FAQ of the Day: How to Measure Your Child's Clothing Size

by Marie Kuelbs September 13, 2026

Choosing the right clothing size for your kid can sometimes be confusing. Clothing sizes can differ between brands and countries, so how do you know that you’re purchasing the right size for her? For today’s FAQ, we at Mila & Rose will walk you through measuring your kid’s clothing size, so you can buy clothing that fits them just right.

Step 1: Grab Materials

To start, you need to have three things on hand:

• Measuring tape
• Full body-length mirror
• Paper and pencil or phone to take notes

Step 2: Prep for Measuring Session

Have your kid stand in front of the mirror and use the measuring tape to wrap around the body parts that will determine how long or wide certain parts of the clothing must be. Use inches for American sizing and centimeters for international sizing when writing your measurements, as numbered sizes vary across companies. Size charts will usually list the lengths with their corresponding number size.

Step 3: Measure Your Child

For general clothing sizes, you’ll need to measure five body parts:

• Chest: Wrap the measuring tape around their chest and under their armpits.
• Waist: Wrap the measuring tape around their waistline.
• Hip: Wrap the measuring tape around the widest part of their hips and bottom.
  
• Inseam: Hold the measuring tape vertically from between their legs to their feet.
• Height: Hold the measuring tape vertically from the top of their head to their feet.

See the picture below for a visual representation:

If you’re measuring your child for clothing from Mila & Rose, our size charts are listed in inches, so make sure you measure accordingly. If you’re measuring your child for a brand who lists their size charts in centimeters, search for a conversion calculator from inches to centimeters online.

Step 4: Reference the Brand's Size Chart and Buy

Once you’ve written down your child's measurements, look up the clothing brand’s size charts to determine what number of clothing size to buy for them. On the Mila & Rose website, each listing has a Size Guide where you can reference what size to buy.

What to Measure for Dresses, Tops, Baby Bodysuits, Dance Leotards, Etc.

If you need to measure your child for any sort of clothing worn on the top of their body, like our signature Twirl Dresses, there are three things you need to measure:

• Length: Measure the length from your kid’s shoulder to the hem of the clothing you’re intending to measure for. If you’re measuring for a dress, measure where the dress’s hem will fall. If you’re measuring for a shirt, measure from their shoulder to their waistline. Baby Bodysuits will be from your baby’s shoulder to the snaps at the bottom. For Dance Leotards, you’ll measure from your kid’s shoulder to where the bottom of the leotard itself is.
• Chest: Measure the circumference around the fullest part of your kid’s chest.
• Arm: If you’re measuring for a top that has sleeves, measure their arms to determine how long the sleeves will fall.

What to Measure for Pants, Skorts, Shorts, Etc.

If you need to measure your kid for any sort of clothing worn on the bottom of their body, like our Leggings, there are three things you need to measure:

• Length: Measure the length from your kid’s waist to the hem of the clothing you’re intending to measure for. If you’re measuring for long pants, measure the full length of their legs. If you’re measuring for a Twirl Skort, measure where the skirt’s hem will fall.
• Waist: Measure the circumference around their waist.
• Inseam: If you’re measuring your kid for pants, measure the length from their crotch to the pants’ hem.

What to Measure for Socks

If you need to measure your kid for Socks, there are two things you need to measure:

• Foot: Measure the length from your kid’s toes to their heels. Make sure to add just a bit more to the length so their toes won’t feel crushed.
• Heel to cuff: Measure the length from their heel to where the sock’s cuff (or top part) will be to ensure the sock covers their ankle.

We hope you found this guide helpful! Measuring your kid may be tricky, but we want to help you find the perfect clothing size for your child. After all, they’ll feel more comfortable and confident when they wear something that fits them perfectly. If you have any questions about Mila & Rose’s sizing, please contact us today!

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