Clothes by height or weight?

adoxyinherear

I'm in a bit of a pickle looking at clothes for DD for the summer. My grandmother, bless her heart, sent her a bunch of outfits that are honestly just not our style, so I'm going to return them. But I'm beginning to have a really hard time buying clothes for DD because she's very skinny - 20 lbs. and she's 17 months - but closer to average for length - at her 15 month appt. she was 30.5. So she's nowhere near the weight range for 18 month clothing and unlikely to be, but I am concerned by the summer she'll be much too tall for 12 month clothing. For dresses I feel like I can go with 12 month and they might be on the shorter side, but rompers and the like she SWIMS in if I go a size up. 

Anybody with skinny littles have any recommendations? Or if it's better to put them in clothes that are weight appropriate or vice versa? I also just don't know how much I can expect her to grow at this age.

Mmm79

A's always been a longer and leaner baby and I have typically gone with height on things where length matters.  For example, he is 11 months old today (!) but just moved into size 9 onesies, however he's been wearing the 9-12 month pants for about 2 months since the clothes that actually fit his little waist are too short and he is already in size 12 month sleepers.  

hungryhippo

Same as Mmm, except DS is long in the torso rather than legs. So he is in 9 mo onesies and sleepers but 6 mo in pants (he is 4.5 months old). If I were you I might just get a store credit and wait to by summer clothes. That way you'll have a better idea of size and maybe could get them on sale if you buy them as the next season's clothes are coming out.

adoxyinherear

Thanks, ladies. I have been okay with her pants being on the long side, mostly I've just been in the camp of feeling she's NEVER going to grow into this stuff, or by the time she does, it will be the wrong season. She's been wearing some of the same pajamas and onesies since this past summer, and her weight gain has been very slow. She's stayed pretty consistently in the 5th percentile for weight, and only recently jumped to the 30th for length.

Junebug060609

Honestly, I've never paid much mind to the weight limits.  Go with what fits.  

My DS is 28 months (Tuesday) and is still in 18-24m pants...and they have to be ones with adjustable waists at that (he's also a skinny mini).  His shirts he's 2T.  

In your case, I'd probably do similar to what I do with DS...buy some stuff in one size and some in another.  Things where length is important, go with the bigger size.  Things where it doesn't matter as much, go with the smaller.  In both cases, keep the tags on and keep receipts until she is ready to use them.

martinimomma

Junebug060609 said:

Honestly, I've never paid much mind to the weight limits.  Go with what fits.  

My DS is 28 months (Tuesday) and is still in 18-24m pants...and they have to be ones with adjustable waists at that (he's also a skinny mini).  His shirts he's 2T.  

In your case, I'd probably do similar to what I do with DS...buy some stuff in one size and some in another.  Things where length is important, go with the bigger size.  Things where it doesn't matter as much, go with the smaller.  In both cases, keep the tags on and keep receipts until she is ready to use them.

All of this. G is a skinny man and for the time being I'm not shopping too much ahead (or I'm saving receipts and keeping tags on!). If they made pants that were Carter's 12 month waist size and 18 month length we'd be golden.

DD is thus far the opposite. She's 4.5 months and rocking 9 month Carter's sleep and plays. The sleeves and legs are just a little bit long...so I'm hesitant to buy clothes ahead for her too.

Good luck!

Missuskeekers

My little guy has long legs and arms. I have to buy things by length and not weight because he is a skinny baby. He is 99th percentile for height and 25th for weight. He still can squeeze in to 3 month short sleeve onesies, but wears 9 month size pants and 9 months size fits best for sleeve length for long sleeves.

FmrAFBrat

Like PP said I generally go on length. I do think some brands of pants work better for the thinner kids too. There are some brands that would look like flood pants by the time DS could hold them up.

KikiCohen

I have a long, lean baby.  We usually buy pants and sleepers based on height and onesies based on weight.  For example, if you look at the size chart from Carter's, he "should" be wearing 9 months in everything.  We're about ready to get out the 12 months pants and sleepers, but the 6 months onesies still fit.  

adoxyinherear

RachaelA said:

I try everything on her and ignore the weight/height numbers. Leggings/capris from children's place are the tightest and we only buy Gap adjustable waist skinny jeans (nothing else fights correctly in the calf/thigh). Rompers ended up being too baggy in order to get the ones that didn't cause her to have a diaper wedgy.

This makes me so sad because I just love rompers. But she already can't wear the one piece winter stuff, so she probably won't be able to wear one piece summer stuff, either.