A couple things to remember when buying a glove at any age.  First you must make sure the glove can be opened and closed by the child.  New gloves are fun to buy, but are often too stiff for the kid to close .  Breaking in a glove can take years so a used glove , already broken in, is a great option (Craig’s List, Play it Again Sports, or hand-me-downs, etc).

Second, just because your child can handle a big glove doesn’t mean it’s a good idea.  Larger gloves allow a young player to rely more on the glove and less on their ability.  If your child can make plays using a smaller glove he or she will be an expert when older and can move up to adult size gloves.  Little league has a 12” maximum glove size for a reason.  Here are some general sizing suggestions for children in the various division.  Please understand that each child is different and there may be exceptions.

Single A (5-7):  Similarly to T-ball a 10” glove is ideal for this age group and something that can easily be closed by little hands.

Double A (7-9):  At the Training division hands are getting a bit stronger.  Typical kids from 7-9 would use a 10.5” or 11” glove but larger kids can probably use a 11.5” glove.  Even though kids are stronger in training it’s also important to find a glove that’s easy to close.

Minors (9-11):  For Minors it’s normal to use an 10.5” to 11.5” glove.  Kids this age can sometimes use a 12” glove however using a bit of a smaller glove is better for player development as the player is forced to get down on the ball and play it correctly rather than letting the glove do more of the work.

Majors (11-12):  The comments in “Minors” apply here.  Generally, Major players would use a 10.5” to 12” glove.  Kids who concentrate on infield positions especially shortstop and second base should err on the smaller side and outfielders should go a little bigger.