Athleta Girl
Here’s how Athleta Girl fits your child compared to other brands you might be considering, so you know before it’s in your cart.
Find your child’s size in Athleta Girl
Enter your child’s measurements once — we’ll size them in Athleta Girl and at 100+ other brands, each from that brand’s own published chart. Height and weight are required; add chest, waist, hips and inseam to sharpen the fit.
Athleta Girl publishes one girl chart, so that is what we size against.
Your child wears one size in Athleta Girl. What should you buy elsewhere?
Pick the size your child wears at Athleta Girl to see which brands have the same label and measurements (twins) and which run shorter or longer (strangers) — based on each brand’s own chart.
Show the full cross-brand table (every size)
| Athleta Girl | Size twinssame number fits the same | Size strangerssame number, different cut |
|---|---|---|
| XS (6)44–49" | Mango Kids↑ longerTea Collection↓ shorterJ.Crew Crewcuts↓ shorterGap Kids↓ shorterReebok Kids↑ longerCarter's↓ shorter+3 more | |
| S (7)49–52" | Nautica↓ shorterTea Collection↓ shorterVans Kids↓ shorterAmazon Essentials Kids↓ shorterJ.Crew Crewcuts↓ shorterReebok Kids↑ longer+2 more | |
| M (8-10)52–56" | Nautica↓ shorterVans Kids↓ shorterAmazon Essentials Kids↓ shorterTea Collection↓ shorterReebok Kids↑ longerPuma Kids↑ longer+1 more | |
| L (12)56–59" | Nautica↓ shorterVans Kids↓ shorterAmazon Essentials Kids↓ shorterReebok Kids↑ longerPuma Kids↑ longerTea Collection↓ shorter+3 more | |
| XL (14)59–61" | Mango Kids↑ longerVans Kids↓ shorterAmazon Essentials Kids↓ shorterPuma Kids↑ longerReebok Kids↑ longerJ.Crew Crewcuts↓ shorter+5 more | |
| XXL (16)61–64" |
In short
Where labels drift. The exceptions are the “strangers” above — e.g. at size L (12), Nautica, Vans Kids, Amazon Essentials Kids cut the same number differently. Check those before you trust the label.
Bottom line: for most sizes, a Athleta Girl number is a safe bet elsewhere — measure once, then double-check only the handful of “stranger” brands above.
Curious about a size that isn’t your child’s here? Every size, compared across every brand, lives here: Browse all size comparisons →
Fit & the transitions that trip parents up
Athleta Girl-specific things the size number alone won’t tell you — drawn from its own charts.
Runs true, in a slim straight cut
Athleta Girl fits true to size — buy your daughter's usual size. The leggings, crews and hoodies sit at true-to-size with a slim, straight, long-legged line.
Girls-only, alpha sizes with the number
It charts girls only, XS (6) through XXL (16); match by the numeric size in the label.
Specialty & inclusive fits
Which trimmer, roomier, or adaptive cuts Athleta Girl publishes alongside its standard sizes.
What shoppers say about the fit
Community consensus
Shopper opinion · not Little & Youth’s measurementThis is what parents report anecdotally — crowd sentiment, not a Little & Youth determination. Our sizing above is computed from Athleta Girl’s own published chart; the notes here come from public parent discussion.
Athleta Girl runs true to size — buy your daughter’s usual size, and expect a slim, straight, long-legged cut. On Athleta’s own review pages the fit sliders for the leggings, crewnecks and hoodies all sit at the ‘true to size’ midpoint, and parents overwhelmingly describe the Chit Chat and Stash Your Treasures leggings as fitting perfectly on tall, thin, athletic girls, helped by an adjustable waist. The two consistent caveats come from Reddit parents: the full-length leggings run very long on younger kids (one folded a 3-year-old’s XS up six inches) and are compressive, skin-tight leggings rather than the loose Target/Kohl’s kind, so some kids reject them; and the cropped All Day hoodies run short by design — several parents sized up one size purely for length. Sweatshirts and jackets are otherwise true to size or slightly oversized. For a tween sizing across, the standing rule on r/Athleta_gap is girls’ L ≈ women’s XXS, XL ≈ XS and XXL ≈ S, with little room in the hips.
Based on anecdotal discussion from multiple publicly available online sources; your experience may differ.
Should you buy Athleta Girl?
Consider it if…
- You have a tall, slim, athletic girl — parents of long-and-lean dancers, soccer players and gymnasts say these are the only leggings that fit both the waist and the length, with pockets and an adjustable drawcord.
- You want leggings that stay up and last — reviewers report the waistband holds through dance practice, the fabric is opaque and buttery soft, and pairs survive years of daily wear and washing.
- Your tween is between kids' and women's sizes — the line runs up to XXL/16, which parents and petite women alike say lands about a women's small, so it bridges the gap without adult styling.
Think twice if…
- Your child is young or short for her age — the full-length leggings run very long (parents fold or hem the smaller sizes), so choose the crop or 7/8 length or plan to hem.
- Your daughter dislikes tight, compressive leggings — these fit skin-tight by design; parents whose kids expect a loose Target-style legging say the Athleta pairs went unworn.
- You are buying the cropped hoodies for school — the All Day half-zip and shrunken hoodies hit above the waist, and a couple of parents found even a size up too short to pass a dress code.
Skip the cross-referencing — let Little & Youth do it.
Enter your child’s measurements once. We’ll show their Athleta Girl size and their size at 100+ other brands, each from that brand’s own chart.
Find my child’s size →Shop Athleta Girl ↗A few things parents ask that the chart won’t tell you
Do Athleta Girl leggings run small or big?
True to size, by most accounts — Athleta's own fit sliders for the Chit Chat and Stash Your Treasures leggings sit right at the midpoint for overall size, waist, hips and rise, and parents describe them as fitting slim girls perfectly. The exception is length: Reddit parents of 3- to 6-year-olds say the full-length pairs bunch at the ankle, so the crop length or a hem is the fix rather than sizing down.
Should I size up in Athleta Girl hoodies?
Only for length. The All Day half-zip and shrunken hoodies are intentionally cropped, and several parents of 8- to 11-year-olds went up a size (an 8-10 wearer chose the 12) so the hem sat lower. The crewneck sweatshirt is a fuller cut that some reviewers call slightly oversized, so that one is fine in the usual size.
How do Athleta Girl sizes compare to women's Athleta sizes?
The rule of thumb on r/Athleta_gap, confirmed by an employee, is girls' L ≈ women's XXS, XL ≈ XS and XXL ≈ S — but the girls' cut has a lower rise, less room in the hips and shorter sleeves, because it is drafted for child proportions. That is why a 5-foot tween often stays in XL/XXL comfortably while a curvier adult cannot.
Are Athleta Girl leggings tight?
Yes — they are compression-style, skin-tight leggings, closer to Lululemon than to the relaxed cotton leggings from Target or Kohl's. Parents of dancers and gymnasts love that, but a few report their kids found them too tight to want to wear, and sizing up for a looser fit makes them far too long.
What measurements do I need to size Athleta Girl accurately?
Athleta Girl publishes height, chest, waist, hip in its size chart. Height is the primary driver, and the chest/waist figures let you confirm body fit for a child between sizes.
Where do I buy Athleta Girl?
Athleta Girl is sold on its own site and through select retailers.