Gear for super slim girls

Welcome to Discuss Fastpitch

Your FREE Account is waiting to the Best Softball Community on the Web.

Aug 26, 2019
19
3
I guess I'll be the one to say it, 75lbs at 5 feet is considered severely underweight...My sister went (and is still going) through eating disorder issues, so hopefully your daughter is and stays healthy.

Thank you for your opinion/concern. She has always been on the same curve for her height weight percentages and it’s been monitored by and discussed this with her pediatrician. She is very healthy.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Aug 26, 2019
19
3
Since you sew, you have a great advantage over most catchers’ parents! Make adjustments as you need to with straps, even if it means replacing them with a different strap. There are some interesting things being done on umpires’ gear with neoprene these days.

Try everything on that you can and find what provides the best fit but still provides some room for growth.

Don’t be afraid to mix up brands.

Most importantly, make sure the gear covers everything it should cover and can be worn without it moving around. When she pops up to throw or run, her gear should be moving with her, not flopping around and working against her.

(One of my biggest pet peeves is seeing a kid’s collarbone while the top of her/his chest protector droops down to her/his chest.)


Haha funny you say that, my husband is an umpire and I’m constantly getting his requests to modify his gear :)



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Aug 26, 2019
19
3
IMO, that is not an assumption one can make without knowing a lot more information. I've seen more than a few kids about that size that were healthy and strong.

Thank you, it’s definitely not a fair or accurate assumption.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Aug 5, 2015
85
8
For an adult, maybe. Not for a prepubescent girl. My daughter is 4'10" 72lbs, 11yo. She's strong enough to hit the ball to the 200' fences. Some kids are just skinny. There are three other girls on her team with the same build.
Fair enough, after further research that's ~3rd percentile for weight for girls her age and height, I definitely wouldn't say I was being overly alarming bringing it up.
IMO, that is not an assumption one can make without knowing a lot more information. I've seen more than a few kids about that size that were healthy and strong.
It's 3rd percentile for weight for girls her age and height, bringing it up is tough but it seems reasonable to me, better safe than sorry. Sometimes people closest to the person aren't aware for various reasons even if they are good parents.
Thank you for your opinion/concern. She has always been on the same curve for her height weight percentages and it’s been monitored by and discussed this with her pediatrician. She is very healthy.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
That's good to hear.
 
May 21, 2014
155
28
my kid is super skinny and lanky. If any of the discontinued Wilson Promotion gear is available in colors she can live with then I would jump on it. Chest protector has been a great fit and will adjust to cover her collar bones no problem. Legs will be harder to find but they fit well.

And as far as helmet, spend most of your money here. We bought an AllStar and it has lasted for years and is the most comfortable we tried. Plenty of shots off the mask and never anything she could feel.
 
Feb 19, 2016
280
28
Texas
I'll second the mixing of brands and putting it together piecemeal to get the right fit for each piece, and fit is very important.

I have a skinny ballerina for a catcher. She's 11 now. It seems like we have been through a lot of gear so far. She's a over 5' and 80-85 lbs now. Our mix is currently an UA chest, a Wilson pro-stock helmet, and UA pro legs. The UA gear was made, and is pretty much just like the All-Star system 7 gear. We definitely had to cinch the legs pretty tight, but they work great. She's currently in 14.5" legs. She had to grow into the chest when I got it. It was really hard to find a chest that would cinch up enough, but anything smaller, and there was no protection from it, and at 10U, you need protection. The legs she had before the All-Star were Rawlings XRD legs, which had really nice padding for the price. I paid $10 on closeout and later paid $40 for my set. (my son pitches so ouch!) Again, we were cinching them up as far as they could go, but they worked well.

The thing with her gear is that she will not let anyone else wear it. Once she gets it sized to her, then no one else better come and re-size it.

If there's anyway to get to someplace where you can try gear on, it'd be a real help. Also, I'd look very carefully at the padding in leg guards. Removable pads with patella inserts are a lot better than the ones with a little built in padding.


You may want to read some of the helmet discussion here as well.
 
Feb 19, 2016
280
28
Texas
And as far as helmet, spend most of your money here. We bought an AllStar and it has lasted for years and is the most comfortable we tried. Plenty of shots off the mask and never anything she could feel.

Great advice here. We've had the Wilson pro-stock helmet since her Wilson Shock FX needed replacing, and my son has the All-Star. I've also heard good things about the Schutt helmets. Easton is catching up with their padding and mounts, so I wouldn't feel bad trying out the Easton Pro-X or the new Jen Schro helmet, but I'd be wary of anything with forehead mounts for the cage/grill.
 

Forum statistics

Threads
42,830
Messages
679,478
Members
21,445
Latest member
Bmac81802
Top