Size reviews · Specialty · Slim
What is a slim size?Right length, roomy waist? That's what a slim size fixes.
Slim sizes are made for kids who fit a regular size in height but need a narrower waist. They usually keep the same length as the regular size while taking in the waist and hips. Slim is a separate size, often marked with “Slim” or “S,” and each brand uses slightly different measurements. This page shows which brands on Little & Youth offer slim sizes and how their measurements compare. Some brands solve the same problem with an adjustable waistband instead.
Find your child's slim size
Add their waist and height and we'll tell you the size — and whether a slim is the right call.
When the waist and length don't agree
A slim solves one specific mismatch: the length is right but the waist runs loose. Plenty of children don't fall neatly into that — the waist fits but the legs are short, or no single size gets both right. Here's the move in each case:
| Length works, waist is loose | A slim is exactly this. Use the answer above, or compare brands below. |
| Length works, waist a little loose | A slim, or a regular with an adjustable waistband that cinches in. |
| Length works, waist is tight | Slim is the wrong direction — compare husky / plus at this size, and check hips too. |
| Waist works, needs more length | A bigger size adds waist back — compare actual waist and length across nearby sizes. |
| No single size fits both | Get the length right first, then the slimmest waist at that size: a slim size, or a regular with an adjustable waist to cinch it in. If it's still loose, the adjustable waist is the safer bet. |
One thing that trips people up: a slim size vs a slim-fit style
A separate size with its own body chart — a regular size's height with a smaller waist. This page is about these.
A regular size cut in a narrower leg or silhouette. The body measurements are the regular ones — only the styling is slim.
Compare regular and slim by brand
Brands don't measure a waist the same way, and each takes in its slim by a different amount — so the same “size 8 slim” lands at a different actual waist from one label to the next. Below is the regular and slim waist each brand publishes at the size you choose, with the gap showing how much that brand takes in. Sorted by regular waist, then by how much each takes in.
Want it done for every brand at once?
Enter their measurements once and Little & Youth shows their size — slim or regular — at every brand we can measure.
Find their fit at every brand →Common questions about slim kids' sizes
Is a “Slim” size the same as a slim-fit or skinny style?
No, and it's the mix-up that costs a return. A Slim size — “8 Slim” — is its own size: the regular size's length with a smaller waist. A slim-fit or skinny style is the regular size cut with a narrower leg; its waist is the regular waist. If your child's problem is a loose waistband, they need the slim size — a skinny style won't fix it. Check the label before you buy.
Does a slim size make the pants shorter?
No — that's the point of it. A slim keeps the regular size's length and only takes in the waist. (A few brands also nudge the inseam or rise; we note it when they do.) If you also need a shorter length, that's a separate change — a slim won't get you there.
My child is between the slim and regular waist — which do I choose?
Pick whichever the actual numbers sit closer to; the tool above works that out for you. When they land right in the middle, a regular size with an adjustable waistband is usually the most forgiving choice — you can tighten it now and let it out as they grow.
Do slim pants come with adjustable waistbands?
Some do. Several brands build in an elastic “adjust-to-fit” tab, so a regular size with that tab is a genuine third option alongside a true slim size.
The waist fits but the legs are too long — now what?
Length comes from the size, not the slim. Sizing up adds length but puts the waist back, so compare the actual waist and length across nearby sizes rather than guessing — the compare section shows both. For a tall, very slim child, the tool above will tell you when even the slim runs loose and an adjustable waist is the safer bet.
Do boys' and girls' slim sizes measure the same?
No — at the same size number, boys' and girls' slim waists differ, so choose the right one above. We keep them separate because the brands' own charts do, and not every brand makes slim for both.
Which brands take in the most?
It varies by brand, so there's no single figure. Pick a size in the compare section and it shows exactly how much each brand takes in at that size, with the biggest take-in easy to spot.
Every waist on this page is transcribed from that brand's own published size chart — girls' and boys' slim and regular figures at each size, from 10 brands, with no estimates and no averaged-out “standard”. Where a brand publishes no slim at a size, it is left out rather than filled in. Brands update their charts, so confirm against the live chart before you buy. Little & Youth is independent and not affiliated with any brand listed.