You buy a hoodie in September and it’s fine. Then one morning in January you look over at the breakfast table and the sleeves are somehow up near the elbows, and nobody said a word. Kids are like that. So if you’re looking at Essentials Clothing for a son or daughter, colour is honestly the easy bit and the real worry is how many months you’ll get out of it.
Below is sizing, a drawstring point from Health Canada, colours and washing, roughly in that order.
So is it just a smaller adult hoodie?
Pretty much, yeah. The kids’ ones keep the dropped shoulders and the soft cotton fleece and the ribbed cuffs, and there’s a small logo on the chest and that’s about it. No cartoon stuff, which some parents are kind of relieved about.
And it’s why you see families doing the matching thing. A dad and a six-year-old both in grey just look like they live in the same house, not like a costume.
Getting the size close enough
The age on the tag is a guess, basically. Two kids in the same grade can be a whole size apart, so I’d grab a tape measure before you order anything.
- Get them against a wall with no shoes on, book flat on their head, mark the wall and measure up.
- Then do the chest over a thin T-shirt, tape up under the arms, around the widest part.
- Hold those two numbers up against the chart on the product page, not the age.
- Stuck between two sizes? Most parents end up glad they went bigger.
One size up usually gets you an extra season, which is great. Two up is a bit much though, and on a little kid it can hang down like a dress. Rolled cuffs for a couple of months are no big deal.
| Pro Tip: Once the parcel shows up, get your kid to put it on in front of the hall mirror and fold each cuff back one time. Still covering their fingers after that? Then it’s too big for now, and I’d swap for the smaller one. |
A safety point about drawstrings
Okay, this one matters more than colour or fit, honestly. Health Canada warns that drawstrings on kids’ upper outerwear can get caught on playground stuff, fences, or bus and car doors, and its guidance says clothes for children up to size 12 shouldn’t have drawstrings around the hood and neck.
So when you’ve got the choice, go for a hood with no cords. If your kid already loves one that has them, just pull them out before the first wear. I’d also stay away from long cords or toggles dangling at the hem, since they can hook on a slide or get shut in a car door.
Which colours hide the mess?
Kids get stuff on everything. Juice at lunch, marker in art class, mud at soccer practice, and some shades cope with that a lot better than others.
| Colour | Hides stains? | Best for |
| Black / washed black | Very well | Daily school wear |
| Grey | Well | All-round use |
| Sage / olive | Fairly well | Outdoor play |
| Oatmeal / cream | Poorly | Special outings and photos |
| Seasonal brights | Depends on the shade | Kids who love bold colours |
A little thing that saves a fight at 7:45 in the morning is to pick two colours you can live with and let them choose. They feel like it was their call, and the cream one doesn’t end up going to recess.
What about kids with sensitive skin?
It’s soft cotton fleece and most kids are fine in it. But if yours gets eczema or itchy patches, have a look at the care label to see the actual blend, and I’d put it through the wash once before they wear it to rinse out any factory finish.
When they’ll actually wear it
Mostly it’s the school-morning hoodie under a jacket, or the thing you grab on a chilly May evening when a coat is too much. In a Canadian winter it goes under the parka, with a toque and mittens that are gone by February.
If it’s kids’ sizes you’re after, the Essentials Hoodie Kids section has them all in one spot, so you’re not scrolling past adult stuff on your phone.
Keeping it nice long enough to hand down
With stains, speed helps a lot. Run cold water through the back of the spot as soon as you notice it, because warm water kind of locks food and grass into the fabric.
The normal wash doesn’t need much. Inside out, cold, gentle cycle, and then hang it over a chair to dry (or low heat in the dryer if it’s a rushed morning). I’d leave out the fabric softener, since it coats the fleece and after a while it goes a bit flat.
Do that and it can outlast one kid and go to a cousin, which is honestly half the value.
Older kids and teens have opinions
By about ten, their friends kind of decide what’s cool, and I’d just go with it and let them pick from a couple you’ve found, because otherwise it probably stays in the bag.
Oh, and ask them about cuffs and hoods too, because some kids get really annoyed by tight cuffs or a hood bunching up in class.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I buy one size up for my child?
Usually, yeah. One size up gives them roughly a season to grow into it, while two up tends to hang too long.
What’s the deal with drawstrings on kids’ hoodies?
Health Canada says kids’ clothing up to size 12 shouldn’t have drawstrings at the hood and neck, so pull them out or just get a hood that doesn’t have any.
What colour is best for school?
Black or grey, mostly, because they hide every day stains a lot better than light shades like cream or oatmeal.
Can kids with sensitive skin wear these hoodies?
Most can. Just look at the label for the blend and wash it once before they wear it.
Any tips for washing a kids’ hoodie?
Inside out on a gentle cold cycle works well, then air dry it or tumble on low, and leave out the fabric softener.
Before you order
So yeah, measure them, look at the chart, yank out any cords and maybe don’t pick cream for a kid who lives on the playground.
Doing a family matching thing? I’d lean grey, it just looks fine on everybody.
