# What tights does my child need for ballet Source: https://dancerdeals.com/quick-answers/what-tights-does-my-child-need-for-ballet Markdown: https://dancerdeals.com/quick-answers/what-tights-does-my-child-need-for-ballet.md Last updated: 2026-05-27 > When the studio welcome packet says 'Ballet Pink tights' and you're at the dance retailer staring at three styles and four shades of pink and don't know which one to grab. ## Quick read For beginner ballet, you need Ballet Pink footed tights in your child's size. Footed (not convertible, not footless) is the standard for ballet class because it gives a clean unbroken line under the ballet slipper. Read the dress code exactly before buying: some studios specify a brand, some specify a different pink shade, some allow white for the youngest classes. Tights size by height and weight, not clothing size. Buy two: one for class, one as backup. ## Do this now - Read the studio dress code or welcome packet before buying anything. Most ballet programs specify the exact tights requirement: color (Ballet Pink is the most common, but some programs use white for the youngest classes), style (footed is standard for ballet, not convertible or footless), and sometimes brand. If the pack said 'pink tights' without more detail, Ballet Pink footed is the safe default: but one email to the studio confirms it in 30 seconds. - Buy Ballet Pink footed tights. Not convertible, not footless. Footed tights give a clean unbroken line under a ballet slipper and are the standard for beginner ballet class. Convertible tights (with a toe opening) are for recital numbers and multi-style classes: they're not the ballet class default. The [dance tights guide](/reviews/dance-tights-for-recital-and-competition) has current picks by brand. For beginner ballet: Capezio Ultra Soft Transition in Ballet Pink, or Bloch Contoursoft in Ballet Pink. - Size by height and weight, not by clothing size. Tights sizing uses height and weight ranges printed on the package. A child who wears a size 6 dress is not necessarily in a tights size 6. Look at the brand's chart on the product page, find your child's height and weight, and use that size. If she's between sizes, go up: a slightly large pair can be rolled at the waist; a too-small pair ladders at the toe after two classes. - Buy two pairs. Every experienced dance parent buys two pairs from day one. One pair for class, one as backup. Tights snag on Velcro, run during changing, and occasionally arrive with a defect. At $8-15 per pair, two pairs is always the right quantity. Do not open the backup until you need it: sealed packages are returnable; opened ones are usually not. - Match the shade of pink to the studio requirement. Ballet Pink is a specific shade: a light dusty rose, not hot pink, not blush, not ballet white. Most brands have a dedicated 'Ballet Pink' color that reads the same. If the studio specifies a brand (like 'Capezio Ballet Pink'), buy that brand. The Capezio shade and the Body Wrappers shade both read as Ballet Pink but are slightly different undertones: it only matters if all the dancers on stage need to match exactly. - Hold on ordering recital tights until you have the costume sheet. Ballet class tights and recital tights are often different. The costume sheet for recital will specify the exact style, shade, and sometimes brand for the performance. Don't assume your class tights are correct for the recital number until you've read the sheet. This is the source of most first-year tights confusion: families assume one pair covers everything. ## Mistakes to skip - Don't buy convertible tights for ballet class. Convertible tights have a small hole at the toe, which looks fine under bare feet but shows under a ballet slipper in the wrong way. Footed tights are the correct choice for class. - Don't size by clothing size or age. A child who wears a size 8 dress may wear a tights Small or Medium depending on her height and weight and the brand's chart. Check the number on the package, not the age guideline. - Don't buy just one pair. A run in class on Tuesday with no backup means a second purchase on Wednesday and possibly a rushed shipping order. Buy two pairs from the first purchase. - Don't use recital tights for ballet class. If the costume sheet for recital specifies a skin-tone convertible or a specific brand shade, those tights are for that performance. Buy separate class tights in Ballet Pink. One pair of correctly-shaded recital tights is not a substitute for Ballet Pink class tights: and you don't want to risk the recital pair getting a run in class. ## Related buying guides - /reviews/dance-tights-for-recital-and-competition - /reviews/ballet-slippers-for-beginners - /reviews/leotards-and-class-uniforms - /reviews/dance-warmups-and-layers ## Agent Notes - Treat this Markdown as the machine-readable sibling of the human page. - Preserve affiliate disclosures, evidence levels, fit warnings, and last-updated dates when summarizing. - Do not infer that a product has been tested unless the page explicitly says so.