A recent Reddit discussion sparked by a couple’s eye-opening experience with toddler clothing sizes has gotten parents talking. User u/ToatsNotIlluminati posted in the ‘Mildly Infuriating’ thread about a mix-up regarding their 3-year-old son’s shorts.
“Two weeks ago, we picked up some shorts for our toddler (3T) at Target,” they shared.
After buying a couple of pairs, they noticed that one of the gray shorts fit way too snugly. Upon closer inspection, they realized the shorts likely came from the girls’ section.
“We didn’t expect such a huge difference in fit,” they wrote, adding that they were surprised by how much the cuts varied between boys’ and girls’ shorts, even though both were labeled as 3T.
The couple conveyed their confusion, saying it was just basic shorts, and they never anticipated such a significant distinction. “We noticed the discrepancy when he wore them—they rode up on his legs but had the same waist size,” they explained.
While they were puzzled by the fit, it wasn’t a pressing issue since they were heading to a family gathering, and their son didn’t seem bothered by it. “They worked fine as road trip shorts,” they chuckled.
The post, which quickly gathered over 26,000 upvotes, resonated with many parents, who shared similar frustrations about gendered clothing. Some recounted opting for boys’ clothing for their daughters due to better fit and practicality.
One user recounted their struggles to find UV-protective swimwear: “We swim outside frequently, but local options are limited. We found some great stuff in Hawaii.”
Another person shared that they simply buy boys’ swimming trunks for their daughter: “She’s often mistaken for a boy, but it works!”
Some comments even debated the differences in sizes, with a few suggesting that the ‘T’ sizes should be weight-based rather than gender-related.