Wow! I was a bit surprised by how much activity my Tokidoki blog generated! Well I’m glad so many of you had a chance to check it out…I think we still have some left for those of you who haven’t taken a look yet. I’ll be sure to post some more notes when I see stuff that I think will really get you charged. If you need ideas for yourself or gifts always feel free to e-mail me and I’ll help you to find just the right thing.
Anyway, I guess we can continue our exploration of the topic of sizing children. First off, for our purposes regardless of actual age we will consider Infants to be up to size 2, Toddlers or Preschoolers up to size 5 and size 6 to 20 as Juniors or Youth. It is important to remember that each company has its own range of sizes. Obermeyer, for example, makes Preschool sizes from size 1 to size 8 and Juniors sizes from size 6 to size 18. I’m sure you are asking why the overlap? Well, Preschool sizes tend to be broader and shorter limbed then their Junior counter parts but the biggest reason is style. There are some preschool and junior kids that prefer a more youthful look that need bigger sizes. On the flip side there are some children who prefer the teen styles but still need the small sizes. It is about offering choices as much as it is about trying to accommodate those challenging size ranges.
I have to admit; very few companies offer such a wide range of sizes. Most ski companies do not offer anything below a size 3 and even the 3’s are often hard to come by. Most companies, if they even carry Preschool sizes, only manufacture sizes 3-5 and the selection is fairly limited. Sizes in the toddler and preschool range might be labeled with the traditional street wear marker ‘T’ before the size, therefore written as T3, T4 and T5. Where things get confusing is in the lettered sizes. The sizes become far more difficult to decipher. Each company determines their size breakdowns differently but typically they will be labeled Preschool or Toddler, Junior or Youth above the letter size. While there are variations typically toddler/preschool letter sizes are XS = sizes 1-2, S= size 3, M= sizes 4-5, L= sizes 6-7 and XL= size 8. Junior/youth breaks down as XS= size 5, S= sizes 6-8, M= sizes 10-12, L= sizes 14-16 and XL= sizes 18-20. A few companies also offer the 6X size, which is a good transition size for those tall and lean little ones since it is essentially the same as a 6 only longer limbed and a bit longer in the rise. If a 6X is offered it typically is a Junior or Youth size S, the regular 6 is then scaled back to an XS. Some companies will size all of their children’s wear on one size grid including sizes 1-20. In this case an XXS= sizes 1-2, XS= sizes 3-4, S= sizes 5-6, M= sizes 7-8, L= sizes 10-12, XL= sizes 14-16 and XXL= sizes 18-20.
It would be nice if the industry could come up with some sort of standard but that might be a long time in coming. Most companies have size grids available and at Ski Warehouse and The Jib Shop there is always someone available by phone or e-mail to help you determine the correct size. Oddly enough it sounds far more confusing then it is in reality. Any overlap in sizes merely gives you more choices. The key is to pay attention to whether the garment is sized on a Toddler/Preschool size grid or a Junior/Youth size grid and pay attention to the size breakdown of the lettered sizes.
Now that you have a better understanding of the sizes offered in the snow sport industry we can discuss how to determine if a garment really fits your little grom!
Until then, see ya on the slopes!
Anyway, I guess we can continue our exploration of the topic of sizing children. First off, for our purposes regardless of actual age we will consider Infants to be up to size 2, Toddlers or Preschoolers up to size 5 and size 6 to 20 as Juniors or Youth. It is important to remember that each company has its own range of sizes. Obermeyer, for example, makes Preschool sizes from size 1 to size 8 and Juniors sizes from size 6 to size 18. I’m sure you are asking why the overlap? Well, Preschool sizes tend to be broader and shorter limbed then their Junior counter parts but the biggest reason is style. There are some preschool and junior kids that prefer a more youthful look that need bigger sizes. On the flip side there are some children who prefer the teen styles but still need the small sizes. It is about offering choices as much as it is about trying to accommodate those challenging size ranges.
I have to admit; very few companies offer such a wide range of sizes. Most ski companies do not offer anything below a size 3 and even the 3’s are often hard to come by. Most companies, if they even carry Preschool sizes, only manufacture sizes 3-5 and the selection is fairly limited. Sizes in the toddler and preschool range might be labeled with the traditional street wear marker ‘T’ before the size, therefore written as T3, T4 and T5. Where things get confusing is in the lettered sizes. The sizes become far more difficult to decipher. Each company determines their size breakdowns differently but typically they will be labeled Preschool or Toddler, Junior or Youth above the letter size. While there are variations typically toddler/preschool letter sizes are XS = sizes 1-2, S= size 3, M= sizes 4-5, L= sizes 6-7 and XL= size 8. Junior/youth breaks down as XS= size 5, S= sizes 6-8, M= sizes 10-12, L= sizes 14-16 and XL= sizes 18-20. A few companies also offer the 6X size, which is a good transition size for those tall and lean little ones since it is essentially the same as a 6 only longer limbed and a bit longer in the rise. If a 6X is offered it typically is a Junior or Youth size S, the regular 6 is then scaled back to an XS. Some companies will size all of their children’s wear on one size grid including sizes 1-20. In this case an XXS= sizes 1-2, XS= sizes 3-4, S= sizes 5-6, M= sizes 7-8, L= sizes 10-12, XL= sizes 14-16 and XXL= sizes 18-20.
It would be nice if the industry could come up with some sort of standard but that might be a long time in coming. Most companies have size grids available and at Ski Warehouse and The Jib Shop there is always someone available by phone or e-mail to help you determine the correct size. Oddly enough it sounds far more confusing then it is in reality. Any overlap in sizes merely gives you more choices. The key is to pay attention to whether the garment is sized on a Toddler/Preschool size grid or a Junior/Youth size grid and pay attention to the size breakdown of the lettered sizes.
Now that you have a better understanding of the sizes offered in the snow sport industry we can discuss how to determine if a garment really fits your little grom!
Until then, see ya on the slopes!
Kjerstin
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