I investigated supermarket and high street baby grow sizes – the ‘ridiculous’ results shocked me

PARENTS face a baby clothes lottery, with outfits varying up to ten per cent in size.

In a Sun Money investigation, we bought eight standard, popper-fastened sleepsuits from six major retailers.

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They were all labelled as suitable for babies up to three months, but there was no industry-standard sizing — meaning parents risk wasting their money.

Here, Rose Taylor reveals what we discovered . . . .

FIT OR FLOP

THE longest sleepsuit was from Next at 53cm — more than ten per cent bigger than the smallest, from Asda, at 48cm.

The difference of 5cm may not sound huge, but it can be almost a third of the leg of a tiny baby.

That’s the difference between clothing fitting over a baby’s feet or coming halfway up the calves.

The outfits also differed by eight per cent in chest width, from 24cm to 26cm.

Some of the longest sleepsuits had the narrowest chests (including Next and M&S), while one of the shortest had the widest chest (from George at Asda).

It means it is nearly impossible for parents to guess which brands will fit their child.

There is also no guarantee sleepsuits will be the same size even when bought in multipacks from the same store.

POT LUCK

MUM-of-two Rhian Thompson, from Northamptonshire, struggled to get clothes to fit children Evie, five, and Finley, two, as babies.

She says: “When you’re buying baby clothes it’s pot luck.

“It’s so easy to waste money. There’s no way of knowing from the label or age bracket if it will fit.”

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CLOTHES TOO BIG

PARENTS find that differing sizes are a waste of money too.

Rhian says: “One problem is a lot of clothing is designed either for summer or for winter and only fits for a few months, as babies grow so quickly.

“I bought Evie a winter jumper when a few months old. It said it was the right size for her age but by the time it fitted it was summer.

“She’d grown out of it by winter so never wore it.

“At times, my kids were wearing clothes which fitted them but were labelled as from three different age brackets. It’s ridiculous.”

I’d like to see a general standardisation of clothing sizes for infants.

But I’d also like a commitment from retailers to accept returns free of charge when items don’t fit.

Martyn JamesConsumer Expert

Rhian launched her own baby clothes range, Bibevie (bibevie.com), in 2021 after becoming frustrated with what was sold on the high street.

Her clothes have features such as turn-ups and buttons to adjust the sizing, so they fit children for as long as possible.

Long and short of it? It’s a mess

MOTHERCARE (now sold through Boots) says its 1-3 month clothing is designed for babies from 55-62cm long.

Clothes from George at Asda are for younger babies, from 0-3 months, but come in slightly bigger at 56-62cm.

And M&S says its 0-3 months clothing is aimed at babies who are already 62cm.

Even when they are the same length, they may be designed for different chest sizes.

Although both George at Asda and Next say theirs are for babies between 56-62cm, Asda’s are designed for babies weighing 5.5kg and Next’s are for babies 4.5-6kg.

M&S and JoJo Maman Bebe both say their 0-3 month clothing is for babies who are 62cm long.

But M&S clothing is for those weighing 6kg and JoJo’s is for 5.8kg.

USE LENGTH NOT AGE

RETAIL experts say UK stores should implement a European system of labelling baby clothes by centimetres rather than age.

In the EU, most brands use standard sizes based on length. For example, 56cm is designed for babies roughly aged 1-2 months, and 62cm is for babies aged roughly 2-4 months.

Martina Wernemar, of Swedish children’s clothes brand Polarn O.

Pyret, agrees this makes more sense than age labels.

She says: “Children grow at their own pace and their size will not always match the sizing guides based on their age.

“If a child is between two different sizes we recommend customers choose the next size up as the child will grow into it.”

If buying second-hand, ask sellers for the measurements. This is particularly important as pre-loved clothes can shrink in the wash, making the label’s age range redundant.

Consumer expert Martyn James believes parents should be able to return clothes for free if they do not fit. He said: “I’d like to see a general standardisation of clothing sizes for infants.

“But I’d also like a commitment from retailers to accept returns free of charge when items don’t fit.”

Retailers base sizes on a national sizing survey, while others use NHS guidelines.

Some shops, including Sainsbury’s TU, display sizing information on hangers, whereas M&S states the maximum weight on packaging.

This post first appeared on thesun.co.uk