Big Kids

Big kid's sizing, sometimes listed as youth, runs girls 7 to 16 and boys 8 to 20, mostly in even numbers. It is the last band before adult clothes. Proportions shift across it rather than simply scaling up: shoulders widen on boys, waists define on girls, and inseams grow faster than any other measurement. Most brands split the range into a regular cut with slim and husky or plus options beside it. Two twelve year olds of the same height can differ by thirty pounds.

Age is at its least useful here. Puberty starts anywhere from about eight to fourteen, and a spurt can add three or four inches in a year. The child who wore a 10 in September may need a 14 by spring. Measure every season instead of repeating last year's number, and take the inseam separately. A size that fits the body can still finish four inches short in the leg.

At the top the band collides with adult sizing, and the two do not line up. A girl's 16 sits close to a small women's size but is cut straighter through bust and hip. Junior sizing, which uses odd numbers, assumes a developing figure again. Fit above 14 turns into an experiment brand by brand. The sleepwear rule ends inside this band as well. In the US, sleepwear above size 9 months and up to size 14 must either fit snugly or be flame resistant. A size 14 pajama is covered and a 16 is not.