One of the most popular items for a gift is the baseball glove. Many people (myself included) believe that the act of breaking in a baseball glove can be compared to a great love story. Youth players begin a bond with this expensive piece of leather in the off season and carry it through the whole baseball season, upward of 20 games, supplemented by endless hours of catch with their parents and older brothers or sisters. Even tossing a baseball up and down to oneself can be one of the best memories baseball lovers have from their youth. 

 
Parents figure if they purchase the glove in December, the next few months are adequate for breaking the glove in.  The goal should be to soften the leather and to create a pocket.  Parents need to examine the instructions the manufacturer gives.  There are varied instructions for each company. You'll hear anything from using neatsfoot oil, shaving cream, Vaseline, and even burying it in water. When I was young, I used a rag to wipe oil all over my glove, wrapped two baseballs in the pocket, and then tied the glove shut with heavy twine. I would then put my glove under my mattress and sleep with this lump in my bed for a few months. Every day, I would unwrap the glove and throw one ball into it for an endless period of time to further break it in. The best way to break in a glove is to use it!  

Youth players should be taught how to take care of their gloves at an early age because if they continue to play through high school, they may have to break in as many as 3 to 10 gloves in a short period of time.  Gloves should be kept in a dry cool place when not in use, and should not be left where it can be affected by heat, such as the trunk of a car.  Should the glove get wet, it should be dried with a towel then air-dried. Never put your glove in an oven, which numerous manufacturers recommend.  And if the manufacturer says to apply oil every year, do it sparingly.


Remember, it is always better to buy a smaller glove rather than a larger one.  When my kids were young, I made the mistake of buying the biggest glove that would fit them, thinking the bigger the glove the better chance of stopping a ball.  It was not until I went to a major league baseball game did I realize my mistake. As my kids were getting an autograph from one of the players, I noticed that his glove was not much bigger than his hand.  This particular player played second base, but after I researched this topic, I came to the conclusion that the smaller the glove the better control the player has, and will be able to make more plays.

One alternative parents might want to consider is to purchase a used baseball glove. There are sporting goods stores that now sell used equipment and some of the gloves they carry are broken in very well. Now, of course when talking about these used items, most of the gloves these stores have should be disposed of.  These stores can be a great venue for catchers gloves, which I have always found the most difficult to break in. One last word of advice: budget yourself when your child is young because he will grow and probably ask for a new glove in 2 or 3 years.


Bats are a great gift but this can get extremely expensive.  When purchasing a bat, lighter bats are better than heavier ones.  Before purchasing the bat, make sure it does not exceed the allowable thickness or circumference by the league your player will be in.
Other baseball items are better left to purchase right before the start of the season such as shoes, helmets etc. 
The holiday season is a great time to purchase baseball items for your son and daughter.  Parents need to recognize that kids in the ages between 7-12 have tremendous growth spurts and should buy accordingly.
 
Holiday Gift Ideas: 
One of the best off season baseball gifts for youth players ages 7-12 is the
"Where's The Play interactive CD-Rom which teaches kids back-up situations.  This product is a Little League approved item that kids seem to love and play over and over. 

 
 
The Baseball DVD Combination #3 is one of our most popular gifts.  This gift is made up of our three most popular DVD's:
"The 59 Minute Baseball Practice"
"Backyard Baseball Drills"
"Winning Baseball Strategies"
 
These great baseball gifts are available at:  www.BaseballCoachOne.com