These shorts are great! My son is 8 years old and has been very picky about clothes lately. I guess it's a phase because he never cared. And I don't quite understand his criteria, but I know these shorts are among the best! They are good clothing. They go with everything. They are comfortable and get a little softer with every wash. My son wears them as shorts during the day and sometimes as pajamas at night. These shorts are our second item at Kid Nation. The first ones are some kind of pajamas and I, being unfamiliar with the brand, found out. They were huge! So this time I got these shorts in his correct size and they fit just right. They don't have a functional drawstring so a larger size just couldn't stay. So I would say they are true to size and most likely no need to go up in size.