Custom Birthday Shirts: Ideas for Every Age From 1 to 100, With Costs, Sizing and Order Dates
Custom tee $35.85Ready-made tees from $35.99Printed in 5–7 working daysFree worldwide shippingNo minimum
A turtle giving a talk on patience, an example of a funny birthday shirt design
A custom birthday shirt costs about $36 delivered, takes two to four weeks to arrive, and works best when it carries the number. "Happy birthday" is a card. "40" in giant varsity type, or "Est. 1986", or a cartoon of the birthday person, is a shirt. This guide gives ideas by age from the first birthday to the hundredth, the formats that read across a party, and the practical side: sizing someone you cannot ask, and the order timeline.
| Key takeaways | |
|---|---|
| Cost | $36 tee, $38 sweatshirt, $48 hoodie, delivered, no minimum |
| Format that always works | The number, large, plus one line of text |
| Kids | Age on the chest, favourite animal or hobby as the graphic |
| Milestones (30, 40, 50, 60) | "Est." and the birth year in vintage badge or varsity style |
| Order by | Four weeks before the party; five for a group set |
Three formats that read across a party
| Format | Example | Works because |
|---|---|---|
| The number | "5" as a giant dinosaur-shaped numeral | Readable from the other side of the room |
| Est. year | "Est. 1976, 50 years of good decisions (mostly)" | Looks like real apparel, worn again |
| The person | A cartoon of the birthday person doing the thing they always do | Personal, becomes the party's image |
Ideas by age
First birthday
- "One" in a rounded font with a cartoon of the child's favourite animal wearing a party hat
- "Wild one" with a small lion; "Sweet one" with a strawberry; "First rodeo" with a boot
- Family set: "Mum of the birthday boy", "Dad of the birthday boy", "Big sister of the birthday boy"; see matching family shirts
- Sizing: the smallest unisex adult size worn as a long smock is the on-demand option; for a true baby size, buy a plain infant tee locally and match colours
Ages 2 to 9
- The age as a numeral made of the child's obsession: a 4 built from trucks, a 6 made of unicorns, a 7 shaped like a T-rex
- "Level 8 unlocked" in pixel lettering for a gaming party
- "Birthday boy" on the child, "Birthday crew" on the cousins and friends at the party
- A fake concert poster: "Maya Live, age 5, one night only"
- Parents' shirts for the party: "Party planner", "Cake carrier", "Balloon casualty"
Tweens and teens (10 to 17)
- "Double digits" for the tenth
- "Officially a teenager" in a font the teenager chose, not you
- Sweet 16: "Sixteen" in fine script on a sweatshirt, small, no cartoon
- Their birth year in distressed varsity numerals with the school colours
- Group set for the party with everyone's name on the back like a team roster
18 and 21
- "18 and legal (to vote)" or "21 and legal (finally)"
- "Level 21" with a video-game progress bar at 100%
- "Birthday queen" on her, "Royal court" on the squad; see birthday squad shirts
- Fake tour shirt: name, age, the bar crawl route as tour dates
30
- "Est. 1996" in a vintage badge
- "Dirty thirty" in retro type for the trip; "Thirty, flirty and tired" for the truth
- "30 years of [Name]" with a cartoon of them at ages 5, 15 and 30
- "Level 30: still loading"
40
- "40" as a huge varsity number on everyone; "The reason" on the birthday person
- "Est. 1986. Vintage. Original parts."
- "Forty and still not a morning person"
- "Over the hill? I'm on the peak."
- A cartoon of them with their car, dog or golf clubs, whichever they love most
50
- "Fifty and fabulous" on her, "Fabulous by association" on the family
- "Half a century of [surname]"
- "Est. 1976, aged to perfection" in whisky-label style
- "50: like 30 but wiser and with better wine"
- Family party set with the number large on the back of every shirt
60, 70, 80
- "60 and thriving" in a sunset-retro style
- "Seventy: the new fifty, with better stories"
- "Grandpa's 80th" as a vintage badge for the whole family; see grandparent shirts
- A line-drawn portrait of them at 25, printed on the family's shirts
- "Sponsored by" on the children who paid for the party
90 and 100
- "Born in 1936. Still here. Still right."
- "100 years of [Name]" with the decades listed like tour dates
- Family set with everyone's birth year, showing the four generations
- Caps for the family photo, since not everyone at 90 wants a printed shirt
Tap any idea to see it on a tee — $35.85, free shipping
What it costs
| Order | Cost delivered |
|---|---|
| One birthday tee | $36 |
| One sweatshirt (best for milestones) | $38 |
| One hoodie | $48 |
| Squad set of 8 tees, mixed sizes and text | $288 ($36 each) |
| Family set of 12, mixed items | About $460 |
Every size costs the same and every shirt can carry different text, which is why print on demand suits birthday sets better than a local printer, whose setup fee assumes identical shirts.
Sizing without asking
| Who | Method |
|---|---|
| Adult you can't ask | Check a label in their laundry, or measure a shirt they wear flat armpit to armpit and match the size chart; when unsure, one size up |
| Child | Smallest unisex adult size (XS) fits roughly age 8–12 loosely; younger children wear it as a smock |
| Teenager | They will tell you, but ask which fit: normal or oversized |
The timeline
| Weeks before the party | Do this |
|---|---|
| 5 | Decide the format and generate the design |
| 4 | Order; production and delivery takes two to four weeks |
| 1 | Shirt arrives; reorder if the size is wrong (no minimum) |
Tap any idea to see it on a tee — $35.85, free shipping
How to make one
Describe it in one sentence with the number, the style and "no background": "the number 40 in huge distressed varsity type with the words The Reason underneath, gold on no background". Generate it in the Wearlie designer, preview it on the shirt colour, and order. For a squad or family set, keep the design and change the text per person.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a custom birthday shirt cost?
About $36 for a tee, delivered, with no minimum.
Can I order shirts for the whole party in different sizes?
Yes, at the same price per shirt in every size, with different text on each.
How far ahead should I order?
Four weeks before the party, five if you are collecting sizes from a group.
What is the best birthday shirt for a milestone like 40 or 50?
An Est.-year design in vintage badge or varsity style on a sweatshirt. It looks like clothing rather than a party favour, so it gets worn afterwards.
