Why children’s sizes are numbers in centimetres

Most European children’s clothes use height sizes: the number on the label is the height of the child the piece is cut for, in centimetres.

Sizes go up in 6 cm steps, from 50 for small newborns to 128 for most eight-year-olds and beyond. Each size covers the 6 cm up to its number, so size 92 fits children from about 87 to 92 cm.

Age labels are only a guess, because children of the same age can be a whole size apart. Measure your child against a wall, find the number, and you have the size. If you are between two sizes, choose the larger one.