Plus sizes are for kids who fit a regular size in height but need more room through the waist and hips. They keep the same length as the standard size and add room in the waist and hips. Here's which of the brands on Little & Youth make plus sizes — and how differently each one defines “plus.”
Same height as the regular size — only the waist and hips change. By how much depends on the brand, and on the size.
Every published plus size — one dot per brand, per size — by how much it adds at the waist. The amounts spread out at every size, and the range climbs as the sizes go up — past 5 inches — so the label alone won't tell you the fit.
● the most common (+3 in) ● every other amount
All 8 brands on Little & Youth that carry plus sizing.
| Brand | Plus sizes offered | Waist vs. regular | Hips vs. regular |
|---|---|---|---|
| Target Cat & Jack | Girls: 7, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18 | +3½" to +5½" | +2" to +4" |
| JCPenney Thereabouts | Girls: 10.5, 12.5, 14.5, 16.5, 18.5, 20.5, 22.5 | +3½" to +4½" | +1½" to +3" |
| Lands' End Kids | Girls: 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20 | +3" to +4½" | +½" to +3½" |
| French Toast | Girls: 10.5, 12.5, 14.5, 16.5, 18.5, 20.5 | +3" to +4" | +½" to +3" |
| Under Armour Kids | Girls & boys: YSM, YMD, YLG, YXL | +3" to +4¼" | +1¼" to +3" |
| Gap Kids | Girls: 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18 | +3½" (every size) | +3" (every size) |
| Children's Place | Girls: 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18 | +2½" to +4" | +2½" (every size) |
| Old Navy | Girls & boys: 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20 | +3" (every size) | +3" (every size) |
A plus size keeps the same length as the regular size but adds room through the waist and hips. It's made for a curvier child who fits a size in height but finds the regular waist and hips too tight. Across the brands that publish figures the added waist room averages about 3–4½ inches — though, as the chart above shows, it isn't standardized from brand to brand.
No — same height; only the waist and hips are roomier. So if the length is right but the waist and hips are tight, a plus usually fixes it without adding length.
It depends on the brand and the size — that's the point. For the smaller sizes it adds just a few inches, but it grows in the bigger sizes, reaching 5½ inches at the top of the range. Target Cat & Jack adds the most, while Gap Kids and Old Navy add the same amount at every size.
Yes — that's part of what defines a plus fit. Across the brands that publish a hip figure it adds about ½–4 inches through the hips, on top of the waist room. Check the hips column above for each brand.
When the waist already fits, changing the size just to fix the length usually leaves the waist wrong again. The better move depends on which way you need to go:
Waist fits, needs more length: don't just size up — a bigger size adds even more room in the waist along with the length, so it goes loose. Pick a plus in the longer size instead: it gives the length while keeping the roomier waist that already fits. If the brand has no plus size, look for an adjustable elastic waistband (inner button tabs), which many kids' pants have.
Waist fits, needs less length: don't size down — a smaller size cuts the waist room with it, so it'll be too tight. Keep the size that fits the waist and have the length hemmed, or choose a style with an adjustable or roll-up hem. A plus won't help here, since plus changes the waist, not the length.
Either way, Little & Youth does the matching for you: enter your child's waist and height and it shows, brand by brand, the size and fit — regular or plus — that best lines up with both measurements at once, and points you to the brands with plus or adjustable-waist options. So instead of guessing which measurement to compromise on, you start from the choices that already come closest on both.
On Little & Youth, Target Cat & Jack, JCPenney Thereabouts, Lands' End Kids, French Toast, Under Armour Kids, Gap Kids, Children's Place, and Old Navy all carry plus sizing. Coverage varies by brand — some carry plus only in the bigger sizes, and a couple carry plus sizes without publishing a comparable chart — so check the size range above.
Enter your child's waist and height once and Little & Youth shows the right size — regular or plus — across the brands on the site, each pulled from that brand's own published chart.
Find your child's size →