Sometime late last spring into summer, Lil’ CB finally and completely outgrew anything from the toddler section. I knew it was coming and had been dabbling in purchasing a few items here and there from the big boy section for months prior, but it was definitely a little bittersweet to say goodbye to the toddler section we had known and loved for so long!

As we ventured into the big boy section for keeps, I realized it was a very different world than the toddler section. There was a lot more variety and it definitely wasn’t as straightforward! I’m pretty sure I’ve sorted it all out by now, but if you are a newbie like I was, here are a few things I’ve learned along the way:

1) There’s a whole lot more to choose from!

As I mentioned above, the variety in the big boy section is far greater than that of the toddler section. Take Target for example: in addition the Circo and Cherokee lines, you’ve also got full lines from Shaun White, Mossimo, and Champion, not to mention a whole bunch of other, smaller collections. You can really be more choosy with the styles for your little man! Here are some of my favorites from the above mentioned lines:

Navigating-the-Big-Boy-Clothing-Section
1) Shaun White  |  2) Mossimo  |  3) Circo  |  4) Cherokee  |  5) Champion

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2) The sizes don’t necessarily align with toddler sizes

One would think that after a 5T, the next logical size would be a 6, right? Not so. At least in most stores. I’ve found that in most places, in size order, it goes 5T then back to 4 in the big boys’ section, followed by 5 and then 6. The size 6 is HUGE compared to a 5T, as I learned the hard way when I quickly bought a size 6 tee from Carter’s for Lil’ CB when his 5T shirts were getting a little small. Currently, Lil’ CB is wearing a 4 or 5 in pants and a 5 in tops. Often times some lines will combine those two sizes in their extra small size and you will see it labeled XS(4/5). The major difference we’ve noticed is with length; the 5T pants were total high-waters on Lil’ CB, whereas the 4s gave him some room to grow. Thankfully, the smaller boys’ sizes continue to have adjustable waistbands which is a lifesaver my skinny mini!

3) Some lines carry pants in different fits

Similar to what you’d find in an adult line, some kids’ brands carry pants for boys that come in 3 different fits: slim, regular and husky. They’re pretty much an equivalent to what you’d think of women’s slim/petite, regular, and curvy. Pretty cool, huh? The following stores carry different fits for boys: Children’s Place, Crazy 8, Kohls, Target, and Lands’ End. Some lines don’t start carrying husky sizes until size 8, but the smaller sizes do come in regular and slim.

6) Children’s Place  |  7) Crazy 8  |  8) Kohl’s  |  9) Target  |  10) Lands End

4) Sometimes the sizes are split up

Some stores that carry a wide size range (4-20) split up the sizes into little boy (4-7) and big boy (8-20) sizes. This sometimes makes it confusing when the clothing is labeled XS, S, M, L. Obviously you can tell how big an item is when you pick it up, but when you’re online shopping or in a hurry, it’s best to double check those labels and see what the corresponding number size is!

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Overall, we’ve enjoyed the big boy section and it’s a lot easier to shop now that I’ve figured out these tidbits! After all, shopping for big boy sizes opens up super cute items like these!

11) Gap  |  12) Gap  |  13) Gap  |  14) Gap  | 15) Old Navy  |  16) Old Navy  |  17) Old Navy  |  18) Old Navy