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Youth baseball cleat sizing guide: which size range, how they should fit, and how much room to leave

Kids' shoe sizes restart at 1 after 13, brands run small or narrow, and a foot grows a size between March and June. The size ranges retailers use, the thumb test, the half-size-up rule the retailer prints on New Balance, and a plan for the growth spurt. Three picks that cover every size range.

By Mike M.Updated Researched · every figure sourced

#adReader-supported: we may earn a commission if you buy through our links, at no extra cost to you. It never decides a pick. How we pick · Disclosure

Under Armour Leadoff Low RM Jr.
Product photo from Amazon.

The size ranges

Retailer labelUS sizesTypical ageNotes
Toddler5–102–4Academy's range; a few cleats (adidas Impact 2.0 per Zappos) start here
Little Kid / Preschool11–34–7 (Zappos: Little Kid 4–7 yrs)Tee ball and coach pitch; sizes 11, 12, 13, then 1, 2, 3
Big Kid / Grade School3.5–77–12 (Zappos: Big Kid 7–12 yrs)Kid pitch through 12U; a size 7 Big Kid is about a men's 7
Men's7 and up13+Most 13-year-olds cross into men's sizing

Ranges from the Academy site navigation (Toddler 5–10, Preschool 11–3, Grade School 3.5–7) and Zappos' size-group labels (Little Kid 4–7 yrs, Big Kid 7–12 yrs). The counter-intuitive part: kids' sizes run 10, 11, 12, 13, then restart at 1.

How a cleat should fit

  1. Laced, standing, on the sock he plays in. Not seated, not barefoot.
  2. A thumb's width at the toe. Press the front: about half an inch between the longest toe and the end. Less and the toe drags the end on every stop; more and the foot slides forward.
  3. No heel slip. Kid walks; the heel stays down. Heel slip is the size-up-too-far mistake.
  4. No bulge at the ball of the foot. If the upper hangs over the outsole edge, it is too narrow; see cleats for wide feet.
  5. Run, stop, jump. In the store. A cleat that fits standing and slips running is the wrong cleat.

Brands that run small or narrow

Those two brands are also the two most bought, which is why the sizing note matters more than it looks: New Balance 4040v8 vs Nike Trout 9 sets them side by side, fit warning included.

Growing room and the mid-season spurt

A kid's foot grows roughly a size a year through the youth years, and it does not do it evenly; a spring season that starts in a comfortable size 2 can end in a cramped one. The plan: buy in March with a thumb's width, check the fit at the end of May, and expect a second pair for fall ball. Do not buy a full size up “to grow into”: a cleat with a full inch of slop makes a 9-year-old trip on the bases and blister at the heel. Cheap molded cleats that get replaced beat expensive ones that get grown into.

Measuring at home

  • Kid stands on paper against a wall, heel touching the wall; mark the longest toe. Measure heel to mark in inches.
  • Compare to the brand's size chart on the retailer page (BaseballMonkey prints a youth US/UK/EU chart on its New Balance listings; Zappos links a kids' size guide).
  • Measure both feet; fit the bigger one.
  • Measure in the afternoon; feet swell during the day.

One pick per size range

Our picks for this

Three cleats that cover every youth size range

Chosen from the site's rankings; specs from the retailer listings named on each card. All molded, all league-legal.

  • Under Armour Leadoff Low RM Jr.

    Best budget youth cleat overall

    Under Armour Leadoff Low RM Jr.

    Kids' sizes (retailer: Baseball, T-Ball)9.1/10

    The retailer lists it for Baseball and T-Ball: the Little Kid range, for 4- to 7-year-olds.

    $31.99Amazon

    #ad · Price as of November 12, 2026 · Disclosure for the link to Under Armour Leadoff Low RM Jr.

  • Nike Force Trout 9 Keystone (rubber molded)

    Best Nike youth cleat

    Nike Force Trout 9 Keystone (rubber molded)

    Little Kids and Big Kids sizes8.8/10

    Sold in Little Kids and Big Kids sizes, so one model spans a 6-year-old and a 12-year-old.

    $72.50Amazon

    #ad · Price as of November 12, 2026 · Disclosure for the link to Nike Force Trout 9 Keystone (rubber molded)

  • New Balance 4040v8 Youth (rubber molded)

    Best youth baseball cleat overall

    New Balance 4040v8 Youth (rubber molded)

    Youth sizes (Little Kid through Big Kid)9.1/10

    Big Kid sizes for the 8- to 12-year-old who plays a lot; the retailer's own note: a half size up.

    $49.95Amazon

    #ad · Price as of November 12, 2026 · Disclosure for the link to New Balance 4040v8 Youth (rubber molded)

Size is the first of six decisions. The other five, in order, are on the baseball cleats buying guide.

How we picked these

Researched, certification-checked and sized for the age

Every pick on this page earns its place the same way: the certification is checked against the governing bodies' rules and the maker's stated stamp, so the gear is legal for the division it is bought for; sizing comes from the makers' own age, height and hand charts; the published specs (drop, barrel, construction, closure, cleat type) are read from the maker's page; and the patterns in verified buyer reviews sharpen the “best for” line on each card. Every figure links to where it came from, with the date.

Scores are editorial judgments built from that documented research, applied with the same weights to every product in a category, so the ranking is comparable top to bottom. Commissions never set a score or decide a pick. The rubric and its weights are published.

Questions parents ask

Frequently asked

What size cleats does a 7-year-old wear?
Typically Little Kid 13 to Big Kid 1 or 2, but it varies a lot; measure. Zappos labels Little Kid as ages 4–7 and Big Kid as 7–12, so a 7-year-old sits at the boundary.
How are baseball cleats supposed to fit?
Laced and standing: a thumb's width at the toe, no heel slip, no bulge over the outsole at the ball of the foot. Run in them before buying.
Should I buy baseball cleats a size bigger?
A half size up on brands that run small (New Balance youth, per the retailer) or if the kid is mid-growth. Not a full size; slop causes tripping and blisters.
What is the difference between youth size 1 and 13?
Size 1 is bigger. Kids' sizes run 10, 11, 12, 13 and then restart at 1, 2, 3 (Big Kid). A 13 is a Little Kid size; a 1 is the next size up.
Do youth cleats come in half sizes?
Most do (the BaseballMonkey youth chart lists 10.5, 11.5, 12.5, 13.5, 1.5 and so on). Use them; a half size is the difference between a thumb's width and a cramped toe.

Keep reading

Related on Bat & Bucket

Receipts

Sources

  1. BaseballMonkey: New Balance 4040v8 boys' low molded cleats (specs, size chart)
  2. Academy: Under Armour Leadoff Low RM Jr. kids' cleats listing
  3. Academy: Nike Force Trout 9 Keystone kids' cleats listing
  4. Zappos: New Balance Kids 4040V8 Youth Rubber-Molded (Little Kid/Big Kid) listing
  5. Zappos: kids wide baseball cleats search (width filter)
  6. BaseballMonkey: adidas Adizero Impact 2.0 youth molded cleats

Certification rules come from the governing bodies' own pages (Little League, USA Baseball, USSSA, NOCSAE), sizes from the makers' published sizing charts, and specs from the maker's product page or the retailer listing named on each product. Every figure above links to the page it was read from, with the date. Amazon prices move often, so each buy button takes you to the current price. Read the full method.

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