A European kids label says 110 on the tag. An American parent reads it, decides it means nothing, and buys by age instead. That is the usual reason a European piece arrives and fits wrong. This page explains how centimeter sizing actually works, how to measure your child in two minutes, and how much growth room to leave. For matching a European size to its US equivalent, we keep a separate European to US conversion chart. This one is about the measuring, because the measuring is where the mistakes happen.
What do kids clothing sizes in centimeters mean?
The number on a European tag is the height of the child the garment was cut for. Size 110 fits a child who stands about 110 centimeters tall, which is about 43 inches, whatever age that child happens to be.
It is not the length of the shirt and it is not the chest measurement. Measure the child against a wall, convert inches to centimeters, and the tag stops being a riddle.
Most brands print the height and an age together, like 110/4Y. The centimeter number is the one that matters. The age next to it is the brand's guess about which children are that tall, and children ignore that guess constantly.
Height to European size chart
Measure first, then read down the left column. If your child sits between two sizes, take the larger one.
| Child's height | In inches | EU size on the tag | Age the brand usually prints |
|---|---|---|---|
| 80 cm | 31.5 in | 80 | 9 to 12 months |
| 90 cm | 35.4 in | 90 | 18 to 24 months |
| 100 cm | 39.4 in | 100 | 3 to 4 years |
| 110 cm | 43.3 in | 110 | 4 to 5 years |
| 120 cm | 47.2 in | 120 | 6 to 7 years |
| 130 cm | 51.2 in | 130 | 7 to 8 years |
European brands cut in one of two step systems. Some run in 10 centimeter steps, 80, 90, 100, 110, 120, 130. Others run in 6 centimeter steps, 86, 92, 98, 104, 110, 116, 122, 128. The rule is the same either way. Pick the number at or just above your child's height, never below it.
Below 80 cm, baby sizing gets finer because babies change so fast. The usual ladder is 50, 56, 62, 68, 74, with 50 fitting a newborn. The logic is identical, the number is the baby's length, so a 60 cm baby wears the 62. Everything in our baby collection is listed by these tag sizes.
How to measure your child at home
Two minutes, a book, and a tape measure. Morning is best, kids are a touch taller before a day of standing compresses the spine.
- Shoes off, heels against a wall, back straight, eyes level.
- Lay a book flat on the head and mark the wall at the bottom edge of the book.
- Measure from the floor to the mark. Multiply inches by 2.54 to get centimeters.
- Write the number and the date in your phone. In six months you will want to know how fast the change happened.
A wiggly toddler is easier lying down. Lay them flat, mark above the head and at the heels, and measure between the marks.
Why size 110 fits some 4-year-olds and some 5-year-olds
Because 110 is a height, not an age, and healthy children of the same age can differ in height by 10 centimeters or more. A tall 4-year-old and an average 5-year-old can both stand 110 cm, and the same shirt fits them both.
This is the core difference between the two systems. US sizing starts from age and assumes a height. European sizing starts from height and treats age as a footnote. Neither is wrong, but only one of them survives contact with a child at the 90th percentile. If your kid measures around 110, filter our girls or boys collections by that size and skip the age question entirely.
Where age-based buying goes wrong
Two children turn four in the same month. One stands 98 cm, the other 112 cm. Buy both a size 4 and one gets a tent, the other gets a crop top. The tag is honest, the age label is a shortcut that stops working the moment a child sits outside the middle of the growth chart.
Age fails hardest at the two ends. Babies under a year change length every few weeks, and kids past five spread out a lot within the same grade. In between, from about two to five, age labels work tolerably for average-height kids, which is exactly why parents trust them longer than they should.
How much growth room should you buy?
Buy the size at or just above the current height, not two sizes up. A child at 105 cm takes the 110, and that single step already holds several months of growth, because a European cut is drafted with room inside the size.
Between age two and seven, most kids grow around 6 centimeters a year. So one 10 centimeter size step lasts roughly a year and a half, and a 6 centimeter step lasts about a year. Sizing up twice sounds thrifty, but it means a year of rolled cuffs and dragged hems before the piece fits, and by then it looks worn.
If you are between sizes, take the larger one on anything with an elastic waist and the smaller one on anything with a fixed waist or a fitted sleeve. Elastic forgives, tailoring does not.
What we print on our own pages
Every product page on this store lists the size the way the tag lists it, the height in centimeters with the age the brand prints next to it. When a brand gives only an age, we say that too, instead of inventing a centimeter number the garment was not cut to. We carry newborn through age seven, and the general fit notes live on our size guide page.
Questions parents ask
What does size 110 mean in kids clothes?
It means the piece is cut for a child about 110 cm tall, which is about 43 inches. Some children reach that height at four, others at five, and the size fits both.
Is EU size 110 the same as US size 4T?
Close, not identical. US 4T is drafted for a child around 100 to 105 cm, so a tall four year old in a 4T is often already in a European 110. Measure the height and use the chart above.
My child is 105 cm. Which size?
The 110. European steps run upward from the tag number, and buying down leaves nothing for the next three months.
Do European brands run small?
They run narrow more often than short. The length matches the height on the tag, the cut through the chest and hip is leaner than a US equivalent. On a sturdy build, go one size up and the length still works.
How often should I remeasure?
Every three months before age two, then twice a year. Growth comes in bursts, and the burst always lands the week after you order.
What about width for a chunky baby?
Height sizing says nothing about girth. For a baby with round thighs, look for an elastic waist and a harem or wrapover cut, both of which adapt across a full size.
Shop by size, in stock now
Every size page shows only what we can ship today from Brooklyn. Newborn, 0 to 3 months · Baby, 3 to 12 months · Toddler, 12 to 24 months · 2Y · 3Y · 4Y · 5Y · 6Y · 7 to 8Y · 9Y and up.