As with so many aspects of childhood, the changes in Western children's clothing over the last three centuries have been far-reaching and complex. This period has witnessed a gradual shift from dressing children to adult requirements, in multiple layers and formal styles, to the booming, trend-led designer childrens wear market today. 300 years of children's clothes are presented here in a fresh and accessible dictionary format, with detailed entries on over 300 garments from air-raid suits to zouave jackets, all taken from the world's largest and most diverse collection at the V&A Museum of Childhood, Many of the garments are beautifully designed and made, from an elaborately embroidered eighteenth-century gown to a simple paper mini dress from the 1960s, and show the colourful and at times innovative history of children's clothing.<BR>Specially commissioned colour photographs sit alongside clear dictionary entries, which include description of appearance and significance, explanation of terms, dates and derivation. These are supplemented by a detailed introduction and contextual images such as sewing and knitting patterns, catalogues, dolls, fashion plates, photographs and paintings. Finally, an illustrated timeline and a series of line drawings stowing the layers of underwear worn by children at different points across the centuries offer an at-a-glance understanding of the changes in children's fashions.