Baby Clothes Size Chart: Height & Weight to Size by Age

The baby clothes size chart

The table below is the Carter's US standard baby size chart, from Preemie to 2T, with weight in pounds, height in inches, and the EU size beside each row. Weight is the better predictor than age — the size name is the age the size is designed for, not the age it fits. Print it and keep it by the shopping list.

Baby clothes sizes — the full Carter's chart, Preemie to 2T

How to read the chart: weight first, height second, age last

Start with weight: find the row whose weight range contains the baby's weight, then check height. A 25-inch, 15-lb baby is 6M — 25 inches is inside 24–27, and 15 lb is inside 12.5–17. A 20-inch, 8-lb baby is Newborn — 20 inches inside 18–21.5, 8 lb inside 6–9. A 29-inch, 22-lb baby is 12M — 29 inches inside 28.5–30, 22 lb inside 21–25. When height and weight point at different sizes, trust weight: a long, light baby fits the weight size better than the height size, because clothes stretch lengthwise more easily than they stretch around. Age is the last thing to check, and mostly a warning: if the baby is 6 months old and the chart says 12M, buy 12M — the age on the label is the age the size is designed for, and babies do not read labels.

Looking it up with one measurement

Height only — 25 in: 25 inches is inside 6M's 24–27 in, so the size is 6M, EU 62.

Weight only — 22 lb: 22 lb is inside 12M's 21–25 lb, so the size is 12M, EU 74.

Newborn — 20 in, 8 lb: Newborn, EU 50.

3M — 23 in, 11 lb: 3M, EU 56.

24M — 33 in, 29 lb: 24M, EU 86.

2T — 35.5 in, 30 lb: 2T, EU 92.

A baby between two sizes returns the nearest fit, and an exact tie goes to the smaller size — but the buying rule is the opposite: size up when in doubt. A baby at the top of a range will outgrow it in weeks, and a size too big is worn in a month while a size too small is worn never. Note the gap between 24M and 2T: 24M tops out at 34 inches and 2T starts at 35, so a 34.5-inch toddler falls between the two — buy 2T.

Output · formula · meaning

Who uses this

• The new parent: has a 25-inch, 15-lb baby and learns the size is 6M — 12.5–17 lb, 24–27 in, EU 62 — and that weight, not the 6-month age on the label, is what decides it.
• The gift buyer: knows the baby is 22 lb but not the height, and learns the size is 12M — and that buying 12M beats guessing by age, because a 22-lb baby can be anywhere from 9 to 18 months old.
• The shower shopper: is buying for a newborn and learns Newborn fits 6–9 lb and 18–21.5 in — and that most babies outgrow Newborn in three weeks, so 3M is the safer gift.
• The toddler parent: has a 35.5-inch, 30-lb toddler and learns the size is 2T, EU 92 — and that the gap between 24M (up to 34 in) and 2T (from 35 in) means a 34.5-inch toddler should size up to 2T.

Accuracy & limitations

The weight, height, and EU ranges are the Carter's US standard baby size chart, verified against Carter's own published chart (via Kohl's and the Carter's blog). Two details are worth stating plainly. First, Carter's lists two Preemie sizes — up to 5 lb / up to 17 in (EU 44) and up to 6 lb / up to 18 in (EU 50) — and this chart keeps both, with the smaller one winning for the tiniest babies. Second, brands disagree, and the disagreement is real: Gerber's 6M is 24–26 in against Carter's 24–27 in, and Gerber's Newborn is 5–8 lb / 17–21 in against Carter's 6–9 lb / 18–21.5 in. A baby at the edge of one brand's range can be a size off in another's — so treat this chart as the Carter's standard, and check the tag on any other brand before you buy. The EU sizes are the European standard beside each US row; European brands sometimes run a size small, so the same size-up rule applies. Age labels are the age the size is designed for, not the age it fits — never buy by age alone. This page's sizes are a shopping guide, not a medical growth chart — for growth questions, ask the pediatrician.