How Toddler Jeans Fit - Why Age Isn't Everything

One thing we've discovered while making toddler jeans is that age really doesn't tell you very much about how a pair of jeans is going to fit.

My daughter is about to turn two, and in most of the photos you'll see of her on the website, she's wearing a size 1.

That size still fits her really well around the waist and seat, but she's starting to get a little long in the leg. So if I was buying her a new pair of jeans now, I'd go for a size 2.

They'll probably be a little big on her for a month or so, but I'm pretty sure that month will disappear very quickly. Kids aren't exactly known for staying the same size for long.

Then there are her friends.

She's got one friend in our parents' group who's a good 6cm taller. She's likely to be growing out of size 2, and needing a size 3 very soon.

Another friend is still a few centimetres shorter, particularly through the legs. She could happily stay in a size 1 for quite a few more months.

All three girls are the same age and would generally be considered a size 2.

And then there are the boys.

We've got a couple of friends who are nearly three and around the same height. One is much leaner and the other is a lot more solid. They're both wearing size 3, but the jeans look quite different on them.

Which is really the point.

Kids' bodies don't come in standard sizes.

So what does a good fit look like?

For us, the most important thing is that the jeans are comfortable and let them move.

They should be able to sit on the floor, run around, climb, jump and generally get on with whatever toddlers get up to without their jeans getting in the way.

The waist

This is where our adjustable waistband comes in handy.

Rather than needing the waist to fit perfectly on the day you put them on, there's some room to adjust it.

That's particularly useful when two kids are wearing the same size but have completely different builds.

The length

This is probably where I notice the biggest differences between kids.

One toddler might still have plenty of length in a size 1 while another has already outgrown the legs, despite being the same age.

A little growing room isn't necessarily a bad thing either. If the waist and seat fit well, going up a size for some extra length can make sense.

And if a child has particularly different proportions, we can sometimes look at making a pair with a different length.

So, how do you choose a size?

Age is a good starting point, but I wouldn't use it on its own.

If your toddler already has a pair of pants that fit them reasonably well, measure those instead and compare them with the measurements of the jeans you're looking at.

We've written a guide to measuring your toddler's jeans that explains how to do this without having to wrestle a tape measure onto an unwilling toddler.

And if you're still not sure, get in touch.

Because we're making these in small batches, we can talk through the measurements of the actual pair you're looking at and help you work out what is likely to fit best.

After all, a size 2 on one toddler can look very different from a size 2 on another.

And that's completely normal.