Soccer cleats?

We signed the boys up for soccer starting in a couple of weeks and I have a dumb question. Do you dare put cleats on a 3 year old? That seems dangerous, but so does running around on slippery grass without them.

 

I got them soccer shoes without cleats for last year and they were 5. The top looked like a soccer cleat (same material) and the bottom was rubber. It may have been an indoor soccer shoe. It was kind of split between cleats and gym shoes. This year they will be on a more hard core team and they will get cleats. Last year it was a smaller park district team.

 

My two played soccer last Fall, when they were 3 and we had to get them cleats (it was outdoors). Honestly, they did fine and they never got hurt from other kids or their cleats.

 

We get cleats mostly because it keeps their regular runners from getting destroyed and filthy But the cleats are rubber, not metal, and wouldn't hurt anything. I giggle every time one of the kids starts a sport with cleats, because even though it's not much, they are a little higher, and they tend to stumble a lot until they get used to them

 

I got my kids the soccer shoes with plastic/rubber cleats on them. They did fine and there weren't any injuries!

 

Tiny cleats are so cute!!

 

My girls were a mess in regular sneakers on the soccer field. If the grass was even a little bit wet, they were slipping and sliding all around. And, as PP mentioned, their sneaks get trashed! So I can imaqine it would be worse for a 3 year old.

 

When my son played at that age, we actually got lucky and someone gave us a nice pair of cleats. He wore them as well and did fine. I, personally, would rather they wear cleats because that is what cleats are made for to give them better traction on the grass. You can wait and put them on until right before he goes out on the field.

 

My younger boys played YMCA soccer this Fall and we did not buy soccer cleats. They did fine in their regular Nike tennis shoes. By the time they are 6, it seems like sports get much more expensive...so we're saving the money when we can! :laughing:

 

The boys played outdoor soccer in the fall. Cleats were not required. They wore their Adidas samba sneakers(indoor soccer shoes). They start soccer tomorrow and dh plans on them wearing the same sneakers as the fall. The way their feet grow so fast, I'm hesitant to buy cleats every single season.

 

I can get cleats at target and walmart for $20 a pair, which is cheaper than a new pair of runners for my kids. So I'm willing to spend the money on the cleats, I buy the basic black ones so they are gender neutral, and now, i'm set for the twins. Between my older 2 kids I should have just about every size I need from the time the twin start soccer and baseball for several years! :lol: But really, especially baseball on the dirt diamond, when it's muddy, their shoes are a muddy clay covered mess! I'm glad it's the cleats that are nasty and not their good school runners!

 

We buy the cleats, as they are only $20 a pair at Canadian Tire, and it prevents them from destroying the regular running shoes, which cost a lot more. I also find they don't fall as much, especially when it is wet outside (and soccer takes place in all weather conditions excluding lightening).

You might want to check Value Village or the like to see about used cleats, since most kids only wear them 8-10 times.

T

 

I'd go for cleats. Even with dew on the ground in the morning, it is very slippery.

 

Sarah was on a kindergarten team last fall, and cleats were not strictly required, but all the kids had them. Shin guards WERE required, on the theory I guess that if even some of the kids are wearing cleats, they all need shin guards! The shin guards have an ankle protector part too.

Check eBay -- I was amazed at how cheap used cleats are. I think I paid $12 including shipping.