Most advice about buying a child's first glove is written by people selling gloves. This is written by someone who sees which gloves come back in five years still working, and which ones are unusable after two.
The one thing that matters most
Fit, and specifically how the fingers fit.
This is where most youth gloves go wrong and almost nobody talks about it. Parents size the glove by the length measurement on the outside and never check what's happening inside.
A glove can be the right length and still be wrong if the finger stalls are too wide. A child's fingers sitting loose inside oversized stalls means they can't control the glove — it moves independently of their hand, closes late, and rotates on impact. Every catch becomes harder than it should be, and the player learns to compensate for equipment rather than learning technique.
Worth knowing specifically: Wilson's finger stalls — on the A2000 and A2K in particular — run noticeably closer-fitting than most comparable gloves. For a young player with small hands, that's a real advantage, and it's the kind of thing you only notice from the inside.
I don't sell gloves and I have nothing to gain by telling you that. It's just what I see on the bench.
One important caveat: those are premium gloves at premium prices. Fit matters more than brand, and a well-fitting mid-priced glove will always beat a poorly-fitting expensive one. The point isn't "buy Wilson." The point is check the finger stalls, and know that this is one place where Wilson tends to do well. Plenty of other gloves fit small hands properly — you just have to actually check.
How to check fit properly
In the store, with the child:
- Have them put it on and squeeze it closed themselves. If they can't close it unaided, it's too big or too stiff — no exceptions, no "they'll grow into it."
- Look at the finger stalls. Fingers should fill them, not swim in them.
- Have them open and close it ten times. Watch for fatigue. A glove that's too heavy shows up here.
- Check the wrist. It should be snug enough that the glove doesn't rotate.
The "they'll grow into it" trap
This is the single most expensive mistake, and it's counterintuitive because it looks like the frugal choice.
An oversized glove that a child can't close teaches bad habits — reaching instead of catching, two hands out of necessity rather than technique, and a genuine fear of the ball because catches keep hurting. Those habits outlast the glove.
By the time they grow into it, the glove has been broken in wrong, shaped by a hand that couldn't control it, and is often in worse condition than a properly-sized glove would have been.
Buy the glove that fits now.
Leather or synthetic?
Under about age 8: synthetic is often the sensible choice. It's lighter, needs no break-in, and costs little. They will outgrow it quickly and that's fine.
From about age 9 or 10 onward, if they're playing seriously: leather. It breaks in to their hand, it can be maintained, and it can be relaced. A synthetic glove cannot be repaired — when it fails, it's finished.
That's the practical dividing line. A leather glove is an investment that can be maintained for a decade. A synthetic glove is a consumable.
Sizing, roughly
Position matters less than people think at young ages. Get something versatile.
| Age | Typical size |
|---|---|
| 5–7 | 9"–10.5" |
| 8–10 | 10.5"–11.5" |
| 11–13 | 11"–12" |
| 14+ | See position sizing below |
Treat these as a starting point. A twelve-year-old with small hands and an eight-year-old with big ones both exist.
Sizing by position, 12 and up
Once a player settles into a position, size follows the job rather than the age.
| Position | Size | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Middle infield (2B, SS) | 11.25"–11.75" | Short, shallow, fast out of the pocket |
| Third base | 11.5"–12" | Slightly more glove for hard-hit balls |
| Pitcher | 11.5"–12" | Closed web, to hide the grip |
| Outfield | 12"–12.75" | Longer reach, deeper pocket for fly balls |
| First base | 12"–13" | Measured heel to tip, scooped edge |
| Catcher | 32.5"–34.5" | Measured by circumference, not length |
Softball players generally size up roughly half an inch to an inch to account for the larger ball.
New or used?
A quality used leather glove is frequently a better buy than a new budget glove at the same price, and it comes already broken in.
What to check on a used glove: leather that flexes rather than cracks, intact lace holes, and a pocket that hasn't collapsed. Laces are the least of your worries — those are replaceable and inexpensive relative to the glove.
A $60 used Heart of the Hide that needs a $50 re-lace will outlast three $80 new gloves. That maths works out more often than people expect.
What to do once you've bought it
- Break it in with their hand in it. A glove broken in by a parent fits the parent.
- Don't rush it. See our guide, Nine Ways to Ruin a Perfectly Good Glove.
- Keep it out of the bag.
- Get it looked at at the end of each season. A youth glove that's cared for gets handed down. One that isn't gets thrown out.
The honest summary
Buy a glove that fits their hand today, in leather if they're old enough to be serious, and look after it. That's most of it.
If you're not sure whether a glove fits properly, bring it by or send photos. I'd rather tell you it's wrong before the season than relace it after a summer of a child fighting equipment that was never going to work.