Youth baseball equipment checklist: what your kid actually needs for tee ball, coach pitch and Little League

The list, in the order to buy it

“League supplies it?” is the common pattern for rec leagues; ask yours. Travel teams typically supply nothing but the uniform.

What changes by level

Tee ball (4–6)

Glove, cleats (soccer cleats are fine; see the cleat question), a cap and jersey from the league, pants. Most tee ball teams share bats and helmets. If you buy a bat, it must carry the USA tee ball mark and the words “Only for use with approved tee balls” in a Little League program (tee ball bats). A cup is optional. Total: a glove, cleats, pants.

Coach pitch and machine pitch (6–8)

Add a helmet of your own (shared helmets do not fit and are sweaty), a cup, and, if the kid is hitting, a bat with the full USA mark (not the tee-ball-only mark). Batting gloves become a request.

Kid pitch, Little League Minors and Majors (8–12)

Everything on the list. The bat matters now: USA mark, 2 5/8 in barrel maximum, sized by the size chart. A face guard on the helmet is worth considering for the first year of kid pitch (face guard vs jaw guard). A bag with bat sleeves. If your kid catches, the team usually has a set; buy one when he catches every game.

Travel ball (USSSA)

A second bat with the USSSA 1.15 BPF stamp (USSSA bats), because the USA bat is accepted at USSSA events but hits like wood there and the USSSA bat is illegal in Little League. Molded cleats still; metal is a 13U conversation (molded vs metal).

Each item: what to check

• Glove: the squeeze test, then the throwing hand. The number one return in youth baseball is a right-handed glove for a right-handed thrower (he needs RHT, which goes on the left hand). Rawlings' sizing table gives 8.5–10 in for tee ball and 10.25–11.5 in infield for ages 7–12.
• Cleats: molded (Little League prohibits metal in Majors and below), a thumb's width at the toe. A half size up on New Balance, per the retailer.
• Helmet: the NOCSAE mark inside, measured by head circumference, no wobble. Every helmet on our list is pre-drilled for a face guard.
• Bat: the stamp first (USA for Little League Majors and below, per Little League's bat page), then length by the hip test, then drop. Photograph the stamp.
• Cup: youth size, in a brief or sliding short with a pocket. It sticks out only when it is the wrong garment.
• Pants: ask the coach the color before you buy; open-hem vs knicker is a team decision too. Buy two pairs; one is always wet.
• Bag: a backpack the kid can carry: the Rawlings Youth Players backpack is 18.5 in tall with two bat sleeves and a fence hook. A catcher needs a bigger bag.
• Batting gloves: youth sizes exist (Rawlings sells the Clout in T-Ball, youth and adult); leather palm for a kid who takes 100 swings a week.

What to skip the first season

• A personal bat for tee ball. If the team has bats, use them; the kid will not know the difference.
• A premium composite bat. A one-piece alloy USA bat hits the same certification. See alloy vs composite.
• A catcher's set. Borrow the team's until the kid asks to catch every game.
• Metal cleats. Not legal before 13 in Little League, and not the right choice at 13 either.
• A pitching machine. A tee, a net and a bucket of balls do more for a 7-year-old (backyard setup).
• Sunglasses, arm sleeves, eye black. The kid will lobby for these. They are not equipment.

Budgeting it

We do not print prices because they change daily. What we can say from the makers' own list tiers on the pages we cite: a first season (glove, cleats, helmet, pants, cup) is entry-tier items from every category, and a kid-pitch season adds the bat, which is where the range opens up from a one-piece alloy to a composite flagship at several times the price. The season cost page walks through registration, travel and gear with the survey data that exists.

One pick per line