Enrolled kiddo in t-ball. Check
Charged batteries in camcorder, SLR camera, iPhone and Flip cameras. Check.
Run out and buy t-shirt to match team colors. Check.
Need to get all t-ball equipment for little one. Uhhh…. help?
Lots of new t-ball moms wander into sporting goods stores not sure what is a required item, necessary item or just a cool gadget. We’re here to help.
For t-ballers all they really need for the first few years is
- A soft leather t-ball specific glove (less than 11″, otherwise it’s too heavy and they probably won’t be able to close it around the ball).
That’s pretty much it for basic t-ball fun. Most coaches will be given a few helmets, bats and balls for the team to use, but if you want to get everything your budding baller might or might not need here are a few other items to pick up
- Batting helmet. Even though there won’t be any pitches coming his way, not everyone has master control of their throws and sometimes rogue throws to first get away from their target and bonk runners on the noggin. This helps protect that noggin.
- T-ball bat. These are shorter and lighter than your standard Little League bats, so make sure you look for one that is marked for t-ball. Those little batters don’t have the upper body strength to swing the big stick yet.
- Cleats. At this age running shoes are just fine, or if you’ve already purchased soccer cleats they work well also. If you really want to get him baseball cleats, you can usually get Youth Baseball cleats for less than $20.
- Mouthguard. It’s not common, but it does happen and we’d be remiss if we didn’t bring up the fact it’s not a BAD idea to protect those little jaws. Balls take bad hops off grass and dirt and you never know if one bounce up and knock out a tooth worse. Some leagues are even requiring infielders to wear them now.
- Practice balls. Most t-ball leagues use a softer version of baseballs, labeled as such. These don’t have quite the pop off the bat or have the same impact when hit off a shin as regular baseballs do.
Most of all, make sure your son or daughter is having fun!!!!
