If you have ever ordered a kids outfit online in the UAE and received something that fit nothing like you expected, the size label is usually the reason. Clothing made in India, Pakistan and much of South Asia uses a number system rather than small, medium and large. Once you know how to read it, ordering gets far easier.
What the numbers mean
An Indian kids size number is tied to an age range, not a chest measurement. So a size 20 is cut for a roughly 2 to 3 year old, and a size 24 is cut for a roughly 4 to 5 year old. The number roughly tracks the garment chest in inches, doubled.
Here is the mapping we use across Inaabia:
- Size 16 to 18 — around 6 to 18 months
- Size 20 — around 2 to 3 years
- Size 22 — around 3 to 4 years
- Size 24 — around 4 to 5 years
- Size 26 — around 5 to 6 years
- Size 28 — around 6 to 7 years
- Size 30 — around 7 to 8 years
Our full chart, with chest and length measurements for each number, sits on the kids size guide.
Why age alone is not enough
Two four-year-olds can be two sizes apart. Age ranges are a starting point, not a promise. The reliable method takes two minutes:
- Take a top your child already wears comfortably and lay it flat.
- Measure across the chest, from armpit to armpit, and double it. That is the garment chest.
- Measure from the shoulder seam to the hem for length.
- Compare those two numbers against our size chart rather than going by age.
This works better than measuring the child directly, because it accounts for how much ease your child likes in their clothes.
When to size up
Size up in three situations. First, if your child is between two sizes — the larger one will fit for longer, and children grow through a size in months. Second, for festive and ethnic wear, where you want room for a full day of moving around. Third, for anything with a fitted bodice or a lined skirt, since these have less give than jersey or cotton.
Size down almost never. The only case is a piece with a heavily elasticated waist worn as a top layer.
What does not change with size
Sleeve length and skirt length scale with the size number, but the cut stays the same. So if a style suits your child at size 22, the same style at size 26 will look proportionally similar. That makes repeat buying easy once you know a brand.
Buying for a growing child
For everyday casual wear and school-run clothes, buy to fit now. Cotton co-ord sets and jogger sets look wrong when they are oversized, and children notice.
For party wear and Eid outfits bought a season ahead, go one size up. A festive suit that is slightly generous can be belted or pinned; one that is tight cannot be fixed.
Still unsure?
Send us the product name on WhatsApp and we will measure the actual garment before you order. We would rather spend two minutes on a measurement than process a return.