Panda onesie: for women, men, kids and babies

A panda onesie is chosen according to who's going to wear it. The shop offers the panda in three styles: the Family Fleece Onesie, in women's, men's and kids' sizes, the Kids' Plush Animal Onesie, from 100 to 140, and the Baby Animal Kigurumi, from 0–6 months to 4 years. First, a few facts about the real giant panda, then the sizes for each style, washing and safety tips.

The giant panda in a few facts

The giant panda lives in the mountain forests of central China, in the provinces of Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu, and the IUCN has classed it as a "vulnerable" species since 2016, according to WWF's fact sheet (WWF France, “Le panda géant, une espèce prioritaire”, in French). The latest census cited by WWF, in 2013, counted 1,864 pandas in the wild, compared with 1,114 in the 1980s.

The facts below come from the same fact sheet:

• It eats bamboo almost all day long. Although it's classed among the carnivores, 99% of its diet is plants, almost exclusively bamboo, up to 20 kg a day, and it spends nearly 14 hours chewing it.
• It has a "false thumb". A modified bone in its paw helps it hold bamboo stems in place.
• Its thick coat protects it from the cold of the high-altitude regions where it lives.
• It has been WWF's emblem since 1961, drawn from Chi-Chi, a female panda who arrived at London Zoo that year.

Photo: Avda / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Its Chinese name, dà xióngmāo, means "big bear-cat" (Wikipédia, “Panda géant”, in French). The same page says that the ZooParc de Beauval, a zoo in France's Loir-et-Cher, welcomed two giant pandas, Yuan Zi and Huan Huan, in January 2012. The cover photo and the one of the sleeping panda further down were taken there.

The women's and men's panda onesie: the Family Fleece Onesie

For an adult, the shop's panda onesie is the Family Fleece Onesie, as a black and white panda, in women's sizes S to XL and men's sizes L to 3XL. It's the only panda style in adult sizes, and it's the answer whether you're searching for a "women's panda onesie" or "men's panda pyjamas".

It's a one-piece onesie in thick, soft fleece, with a full-length zip, the animal's ears on the hood and a paw appliquéd on the front pocket. The cut is relaxed, with long sleeves and straight legs. The product page presents it as winter loungewear, not a costume.

Women's L and XL cover the same height: tell them apart by weight. A woman taller than 168 cm can look at the men's sizes, from L upwards. Our guide to choosing the right adult onesie size explains how to measure yourself. If you're still unsure about the animal, adult animal onesies: which animal should you choose? reviews the other adult onesies.

The kids' panda onesie: two styles

For a child, the panda comes in the Kids' Plush Animal Onesie, from 100 to 140, and in the Family Fleece Onesie, in kids' sizes 8 to 16. The first has an opening at the back and two hidden pockets; the second lets you dress the whole family as the same panda.

The Kids' Plush Animal Onesie, from 100 to 140

The panda is one of the eighteen designs of this hooded onesie. According to the product page, each design has:

• thick, fluffy fleece flannel, for the living room in the evening as well as for the night under the duvet;
• the animal's ears on the hood, and a contrasting belly;
• two hidden pockets on the sides;
• a zip or button fastening depending on the design, with an opening at the back so they can go to the loo without taking everything off.

Choose the size according to the child's height, measured standing up and barefoot:

Searches for "girls' panda pyjamas" and "boys' panda onesie" lead to the same style. The slippers shown in the photos are not included. If your child is between two sizes, our guide kids' kigurumi: what age, what size, what precautions explains how to decide.

The Family Fleece Onesie, Kids 8 to 16

Size 16 goes up to 145 cm, a little further than the 140 of the Kids' Plush Animal Onesie. A child taller than 145 cm moves up to women's or men's sizes.

The baby panda onesie: from 0–6 months to 4 years

The Baby Animal Kigurumi comes as a panda, from size 0–6 months to size 4 years. It's a one-piece onesie in soft, light fleece flannel, lined with the same fabric, with the animal's face on the hood: padded snout, appliqué eyes and stitched ears.

The product page mentions two practical details: a zip down the front, to dress and undress the child easily, and fold-over cuffs that cover the hands of the youngest. It's true to size: take the size that matches the child's age (0–6 months, 6–12 months, 12–18 months, 18–24 months, 3 years or 4 years).

Photo: Thesupermat / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

A panda can nap wherever it likes; a baby can't. This kigurumi is worn during awake time, for playing, having the family round or taking photos. For the night, France's national health insurance service (Assurance Maladie) recommends putting a baby to sleep on their back, in a baby sleeping bag suited to their size, with no sheet or duvet before the age of 3, without piling on layers of clothing, in a room at 18–20 °C (ameli.fr, “Comment bien coucher un bébé ?”, in French). Our article on matching parent-and-baby pyjamas goes through these rules for family photos.

The whole family as pandas

To dress the whole family as the same panda, the Family Fleece Onesie runs from Kids 8 (90 cm) to Men 3XL (185 cm). Its product page even suggests a family photo with "five pandas".

Each item is a single onesie. For a family of four, choose "Panda", then add each size to your basket, one after the other. With a baby, add the baby kigurumi as a panda: the two styles aren't made from the same fabric, but it's the same animal in the photo. Our ideas for matching family Christmas pyjamas have more suggestions for Christmas Eve.

Washing a panda onesie

All three styles are machine washable and air dry, but not on the same programme: 30 °C on a delicate cycle for the Family Fleece Onesie and the baby kigurumi, a normal cycle or hand wash for the Kids' Plush Animal Onesie.

To keep the fleece soft:

• Turn the onesie inside out and do up the zip before washing: the hood and ears rub less against the drum.
• Wash with soft fabrics in similar colours, without jeans or towels, which make fleece bobble.
• Dry flat or on a hanger, in the open air, as the product pages say.

Our article how to wash and care for fleece pyjamas covers the other steps.

Safety with a fleece onesie

A roomy fleece onesie should be kept away from flames, whatever the age of the person wearing it. The London Fire Brigade advises never placing a candle near anything that can catch fire, clothing included, keeping flames out of children's reach, and presents LED candles as a safer solution (London Fire Brigade, “Candles”). In front of a fireplace or a birthday cake, an adult keeps sleeves and hood at a safe distance.

At night, a child old enough to sleep under a duvet can keep their panda pyjamas on, hood pushed back and with no extra covers on top: the fleece is warm enough already. If you've sized up, roll up the bottom of the legs so they don't step on them on the stairs.

In short

For a woman, a man or the whole family, the Family Fleece Onesie comes as a panda from Kids 8 to Men 3XL. For a child of 80 to 140 cm, the Kids' Plush Animal Onesie also comes as a panda, chosen by height. For a baby, the Baby Animal Kigurumi as a panda runs from 0–6 months to 4 years, to be worn while awake. Every style is in the shop, with free delivery.

Cover photo: Gzen92 / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)