Custom Kids' Hoodies & Sweatshirts

Custom Kids’ Hoodies & Sweatshirts for Print on Demand

Gildan, Jerzees, Hanes, and More: Why This Category Is Worth Adding to Your Shopify or Etsy Store

Kids’ apparel is one of those niches that consistently punches above its weight in POD. Parents buy seasonally, grandparents buy for gifts, and anyone running a family-oriented brand knows that a matching hoodie set sells better than almost anything else in the catalog. The selection here covers toddlers through youth sizes, with brands that parents already recognize and trust.

All products use DTG printing and fulfill through Gooten’s production network, shipping directly to your customer with no inventory on your end. Works with Shopify, Etsy, WooCommerce, TikTok Shop, and BigCommerce.

Gildan 18500B: The Best-Selling Youth Hoodie That Belongs in Every Store

The Gildan 18500B Youth Heavy Blend Hoodie is the bestseller in this category, and it’s easy to understand why. Gildan’s Heavy Blend fleece is a known quantity in the apparel world: consistent weight, reliable construction, and a print surface that handles DTG well. The kangaroo pocket and drawstring hood are what kids actually want, and the price point leaves room for a solid margin.

It’s available in a wide range of colors including Black, Navy, Red, Sport Grey, White, and more. That breadth makes it easy to build a cohesive collection without switching between products. If you’re only adding one kids’ hoodie to your store, this is the one.

The Gildan 18000B Youth Heavy Blend Crewneck Sweatshirt is the same fabric family but without the hood. Cleaner look, slightly lower price point, good for school-oriented designs or brands that want a more polished aesthetic. Worth listing alongside the hoodie to give buyers a choice.

Jerzees 996Y Nublend and Tultex 320Y: Durable Options for High-Wash Households

Kids’ clothing gets washed constantly, and that’s something worth addressing directly in your product listings. The Jerzees 996Y Youth Nublend Pullover Hoodie uses Jerzees’ proprietary pill-resistant blend that holds its shape and color through repeated washing. For parents who’ve had cheap hoodies fall apart after a season, that durability is a genuine selling point.

The Tultex 320Y Youth Classic Fleece Hoodie is a newer addition to the catalog. It offers a slightly different weight and fit compared to the Gildan options, which gives sellers a way to differentiate listings or A/B test what resonates with their audience. Since there’s no upfront inventory commitment with POD, testing a new product costs nothing but a bit of setup time.

Rabbit Skins 3326: The Only Dedicated Toddler Option in the Category

Most youth hoodies are sized for school-age kids. The Rabbit Skins 3326 Toddler Pullover Fleece Hoodie is different. Rabbit Skins specializes in infant and toddler apparel, so the sizing, fabric weight, and construction are built specifically for smaller children rather than being a scaled-down version of a youth blank.

For sellers targeting the toddler gift market on Etsy, this is a meaningful distinction. Parents shopping for a 2-year-old want something made for a 2-year-old, not a size 4 cut down. Listing this product with clear sizing information and a lifestyle photo goes a long way toward building buyer confidence.

Hanes P360 Ecosmart: A Sustainability Story That Sells on Etsy

The Hanes P360 Youth Ecosmart Crewneck Sweatshirt is made with up to 5% recycled polyester from plastic bottles. That’s a small spec difference that carries a big marketing angle. Environmentally conscious parents are a real and growing segment of the kids’ apparel market, and having a genuine sustainability claim in your product listing sets you apart from sellers who are just listing generic blanks.

It’s a crewneck rather than a hoodie, which makes it a good complement to the pullover options in the catalog. Pairing it with the Gildan 18500B hoodie gives buyers a choice of style while keeping the sustainability angle available for those who want it.

District DT6100Y and Just Hoods By AWDis JHY001: Premium Feel for Higher Price Points

The District DT6100Y Youth Fleece Hoodie brings District’s softer, more fashion-forward aesthetic to the kids’ category. District blanks tend to appeal to buyers who are willing to pay a bit more for a premium feel, and that holds true in youth sizing as well. Good fit for lifestyle brands, boutique children’s stores, or any seller whose adult line already uses District products and wants to extend the look to kids.

The Just Hoods By AWDis JHY001 Youth Pullover College Hoodie is currently out of stock, but worth noting for sellers targeting European markets. AWDis is a UK-based brand with strong recognition across Europe, and the college hoodie style has broad appeal for school and university-adjacent designs. Check availability before building listings around it.

Colors: From Navy and Black to Vintage Heather and Neon

The color range across this category is genuinely broad. The basics — Black, Navy, White, Red, Royal, Sport Grey — are available across multiple products, which makes it easy to offer consistent colorways without juggling too many SKUs.

Beyond the standards, there are some options worth highlighting. The vintage colorways — Vintage Heather Blue, Vintage Heather Navy, Vintage Heather Red, Vintage Hot Pink, Vintage Red, Vintage Royal, Vintage Smoke — give designs a worn-in, retro quality that works well for nostalgic or heritage-style graphics. Neon Green and Neon Pink are available for brands targeting a younger, more energetic aesthetic. Baby Pink, Light Pink, and Raspberry round out the softer end of the palette for brands focused on girls’ apparel.

Print Area and Design Considerations for Youth Sizes

One thing sellers often overlook when moving from adult to youth apparel is the print area. Youth and toddler hoodies have a significantly smaller chest print area than adult sizes. A design that looks well-proportioned on an adult hoodie can appear cramped or oversized on a youth small.

Gooten provides product-specific print templates with exact dimensions for every item in the catalog. Downloading and using those templates before finalizing artwork is the most important step in ensuring the printed result matches expectations. If you’re repurposing designs from your adult line, plan to resize and recheck placement rather than assuming the same file will work.

Matching Sets, Sibling Bundles, and Gift Strategies for Shopify and Etsy

One of the more effective strategies in the kids’ hoodie category is the matching set. The Gildan 18500B is available in both youth and adult sizing across Gooten’s catalog, which means you can create parent-child or sibling matching hoodies using the same design. Listing them as a bundle or family set on Etsy is a proven way to increase average order value, particularly around the holiday season and back-to-school period.

Personalized options also perform well in this category. A hoodie with a child’s name, birth year, or a custom graphic tied to a specific interest — sports, animals, a favorite character — converts at a higher rate than generic designs. Etsy’s search algorithm also rewards personalized listings with better visibility in relevant queries.

Getting Started on Shopify, Etsy, or WooCommerce

Connect your store to Gooten, browse the kids’ hoodie catalog, and upload your designs using the provided templates. Set your retail prices, publish your listings, and orders route automatically to production. Gooten prints, packages, and ships directly to your customer. No minimums, no monthly fees, no inventory to manage.