Husky sizes are for kids who fit a regular size in height but need more room in the waist. They keep the same length as the standard size and add room through the waist (and usually the hips). Here's which of the brands on Little & Youth make husky sizes — and how differently each one defines “husky.”
Same height as the regular size — only the waist (and usually the hips) changes. By how much depends on the brand, and on the size.
Every published husky size — one dot per brand, per size — by how much it adds at the waist. The amounts spread out at every size, and the range climbs as the sizes go up — past 6 inches — so the label alone won't tell you the fit.
● the most common (+4 in) ● every other amount
All 8 brands on Little & Youth that carry husky sizing.
| Brand | Husky sizes offered | Waist vs. regular | Hips vs. regular |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lands' End Kids | Boys: 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20 | +1" to +6¾" | +½" to +2¾" |
| Walmart Wonder Nation | Boys: 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18 | +4½" (every size) | +3" (every size) |
| French Toast | Boys: 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20 | +3½" to +4" | +2½" (every size) |
| JCPenney Thereabouts | Boys: 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20 | +3½" to +4" | +2½" (every size) |
| Target Cat & Jack | Boys: 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18 | +3" to +4½" | +1½" to +2" |
| Gap Kids | Boys: 6, 7, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18 | +3" (every size) | not published |
| Children's Place | Boys: 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20 | +2¼" to +2½" | +2" to +4" |
| Kohl's Jumping Beans | Boys: 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 12 | +2" to +3" | +2½" to +3" |
A husky size keeps the same length as the regular size but adds room in the waist (and usually the hips). It's made for a sturdier child who fits a size in height but finds the regular waist too tight. Across the brands that publish figures the added waist room averages about 2½–5.4 inches — though, as the chart above shows, it isn't standardized from brand to brand.
No — that's the key point. A husky is the same height as the regular size; only the waist and hips are roomier. So if the length is right but the waist is too tight, a husky usually fixes it without adding length.
It depends on the brand and the size — that's the point. For the smaller sizes it adds just a few inches, but it grows in the bigger sizes, reaching 6¾ inches at the top of the range. Lands' End Kids adds the most, while Walmart Wonder Nation and Gap Kids add the same amount at every size.
Usually a little. Most husky sizes that publish a hip figure add roughly ½–4 inches through the hips as well, though a few adjust only the waist (shown as “not published” in the hips column). If the hips are where your child needs room, check the table above.
When the waist already fits, changing the size just to fix the length usually leaves the waist wrong again. The better move depends on which way you need to go:
Waist fits, needs more length: don't just size up — a bigger size adds even more room in the waist along with the length, so it goes loose. Pick a husky in the longer size instead: it gives the length while keeping the roomier waist that already fits. If the brand has no husky size, look for an adjustable elastic waistband (inner button tabs), which many kids' pants have.
Waist fits, needs less length: don't size down — a smaller size cuts the waist room with it, so it'll be too tight. Keep the size that fits the waist and have the length hemmed, or choose a style with an adjustable or roll-up hem. A husky won't help here, since husky changes the waist, not the length.
Either way, Little & Youth does the matching for you: enter your child's waist and height and it shows, brand by brand, the size and fit — regular or husky — that best lines up with both measurements at once, and points you to the brands with husky or adjustable-waist options. So instead of guessing which measurement to compromise on, you start from the choices that already come closest on both.
On Little & Youth, Lands' End Kids, Walmart Wonder Nation, French Toast, JCPenney Thereabouts, Target Cat & Jack, Gap Kids, Children's Place, and Kohl's Jumping Beans all carry husky sizing. Coverage varies by brand — some carry husky only in the bigger sizes, and a couple carry husky sizes without publishing a comparable chart — so check the size range above.
Enter your child's waist and height once and Little & Youth shows the right size — regular or husky — across the brands on the site, each pulled from that brand's own published chart.
Find your child's size →