Ensure the perfect fit for your babe

Kids grow faster than weeds. After all, they went from a microscopic embryo to 7 pound baby in a mere 9 months. They won't grow at the same speed these days, but they definitely grow faster than most of us can comprehend. Follow these tips to make sure you aren't surprised when your nostalgic baby vintage piece arrives at your home.

1. Size up.

A big piece of advice I have is to buy a size up. That way your babe can wear the clothing oversized for awhile and then fitted later. They can get more use out of their clothes that way!

2. Take what the tag size says with a grain of salt.

Vintage is notorious for being...wonky in sizing. In my experience, most vintage runs a size smaller than the tag says. But some brands the clothing runs a size or two bigger! In my shop, I like to say "fits __ size best" where I compare the clothing I am selling to the way clothing is sized nowadays (and also compared to the age that clothing would fit my own babes).

3. Get familiar with the measurements your babe needs.

Go ahead and measure the various items of clothing that already fit your kid. You don't have to measure your kid necessarily! Just measure the shirts, pants, dresses, and shoes that fit them best.

Here are the standard measurements for getting the best fit.

• For shirts and dresses, measure the chest (pit to pit - bottom of each armpit across the chest) and the length (shoulder to seam - corner of shoulder where the sleeve and body are sewn together down to the end of the clothing).
• For pants, measure the waist (very top of the pants horizontally across), hip (widest area of pants wear the tush is the biggest), and the inseam (inner leg of the pants near the crotch down to the ankle cuff).
• For overalls, measure the body (shoulder to saddle - from the top of the shoulder strap to the crotch) and the inseam  (inner leg of the pants near the crotch down to the ankle cuff).