Kids Graphic Tee Size Guide

Children's sizing is inconsistent between brands, and age labels are close to useless once a child passes about three. This guide covers how our sizes are cut, how to measure at home, and the two decisions that cause most returns: toddler versus youth, and whether to size up.

How to measure

You need two numbers, and a soft tape measure. Do it over a thin t-shirt rather than over a jumper.

Chest

Measure around the fullest part of the chest, under the arms, keeping the tape level and snug but not tight. Your child should breathe normally while you do it.

Height

Stand them against a wall without shoes, heels together, and mark the top of the head. Height is the more reliable of the two numbers for children's tops, because length is what usually runs out first.

Size chart

These are body measurements, not garment measurements. The tee itself is cut with several centimetres of ease on top.

Toddler sizes

2T — height 86-94 cm, chest 53-55 cm, typically 2 years
3T — height 94-102 cm, chest 55-57 cm, typically 3 years
4T — height 102-107 cm, chest 57-59 cm, typically 4 years

Youth sizes

Youth 5-6 — height 107-119 cm, chest 61-64 cm
Youth 7-8 — height 119-132 cm, chest 66-69 cm
Youth 10 — height 132-142 cm, chest 71-74 cm

Individual products vary slightly. Always check the measurements listed on the product page itself before ordering, particularly for the oversized cut, which runs deliberately wider and longer.

Toddler or youth?

This is the decision that trips people up, because 4T and youth 5-6 look adjacent on paper and fit quite differently in practice.

4T is part of the toddler block. It is cut wider at the hip to sit over a nappy or pull-up, has a shorter body, and uses a larger neck opening for easier dressing.

Youth 5-6 is longer through the torso and narrower at the shoulder and hip. It looks more proportioned on a taller child but is tighter around the middle.

The practical rule: if your child is still in nappies at night or is stocky through the middle, stay in 4T. If they are out of nappies and getting tall, move to youth 5-6.

Should I size up?

Usually, yes, by one step. Three reasons.

First, cotton shrinks. Expect one to two percent after the first wash, more if it goes through a hot dryer. Our patterns allow for this, but a tee bought tight has no margin.

Second, children grow fastest in the torso between two and six, which is precisely the dimension a t-shirt runs out of first.

Third, a slightly loose tee is comfortable and a slightly tight one is not, and a child who finds a shirt uncomfortable simply will not wear it.

The exception is if you want a fitted look on an older child, or if the child is at the very bottom of a size range and the next size up would swamp them entirely.

Between two sizes

Take the larger one. The only situation where sizing down makes sense is when the child measures at the very bottom of the range on both chest and height, and even then the gain is a few months of better fit against a shorter overall life.

Common questions

Do your sizes run true to US sizing?

Yes. Toddler 2T to 4T and youth 5-6 to 10 follow standard US children's sizing.

Why does my child fit a different size in your tees than elsewhere?

Children's sizing is not standardised. Two brands can label the same measurements 4T and youth 5, which is why measuring is more reliable than comparing labels.