Unfortunately, disney clothing, I am not sure about dresses, especially pj's are notorious for shrinking 2 or 3 sizes, and this is NO exaggeration. Evert time I buy my boys disney pj's in their size, as soon as I wash and dry them they are WAY too small. I regularly buy their disney pj's 2 to even 3 sizes too big to account for this shrink factor, as each time they are dried, they shrink even more...perhaps it is the same with the costumes.
Also we had a poster on the NG thread who posted a picture of here 3 year old princess WEARING a size 6 disney princess dress, and pictures don't lie do they? It IS entirely possible...
I never had this problem because I NEVER put clothing in the dryer on a heat setting. Once dry, I do fluff them with no heat, though.
It's not Disney that's responsible for shrinkage. It's the material. Anything made of cotton WILL shrink a lot. The more cotton in an item, the more it will shrink. Polyester doesn't shrink at all. For this reason, I tend to try to buy blends with a good bit of polyester to them. I realize cotton breaths and all, but all cotton doesn't hold its shape very well. Even T-Shirts will tend to get out of shape at the collar when made of a high % of cotton.
I remember when I was little you could buy a lot of items that were preshrunk. I never see this anymore. I understand it would take more material, thus raising costs, but it would also ensure a better quality item. Think about it, your stitching isn't the same material. What about clothing that's got a mixture of material blends? A lot of shirts are made like this. Well, if they're not made of the identical blends, part of a shirt will shrink more than another part.
For this reason, I NEVER toss items into a dryer with heat. The last time I did, I bought my son a pair of Tommy Hilfiger sweat pants when he was around 5 and he's not 17 (100 cotton I'd imagine but wouldn't swear to it). I paid $27.00 for them and after 1 washing, he could never wear them again as they did indeed shrink about 3 sizes.
BACK TO TOPIC:
I don't think this is the same dress that belonged to Caylee. It's most definitely not the Minnie dress that shows Caylee at about a year and a half. That's a no brainer, IMO. If however, it was another Disney dress found, I'm not of the belief that it would be impossible for Caylee to wear a size 6. She was closer to 3 than 2. I can also quarantee you, official Disney clothing runs MUCH smaller than Disney clothing you might buy at Walmart/Target, etc. I do think a 6 is pushing it, though, but not impossible.
Now, I don't buy clothing at Walmart/Kmart/Target, etc... I just don't like their clothing and for the most part, feel I get better deals at the mall (though I have paid dearly for many items thru the years).
My son was in the 3% percentile range (meaning, 97% of the kids his age were larger than he was). I think even to the age of 10, he stayed well within those charts. Of course, quality clothing runs smaller, so had I been buying at Walmart, etc... maybe he would have worn clothing under the recommended sizing. I'm telling you, he was TINY, so tiny that they tested him to make sure he had a growth hormone.
My daughter was in the 50% percentile range. Her size never fell within those recommended charts. Again, maybe they would have if I shopped at Walmart, but at the Disney Store (where I literally spent thousands thru the years) we had to up the sizes. I am a Disney freak and everyone in my family knows better than to suggest vacationing anywhere else.
So, IMO, when you're all saying what size your child wears/wore, it's imperative to be comparing apples to apples. If it's Disney that you're shopping at and are comparing your child's sizing to, that's one thing, but if it's Target (and that's where Casey loves to shop), it's another, IF this dress was indeed from the park or The Disney Store itself, IMO.
