Batting and catching helmets are required equipment for youth softball players; they help protect against serious injury (or even death) that may result from contact with a stray pitch, a line drive or even the swing of a bat. Youth batting and catching helmet sizes are more or less standard, although there may be some slight variance between manufacturers; the only way to be absolutely sure a helmet fits properly is to try it on.
Step 1
Wrap a flexible measuring tape around the young person's head, a half-inch above his or her eyebrows.
Step 2
Make sure the measuring tape is parallel to the ground.
Step 3
Read the measurement off the tape. This is the player's head measurement or head circumference. This measurement may be listed on the helmets for sale, or you may need to convert it to a helmet size with a sizing chart. The sizing charts are fairly standard but may vary by a ¼ to ½ inch by manufacturer.
Step 4
Have the young person try the helmet on to make sure it fits securely on the head without pinching, squeezing, falling forward over the eyes or rocking from side to side. Also, make sure that either both ears are covered by a helmet flap, or the left ear is covered for right-handed batters and vice versa for left-handed batters.
Tips and Warnings
- Many youth softball helmets will have a hidden channel in the back that allows room for a ponytail inside the helmet without compromising the fit. You don't have to have a ponytail to wear these helmets, but those who do have ponytails will have to either tie them low, at the nape of the neck, or wear a helmet with a ponytail channel.
Things You'll Need
- Flexible measuring tape
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