He beat me to the punch. He got several checks for Easter gifts, and a couple of stores had skates on sale. So we went shopping on the Monday after Easter.
I felt pretty well prepared, thanks to my web searches for this topic. We looked at boots that were in the medium price range in the department stores (we bought a pair for $30, which seemed to be an average price). The boots are sturdy around the ankle but provide some breathing material around the foot and toes. This was handy because I was able to feel for my son's toes as he tried on the boot.
One thing I noticed in my experience that I didn't read about on the web sites is the sizing of the boots. My son wears a size 3 shoe. He bought a size 5 skate. I'm not sure how the skates are sized, but had I bought the skates as a gift, I would have ended up with a pair too small.
As soon as we picked out the skates, we picked out the protective gear. For now, he is wearing his bike helmet while he skates. I haven't seen helmets specifically for skating, but I'm sure they are out there. We did find a packaging of knee pads, elbow pads, and wrist braces for $15. The pads are a good flexible plastic with velcro straps to make for a snug fit. One thing we did not buy but the web sites I've read recommend are gloves to help prevent skinning the palms of the hands during a fall. Baseball sliding gloves (or batting gloves) seem to work fine.
He's not allowed to wear the skates to school (our rule), so every day, as soon as he finishes his homework, he's got on the skates and is practicing in our driving and front sidewalk. He is a bit wobbly and his stops on the slight incline of our driveway usually result in either a fall or him grabbing the mailbox. Now he talks about getting a hockey stick and learning to maneuver it while skating.
Stay tuned for my experiences as the mom of a street hockey player . . .
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