Kid's Leggings (Bottoms)

Nothing about a legging is structural. There is no fly, no button and rarely a pocket. The fit comes entirely from the fabric, usually cotton with 5 to 10 percent elastane or a polyester and spandex blend. The garment stretches to the leg and pulls back, which is why one pair can span a full size of growth.

A good pair differs from a bad one in two places. A gusset, the small diamond of fabric set into the crotch, moves the seams away from a single stress point and prevents the split that happens when four seams meet. The waistband is either wide covered elastic sewn into a casing, which stays put, or a folded band of the same knit, which rolls down under a coat and gets pulled up all day.

Opacity is the other test, and it is invisible on a hanger. Thin knits go sheer under tension, so a pair that looks solid lying flat turns see-through the moment a child bends. Stretching the fabric across your hand in front of a window shows exactly how much light gets through the seat.

Compared with joggers, which skim the leg and gather at the ankle, leggings hold the whole leg. Jeggings mimic denim with a heavier printed or coated face. Tights are far thinner, sold by denier and usually footed, and they belong under a dress rather than instead of pants. Leggings sit as the plain knit middle: warmer than tights, closer than joggers, and the only one a child can wear under a school dress and then keep on at the park.

Children who reject stiff waistbands and prickly seams often accept leggings when they accept nothing else. Wind and cold defeat them alone, since a thin knit stops nothing. Softener coats elastane and shortens the life of the stretch, so wash cold without it and dry on low or on a line. This is what keeps the knee from going baggy.