What's the deal with boys' pants sizes?

So my boys will only wear pants with an elastic waist. They won't have anything to do with snaps and zippers. I don't think it's a big deal since I see a lot of kids with elastic pants. Anyway, at 4' 6" the size 8 pants from last year are a tad too short and a tad too tight. So, I bought the next size up which is 10-12. I bought some from Walmart and Old Navy and they are HUGE. Not only are they all 4 inches too long, they are huge in the waist. The Old Navy ones have draw strings and I still can't get them tight enough. I hemmed a couple of pairs so the boys would have something to wear now that the morning temps are in the 40s (they've been in shorts up till now) but they are not too happy with the baggy waist. I let Adam wear an old (too short) pair today but Ben really can't fit into the size 8 anymore (his butt's too big). I can't believe there is no size that will properly fit them this year.

 

We have that problem....one of my DDs cant get in a sz 7/8 (too short!) legging but a 10/12 is HUGE all over! She really needs a skinny 9! (no such thing except at gymboree).....so your DSs are not the only ones.
 
Our solution is dresses until she gets bigger! 

 

I know! They need a size 9 but nobody sells it, especially with an elastic waist.

 

Shop around.  Some years I found Children's Place fit better, sometimes Target, sometimes Gap.  Childrens Place tends to run long, so where they were wearing size 12, in CP, they would wear a 10.

 

I have a hatred of elastic waist pants for boys. You have no idea what you'll get. A size 5 may fit, may be too short, or may be so big you have to roll the waistband and they still fall down. And that can all be the same pant--same brand and size for differently because of how they are manufactured.

 

Thanks. This is great information. I am a very frugal (cheap) person and since I buy at least 10-12 pairs of pants each year for the two of them, I don't even consider Gymboree or Gap. (I just checked and Gap's sale prices are okay.) Children's Place has good sale prices but I stopped buying their pants years ago because the fabric they use is so heavy, the pants were uncomfortable. I haven't checked them out in a while, though, so maybe the larger sizes would be more comfortable to wear. The other problem is that taking the boys to try on pants is worse than herding cats so I always have to buy and then try, and then return them if they don't fit.

 

Shopping for children's clothes is one of my least favorite things to do because of the sizing.  I don't think I could tell you what the honest size of both of my kids.  They could fit anywhere between 4-6 depending on the brand and style of the item.

 

Update: Ordered a few pairs from the Gap website. They have some sort of 35% thing going on that makes some of the pants affordable. If their size charts are correct, the size Large is supposed to be 9-10 and my boys fall into that range. Thanks for the great info, Sharon.