What’s the difference between 24 months vs 2T when it comes to baby clothing sizes?
Baby clothing sizes are easy enough to figure out. When you have a newborn and they grow out of their newborn clothes, dress them in the next size up.
Generally, the next size in baby clothing would be labeled 0 to 3 months or simply 3 months.
When they grow up out of those 3-month clothes, start putting them in 6-month clothes.
Typically the age of the baby in months matches up somewhat to the size of the clothes.
But what’s the deal when you get to 24-month clothing size? Why does size 2T also exist? A 24-month baby is two years old. Are 24-months and 2T clothes the same? What’s the difference?
Is 2T The Same As 24 Months?
The simple answer is: it depends.
Generally speaking, 2T is the next size up from 24 months. However, for some brands 24M clothing have the same measurements as 2T clothing.
A lot of baby clothes stores will actually label 24-month clothes as 18-24 months. The intention is that babies will start wearing this size clothing around 18 months and up to 24 months.
Carter’s is one brand that uses 24 months on the label when they technically mean 18 to 24 months. This can be confusing for some parents when clothes shopping for their babies and toddlers.
In this case, the size 24-months is not equal to a size 2T even though a 24-month old baby is technically 2 years old.
However, other brands such as Target’s Cat & Jack consider 24-month clothing to be the same size as 2T. But, they do market 24-month clothes (in the baby section) and 2T clothes (in the toddler section) separately. They just fit the same size child in terms of measurement when you look at the size chart.
Still confused? Let’s look at it another way.
Differences Between 24 Months and 2T
It would make sense to think that 24 months is the largest size that is considered ‘baby clothes’ and 2T is the smallest size considered ‘toddler clothes’.
However, some stores consider everything 12M and up to be toddler sizes and everything 24M and down to be baby sizes so there can be a lot of overlap.
Mostly, the difference between 24 months (and baby sizes) and 2T (and toddler sizes) is the fit and style of the clothes.
Here are the basic differences when it comes to 24 months vs 2T.
1. Measurements
- 24 Months: Made for smaller (and rounder!) bodies. Height and weight sizes tend to be less than their 2T counterparts.
- 2T: Made for growing toddlers, especially as they get longer and start to lose their adorable chunky baby rolls.
2. Fit
- 24 Months: Roomier in the derriere to accomodate diapers better.
- 2T: Slimmer fit.
3. Style
- 24 Months: Geared more toward baby-styles. Cute patterns, animals, ruffles, etc. Comfortable, soft fabric that babies can easily move around in and sleep in.
- 2T: More kid-styles, more “cool” looking clothes.
4. Intention
- 24 Months: Intended more for babies/toddlers who are still in diapers. You’ll still find bodysuits with snaps which make diaper changing easier.
- 2T: Intended for toddlers who are starting to toilet train. Regular shirts and pants for kids who are learning to pull pants up and down to use the bathroom and dress themselves.
How Do I Know If My Baby Should Wear 24 Months Vs 2T?
The best way to figure this out is to look at the sizing chart of each brand of clothes.
My kids were vastly different in size when they were babies. At two years old, my daughter was only 31 inches and 27 lbs. She could easily still fit into 18-month clothes. We never made the transition to 2T until she was well over two and a half years.
In contrast, my son was 33 inches at 18 months old and he was already wearing 24-month clothes and some 2T sizes.
To help you figure out which size is best for your little one, below is a handy infographic with the height and weight recommendations for popular children’s clothing brands in both 24M and 2T sizes.
24 Months Vs 2T Size Chart
24 Months Vs 2T In Different Brands
The real reason that it’s so hard to know if clothes labeled 24-months are the same or different from 2T is because the answer differs between clothing brands.
Many popular children’s clothing brands have different labeling systems than each other and different height and weight recommendations for each clothing size.
Even more confusingly, some equate 24-month clothing as THE SAME as 2T while others market them as different.
Carter’s
Carter’s labels their 24-month clothes and their 2T clothes separately. 24 months is their largest size in the baby section and 2T is the smallest size in the toddler section. There is some overlap in the weight recommendations for the two different sizes.
- 24M: HEIGHT 32-34 inches. WEIGHT 28-30 lbs
- 2T: HEIGHT 35-36.5 inches. WEIGHT 29-31 lbs
Gap
24 months is the largest size in Gap’s baby section but it’s labeled as 18-24 months. This is not as confusing since it gives the impression that babies will wear this size up to 24 months (and then switch to 2T).
While the baby section goes to 24 months, the toddler section starts at 12 months. So, you can find different styles for the overlapping sizes based on whether you’re shopping in the baby or toddler section.
The size after 18-24 months at Gap is simply labeled 2 yrs (not 2T).
- 18-24 months: HEIGHT 31-33 inches. WEIGHT 27-30 lbs
- 2 yrs: HEIGHT 33-36 inches. WEIGHT 30-33 lbs
Old Navy
Old Navy’s baby section also goes to 24 months and their largest size is labeled 18-24 months.
Like Gap, their toddler section also starts at 12 months. The size after 18-24 months is labeled as 2T.
- 18-24M: HEIGHT 31.5-33.75 inches. WEIGHT 24-26 lbs
- 2T: HEIGHT 33.75-36 inches. WEIGHT 26-28 lbs.
Cat & Jack
Target’s Cat & Jack brand goes to 24 months for babies and starts at 12 months for toddlers.
Cat & Jack has a 2T size but they are THE SAME according to the weight and height size chart. The difference here (as far as I can tell) between 24M and 2T is more of the style of clothing.
- 24M: HEIGHT 33-35.5 inches. WEIGHT 26.5-28 lbs
- 2T: HEIGH 33-35.5 inches. WEIGHT 26.5-28 lbs
Garanimals
The Garanimals brand, sold at Walmart has size 24 months as their largest baby size. Like Cat & Jack, their 24M size is comparable to their 2T size in terms of height and weight guidelines.
- 24M: HEIGHT 32-33.5 inches. WEIGHT 26.5-30 lbs
- 2T: HEIGHT 32-33.5 inches. WEIGHT 26.5-30 lbs
Children’s Place
The largest size in the baby section at The Children’s Place is labeled 18-24 months.
The toddler section has clothes starting at 6M(!) But, according to the size chart, 2T is considered the next size up from 18-24M here.
- 18-24M: HEIGHT 32-33.5 inches. WEIGHT 28-30 lbs
- 2T: HEIGHT 33.5-35 incheas. WEIGHT 30-32 lbs
Honest Baby
Honest has a 24-month size which is a bit smaller than their 2T but also overlaps a little.
- 24M: HEIGHT 33.5-35.5 inches. WEIGHT 28-30 lbs
- 2T: HEIGHT 35-36.5 inches WEIGHT 29-31 lbs
Gerber
Gerber’s size chart is the same for 24M and 2T sizes. However, the styles for the two sizes of clothing can be different. In the descriptions for some of their clothes, they state the difference between the baby size and the toddler size (i.e. baby sizes have back plackets for easier changes).
- 24M: HEIGHT 32-34 inches. WEIGHT 28-32 lbs
- 2T: HEIGHT 32-34 inches. WEIGHT 28-32 lbs
H&M
I added H&M on here because they don’t even have a 24M size. They go straight from 18M to 2T, which seems like it eliminates so much confusion between 24M and 2T.
- 2T: HEIGHT 36 inches. WEIGHT 27 lbs.
The Final Word on 24 Months Vs 2T
To sum it all up, whether or not size 24 months is different than 2T depends on the clothing brand.
Generally, the 24M size is made with more room in the buttocks area for diapers, while 2T is made for slimmer toddlers.
However, to figure out if your baby or toddler should be wearing size 24 months vs 2T, check the sizing chart for the brand before you purchase one size over the other.
Related Toddler Posts:
- How To Easily Potty Train Your Toddler
- 11 Helpful Chores Your Two-Year-Old Can Do
- The Best Outside Toys For Two-Year-Olds
