Batting helmet for t ball?

[jamstew]

Sorry for all the typos. I'm on my iPhone. Hopefully it makes sense.

 

[castleview]

Does anyone else's 5 or 6 year old play t ball who can tell me what gear they wear? I'm told my daughter will need a batting helmet, and I am confused as to why. Do those kids throw the ball THAT hard? Do they wear it the entire time they play? No one is pitching, so I am confused.

Thank you!

Insurance companies baby! When DD was six she had to wear a mouth guard for softball. Even though she was playing right field and no one hit the ball past the pitchers mound.

 

[everylastbreath]

One day, I'm going to go watch a little league game and find a kid wrapped in bubble wrap.

I have a 4 year old GS that is just starting T-Ball and I'm sorry I looked at this thread, the original poster I think just wanted to know about a helmet, and look at all the horror stories!! - ONE question for all who posted a Horror story - did any of this actually HAPPEN IN T-BALL??? I have seen t-ball and it's very funny to watch, the ball falls and rolls more often than flys and while I know someone could always get hurt, seriously folks, does anyone really think chest protection is necessary?? What exactly do you put on your kids when they ride their bikes, full body armor??

Both my kids played little league thru HS varsity, and yes we did have 1 ball in the mouth (no stitches/broken teeth) when my son was about 8-10 years old, they both survived..

Original poster- Get a helmet if your concerned about lice, if not use community helmets, watch a t-ball game before you invest in any additional protective equipment.

I await the replies from those with these injuries that actually happened in T-Ball.....

 

[mrodgers]

2. It gets them used to wearing a helmet to play ball

It took 3 pages for this to come up.

My daughter's t-ball games were also coach pitched. Just like I read in previous posts, they had 4 pitches then the T came out.

Our T-ball was 5-8. An 8 year old boy can throw a pretty good ball. B-ball, which was the next step is 8-12 I think. An 8 year old can be on either level depending on his/her skill level.

 

[tazdev3225]

I have coached T-ball for the last few years. I have the uniform for the kids from the organization: a t-shirt, pants and hat. My equipment bag has several bats and helmets. I tell my parents that they can get a helmet and their own bat if they want, cleats are not necessary at this age. As far as the extra protection - in 3 years the only person to be injured was me. These little guys miss the ball and nail my leg a LOT. Every year one or 2 kids can hit the ball. The coaches know who they are and make sure we let the other coaches know. Most of the kids "hit" the ball by knocking it off of the tee. My goal every year is to teach them that we can't get the ball every single time and that baseball is not a contact sport. I just wish that once in a while the parents would help out. Keeping track of 12+ 3, 4 and 5 y/o's is hard.

We do try and pitch by the second half and that is done by the coaches and there are no kids at the catcher position.

 

[KiminChicago]

Ok, no, the kid with the shattered eye socket was not playing t-ball. However, when we bought my son's batting helmet, it came with the cage -- and if the OP's child continues past t-ball, the face cage can be added at a later date.

I don't make my son wear full body armor when he rides his bike, but since I like his face just the way it is, I did make him wear the face cage on his batting helmet!

 

[dawson5]

I have a 4 year old GS that is just starting T-Ball and I'm sorry I looked at this thread, the original poster I think just wanted to know about a helmet, and look at all the horror stories!! - ONE question for all who posted a Horror story - did any of this actually HAPPEN IN T-BALL??? I have seen t-ball and it's very funny to watch, the ball falls and rolls more often than flys and while I know someone could always get hurt, seriously folks, does anyone really think chest protection is necessary?? What exactly do you put on your kids when they ride their bikes, full body armor??

Both my kids played little league thru HS varsity, and yes we did have 1 ball in the mouth (no stitches/broken teeth) when my son was about 8-10 years old, they both survived..

Original poster- Get a helmet if your concerned about lice, if not use community helmets, watch a t-ball game before you invest in any additional protective equipment.

I await the replies from those with these injuries that actually happened in T-Ball.....

You mention a GS, so how long ago did your children play? I have brought up that the bats are different from when I was a kid and more than likely your children. Aluminum and composite bats have come a long way. The ball comes off the bat a lot faster and with more impact than a wooden bat or even an aluminum bat that is 15 yrs old.

To answer your question, did any of this personally happen during a game that I happened to be at, no. Have I read about them, yes.

I found a nice article about a seven year old being hit by a line drive at a tball game. He was waiting in the batters box for his turn at bat. I cannot link the article because they want me to sign up for their service.

Just to give you a bit of light reading material:

http://www.la12.org/pdf/Ch29.pdf
This is nice reading. Injuries occurring as young as four. This is all based on childhood injuries, nothing about adults.

http://www.sadlersports.com/blog/in...n-baseball-aed-chest-protectors-safety-balls/
This says that a ball hitting someone as slow as 20mph. Keep in mind that the hit off of a bat is usually a lot faster than a thrown ball. It's not so much the hit as it is the timing and the area.

Two others that offer a lot of info:
http://www.ipsm.org/press_releases/core.asp
http://mlb.mlb.com/usa_baseball/article.jsp?story=medsafety27

That being said. I have a nephew that plays in a travel basketball league. He just spent a few days in the PICU at the Cleveland Clinic, he was showing signs of having a heart attack. The best they can come up with is that he took a shot to the chest during a basketball game. It wasn't enough for him to remember it, he was just playing ball. My point is, it doesn't take a huge hit to do this.


I am not a proponent for the chest protector, I think it gives a false sense of security.

I don't understand the need to basically point and laugh at someone who cares enough about their child to try their best to protect them. I feel it serves no purpose. I wonder how many people laughed when they made the batting helmets come down over the ear?

And to answer your other question, my boys wear bike helmets while riding. My brother is a paramedic, he has ingrained this in them. Apparently he goes on enough calls for injuries resulting from not wearing a helmet while biking, that it has stuck.

 

[nuke]

You seem to misunderstand that a difference in opinion on what keeps one safe doesn't mean that one is oppossed to safety.

I disagree that teaching a kid to pay attention alone is going to keep them safe. Sure it helps but things happen. Professional baseball players get hurt and they certainly know how to play the game.

My opinion is is that a face cage should be required in little league and I wish I had done some research before we let my son play without one.

 

[jojogana]

We areall talking about KIDS here, no matter what age, 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9, or older, SAFETY should always be first! Yes, the op asked about T-BALL, BUT.... What alot of people are trying to say is you learn saftey in your early ages. Being prepared at op daughters age, will help her later when she chooses to move up to a faster stage baseball/softball.

And for the record, most and I mean most 5,6,7,and even 8 year olds and up DO NOT pay attention to games. In our league there have been at least 2 kids pulled from t-ball in 2 years, my son included, because of their strength and size. So any thing can happen. Ive seen some kids get hurt at early ages because of having no protection. It can even ruin them from playing sports in fear of getting hurt.

And just one more thing to add, my brother has a daughter in softball who just turned 7. He makes her wear a cup. What hits a man and hurts him in that area WILL hurt a girl as well. just a thought

 

[mefordis]

My dd got hit in the chin yesterday with a line drive. The kid hit that ball HARD. And it is t ball.

Thanks for all of your input!

 

[ksumn1]

My 7 year old DD has played tball since she was 4. Her team provides a shirt and hat. They wear shorts or ball pants. Tennis shoes, not cleats are required but she has a pair becasue her "Sissy" does. she also has a bat bag, 2 gloves, 2 bats, a t and her own balls. Again, just like Sissy. Half of the stuff is her sisters hand me downs. She does haver her own helpmet, becasue the coach only has 2 and I am also worried about lice. I find it relatively inexpensive to get ball supplies. My oldest DD (11) has been playing since age 4, so I have a pretty good idea of what a good deal is. If I see a couple of softballs on clearance, I buy them. I've found softballs at flea markets, yard sales etc.

As far as how to teach her tball/softball...just teach the basics. Rule #1 with little ones is to ALWAYS pay attention. They like to draw in the dirt, play in the grass, chase bugs, anything but pay attention to the game. If you can teach her to pay attention, half the battle is won!!

Just work on catching, both grounders and pop ups (gently). The basics of hitting...where to stand in the batters box in relation to the plate, how to hold the bat, up off the shoulders and back, and how to swing level. Timing will come with practice. aalso, work on throwing using the point, step, throw method (it's how our college coach still refers to the process) And finally, how to run bases. 1st, 2nd, 3rd then home. These are the basics that she will need to play softball. If she can throw, hit and run before she starts softball, she'll be ahead of the game.

And as far as injuries go, my 11 yr old DD broke my finger 3 months ago. She can hit well and I was pitching to her. She line drived it to me and I tried to catch it, out of instinct. Then, like an idiot, I pitched to her again 10 minutes later (the swelling had subsided) and she did it again!! And of course, I tried to catch it again. I knew better, and I got hurt. SO it can be dangerous, especially in the older age groups. T ball is not so bad but I would reccommend the batting helmet, at least.