Perez, a mom of three from Howell, New Jersey. &#;They wound up being super big on him. After a few weeks &#; and many washes &#; they wound up fitting, though. And actually, they shrunk so much that my next baby was able to wear them on the earlier side.&#;
Cheryl Delfino, a mom of two in Los Angeles, had a similar experience with her first baby. &#;For the first few months of my daughter&#;s life, she lived in plain Gerber onesies, so when I got a gift card for Baby Gap, I was excited to use it,&#; Delfino explains. &#;I bought a bunch of rompers and onesies online in 3-6 months and they were huge! Eventually, she grew into them, but my daughter was swimming in them when she was between 3-4 months old.&#;
&#;Not only will children&#;s clothes shrink the more you wash and dry them,&#; says Bonnett, adding that it&#;s all the more reason to buy clothing with room to grow, &#;but kids just look cute in oversized sweatshirts or sweaters with the sleeves rolled up &#; and they get extra length and more wear out of them that way.&#;
For more information, please visit Custom Made Baby Clothes.
The moral of the story? If you&#;re still figuring out what sizes fit your baby best, or if you&#;re trying to buy a gift for someone else, it&#;s a good idea to refer to a brand&#;s size chart since there&#;s always variation. And when in doubt, size up, knowing baby can grow into a larger size.
To help you out, we compiled some of the top baby brands and sizes.
Baby clothes size chart by brand
Carter&#;s/OshKosh
Label/SizeWeight (lbs)Height/Length (inches)P (Preemie)Up to 6 lbsUp to 18&#;NB (Newborn)6-9 lbs18-21.5&#;3 months9-12.5 lbs21.5-24&#;6 months12.5-17 lbs24-27&#;9 months17-21 lbs27-28.5&#;12 months21-25 lbs28.5-30&#;18 months25-28 lbs30-32&#;24 months28-30 lbs32-34&#;
Amazon Essentials
Label/SizeWeight (lbs)Height/Length (inches)P (Preemie)Up to 6 lbsUp to 17&#;NB (Newborn)6-9 lbsUp to 21.5&#;3 months9-12.5 lbs21.5-24&#;6 months12.5-17 lbs24-26.5&#;9 months17-21 lbs26.5-28.5&#;12 months21-25 lbs28.5-30.5&#;18 months25-28 lbs30.5-32.5&#;24 months28-30 lbs32.5-34&#;
Gerber
Label/SizeWeight (lbs)Height/Length (inches)PreemieUp to 5 lbsUp to 17&#;Newborn (NB)5-8 Ibs17-21&#;0-3 months8-12 Ibs21-24&#;0-6 monthsUp to 16 Ibs17-26&#;3-6 months12-16 Ibs24-26&#;6-9 months16-20 Ibs26-28&#;12 months20-24 Ibs28-30&#;18 months24-28 Ibs30-32&#;24 months/2T28-32 Ibs32-34&#;
Old Navy size chart & Baby Gap
Label/SizeWeight (lbs)Height/Length (inches)Up to 7 lbsUp to 7 lbsUp to 18&#;0-3 months7-12 lbsOld Navy 19-23&#;
Baby Gap 18-23&#;3-6 months12-17 lbs23-27&#;6-9 monthsOld Navy 17-19 lbs
Baby Gap 17-20 lbs27-28&#;6-12 monthsOld Navy 17-22 lbs
Baby Gap 20-22 lbsOld Navy 27-29&#;
Baby Gap 28-29&#;12-18 months22-27 lbs29-31&#;18-24 months27-30 lbs31-33&#;
Target brands (including Cat & Jack, Cloud Island)
Label/SizeWeight (lbs)Height/Length (inches)Preemieup to 5.5 lbsup to 17.5&#;Newborn6-8 lbs18-20&#;0-3 months9-12 lbs20.5-23.5&#;3-6 months12.5-16 lbs24-25.5&#;6-9 months16.5-19.5 lbs26-27.5&#;9-12 months20-23 lbs28-30.5&#;18 months23.5-26 lbs31-32.5&#;24 months26.5-28 lbs33-35.5&#;* According to size charts on the brand sites at the time of this posting.
Is 2t the same as 24 months?
If you&#;re wondering about one of the biggest baby clothing mysteries &#; what&#;s the difference is between 24 months and 2T &#; the answer is fairly concrete: It&#;s mainly about the fashion and whether or not a child is potty-trained.
&#;The biggest difference between size 24 months and 2T is the style,&#; says Jessica Herman, director of customer experience at the children&#;s clothing subscription service, KIDBOX. &#;Size 2T typically is more mature toddler styles, where size 24 months has more babyish clothes, such as onesies, particularly geared toward kids who are still in diapers.&#;
In other words, it&#;s much easier for a child or parent to pull up and down a pair of pants when it&#;s potty time, as opposed to unsnapping a onesie. Also, some brands, such as Baby Gap, even note that, in addition to accommodating extra room in their clothing for a diaper, their sizes are representative of clothing with a diaper on.
While it certainly would be convenient if baby sizes were as simple as following a label, alas, few things parenting-related are so simple. That said, once you figure what works best for your little one, it&#;s easy. Until then, though, better to be safe than sorry. &#;Whenever you&#;re unsure about sizing, always size up,&#; says Herman. &#;Kids are constantly growing, and it&#;s better to be too big than too small.&#;
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