https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Mon, 27 Apr 2026 01:39:55 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/thoughts-on-red-shirting/page/2#post-1176608 Sun, 27 Oct 2013 01:12:37 +0000 PointeShoesTutus 1176608@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I'd consider it but mostly for social reasons. I work as an SLP in elementary schools and have seen kids (more boys than girls) who end up repeating kindergarten because they just aren't emotionally ready to move on to 1st grade where more independence is expected. They would have benefited from being "redshirted." I do no support redshirting solely as a way to gain an advantage for sports. That is just plain wrong in my opinion. </p> <p>I have a February birthday so I was always one of the older kids. It didn't really bother me. Honestly, no one really noticed until high school when we all started to get driving permits and licenses. DH, on the other hand, started kinder at 4 so he was 17 when he went away to college. He admits it himself, he was way too immature to be in college at 17 and definitely didn't take it seriously. Looking back, my MIL wished she'd had held him back since he just wasn't quite ready from a social/emotional perspective. What can you do though? Hindsight is always 20/20. And he turned out more than just fine. </p> <p>Either way, it's a tough call. I can see both sides but having had experience working in elementary education, I can see the benefits. It really must be on a case by case basis though...no one size fits all policy. I'm sure there will be extensive conversations if any of our kids birthdays hover around the cut off. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/thoughts-on-red-shirting/page/2#post-1176595 Sun, 27 Oct 2013 00:41:52 +0000 lovehoneybee 1176595@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My MIL had two August babes in a school district with a Sept 1st cutoff, and of the two, one was e "redshirted", and the other was not. BIL was the oldest and she sent him on time. DH she held back a year. She didn't do it for sports advantage, or because she thought he'd have any advantage over his classmates. BIL, who is 5 years older than DH, was exceptionally confident and did well in both sports and academics despite being one of the youngest in his class. He didn't suffer at all. </p> <p>MIL held DH back a year because she didn't feel he was ready, academically or socially, and his pre-K instructors agreed. DH is also both very intelligent (one of the smartest people I know) and very athletic. The only downside he can point to be held back is that he was a year older than most of his friends. </p> <p>E has an August birthday, and the cut-off here is Sept 1st, and while I don't think we'll hold E back, we're not set in a decision either way. If we do, it won't be because we think it will give him an advantage in sports or academics, but because we don't feel he's ready for kindergarten. We're going to wait and see how he's developed by then. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/thoughts-on-red-shirting/page/2#post-1176590 Sun, 27 Oct 2013 00:28:07 +0000 CupQuakeWalk 1176590@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Beebug: school sports are by grade. Other sports are by age or year born. My brother plays Academy soccer in a league associated with the MLS which goes by birth year. Other leagues go by a cut off date though, not a whole year. So, everything is different. Yet another reason not to redshirt for the sole purpose of getting ahead in sports. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/thoughts-on-red-shirting/page/2#post-1176573 Sat, 26 Oct 2013 23:45:19 +0000 HLK208 1176573@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Beebug: any sport really is done by grades not by the year they were born (at least in my area)</p> <p>So a 12 year old boy in 5th grade might be more physically advanced and aware of a game (football, soccer, baseball, etc) than a 10/11 year old.</p> <p>Honestly, I think it's kind of competitive, unfair to other children and silly! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/thoughts-on-red-shirting/page/2#post-1176570 Sat, 26 Oct 2013 23:43:38 +0000 HLK208 1176570@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@autumnlove: that makes sense about wanting them with the same calendar year kids</p> <p>@TurtleDoves: true. I think athletic talent will be there regardless of age and unfortunately, some parents push their kids into sports that they hate. So redshirting for that reason was surprising. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/thoughts-on-red-shirting/page/2#post-1176489 Sat, 26 Oct 2013 22:04:49 +0000 sandy 1176489@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@autumnlove: I want my November baby to start Kindergarten at 4 too...of course if she doesn't seem ready at the time I won't send her, but as as an almost 2 year old we get asked if she's turning 3 </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/thoughts-on-red-shirting/page/2#post-1176482 Sat, 26 Oct 2013 21:53:42 +0000 CupQuakeWalk 1176482@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@littlek: this.</p> <p>Her reasoning (sports) isn't valid enough for me to make that choice, but I am not against the concept as a general concept. I will assess E when we get to that point. We have plans to do pre-school (3-4) and pre-k (4), so he will *probably* be ready for K without waiting. But who knows.. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/thoughts-on-red-shirting/page/2#post-1176476 Sat, 26 Oct 2013 21:42:01 +0000 Mrs. Jump Rope 1176476@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@autumnlove: if we had that option, we may actually consider it.. Right now we don't! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/thoughts-on-red-shirting/page/2#post-1176465 Sat, 26 Oct 2013 21:16:12 +0000 autumnlove 1176465@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Jump Rope: I think our district guidelines only allows Sept-Nov babies to test for an early start and December babes are out of luck.:-( I don't think my kid is super advanced..I just want kids in the same calendar year to have the chance to start together! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/thoughts-on-red-shirting/page/2#post-1176348 Sat, 26 Oct 2013 19:10:07 +0000 Mrs. Jump Rope 1176348@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@autumnlove: do you have to have her tested for that?</p> <p>C has a late October birthday, so she will almost 6 when school starts. Our cutoff date is September 1. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/thoughts-on-red-shirting/page/2#post-1176345 Sat, 26 Oct 2013 19:08:29 +0000 Beebug 1176345@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I'm confused. Can someone explain to me what sports this would be for? Maybe this is more a US thing for school Basketball and Football?</p> <p>I'm in Ontario, and no matter the grade the sport one plays (outside of school) is done by year of birth, so to do it for sports here would be foolish -we don't have the strong "school" sports though, compared to US. Most strong athletes would train and participate outside of school where holding back a student their grade in school would have no benefit.</p> <p>Maybe I'm missing something or this is a US thing?</p> <p>I'm a Feb baby and remember some of my Oct-Dec friends staying back for a 2nd year of Gr. 12 not feeling ready to do university at 17, but that was about it!</p> <p>My Oct baby will start school at age 3. That.is.crazy to me. I have/am considering her starting in SK instead (the next year but she'd still be same age as classmates just didint do JK with them) buuuut leaving that to see her readiness when she gets there. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/thoughts-on-red-shirting/page/2#post-1176321 Sat, 26 Oct 2013 18:50:30 +0000 Andrea 1176321@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@autumnlove: ditto! We will have the youngest kids in the class! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/thoughts-on-red-shirting/page/2#post-1176311 Sat, 26 Oct 2013 18:45:53 +0000 autumnlove 1176311@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I would not red shirt. I want my late Dec baby to start kindergarten at 4! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/thoughts-on-red-shirting/page/2#post-1176298 Sat, 26 Oct 2013 18:35:20 +0000 SugarplumsMom 1176298@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I was on the fence about this before LO was born. Now that she's here, I have no reservations red shirting her if she isn't quite ready for school. But I would never do it just so she can get ahead. I think there's a big difference between fitting in vs. trying to use age as an advantage. If I knew my LO would be struggling to catch up, then I'd definitely red shirt. Thankfully, I don't think we'll have that problem. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/thoughts-on-red-shirting/page/2#post-1176285 Sat, 26 Oct 2013 18:19:54 +0000 Mae 1176285@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I think you should just put your kid in school when they seem socially ready to be there. I have a late birthday (October) and was borderline for my school district. My mom was talked into waiting a year to have me start even though she thought I was academically and socially ready to go. </p> <p>All that happened was I was really bored by the time I got to school because at that point I was ahead of the other kids. I ended up skipping a grade so I was the youngest in my class. It was fine. It always seemed weird to me when kids were 19 in high school! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/thoughts-on-red-shirting#post-1176273 Sat, 26 Oct 2013 18:09:42 +0000 Rubies 1176273@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I've never heard of redshirting until I read about it on HB. In Ontario, or, at least in the school district that I grew up in and currently teach in, there is no cutoff at all. Anyone born from January 1-December 31st of the same year goes into school at the same time. I was in the same grade 3 class as someone with a January 1st birthday and December 30th birthday (so, almost a whole year difference) and both did well in school and in life (from what I can tell!). </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/thoughts-on-red-shirting#post-1176250 Sat, 26 Oct 2013 17:30:31 +0000 Mrs. Jacks 1176250@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I should add that I had a summer birthday and skipped a grade so I was the youngest in my class by far, much to the chagrin of my principal who wrote her thesis on redshirting. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/thoughts-on-red-shirting#post-1176229 Sat, 26 Oct 2013 17:07:36 +0000 Mrs. Lemon-Lime 1176229@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I didn't know the practice had a name until HB. I attended school with several children who were held back by their parents in pre-k or kindergarten. From the ones I know whocwere definitely older these kids were among the smarter in the group. One sticks out though because she had a speech delay and that's whycher parents kept her back. </p> <p>Both my brother and I had late September birthdays and we went to school on time. It only sucked when we were the last among our peers to turn 21 and drink. I remember having to stay onvthe bottom level of a club while my 21 and over friends could go to the top level. They "babysat" me all night.</p> <p>Academically, I don't think I struggled more or gained for going to school on time. If the litmus test is emotional maturity I think myparents made the right decision. For my own children this is definitely something to consider. The state of our education is so dismal than extra year of prep may not be all bad to hit the ground running for K. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/thoughts-on-red-shirting#post-1176221 Sat, 26 Oct 2013 16:54:46 +0000 Foodnerd81 1176221@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@skipra: c is a late July baby and the cut off is 9/1 here so she will be the youngest. Just how it goes. Dh and I were both always the oldest and the only time I remember it making a difference is when I could drive and when I could legally drink. </p> <p>I can see it when kids aren't emotionally mature enough, otherwise it's just crazy. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/thoughts-on-red-shirting#post-1176195 Sat, 26 Oct 2013 16:10:17 +0000 skipra 1176195@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I thought this mostly happened with late summer babies or in school districts that have weird cut-offs. Standard cut-off around us is September 1. DS is an early September baby so he will be one of the oldest and start at nearly 6 years old by default. I'm not in love with the idea of him being one of the oldest but I also don't want him to be the youngest either. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/thoughts-on-red-shirting#post-1176190 Sat, 26 Oct 2013 16:07:25 +0000 erinpye 1176190@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I wouldn't do it, unless one of my kids were extremely close to a cutoff date and I felt she may be behind socially or academically. I certainly wouldn't do it for athletics. I knew 2 soccer players in high school who were held back, and great athletes they were not. With both of my girls having birthdays close to the beginning of the year, it's a non-issue, and they will already benefit from Gladwell's outliers theory (IF the theory actually holds any water). </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/thoughts-on-red-shirting#post-1176160 Sat, 26 Oct 2013 15:32:55 +0000 Freckles 1176160@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Cole: our cutoff is MARCH. I was really pissed upon hearing that since my LO's birthday is in April.</p> <p>I do think people tend to redshirt boys more than girls because of the athletics/size issue. I don't think it would've benefited me to be held back because i was a december baby. I remember there was one girl in grade school who was a year older than the rest of us and she was always self-conscious about it. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/thoughts-on-red-shirting#post-1176148 Sat, 26 Oct 2013 15:28:21 +0000 HLK208 1176148@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Personally, *I* would never hold B back for sports purposes. To other families we know, sports are absolutely everything and they've already picked out which sports their child will and will not do. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/thoughts-on-red-shirting#post-1176138 Sat, 26 Oct 2013 15:18:59 +0000 Sapphiresun 1176138@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Interesting. I believe our school entry goes on calendar year, so my August baby will be center-ish of the pack, but in our district there wouldn't really be an advantage for sports I don't think. I had a friend who was held back in kindergarten and wasn't allowed to play sports in grade 12 because she was too old because they make the teams based on X age by X date for sports, not what grade you're in. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/thoughts-on-red-shirting#post-1176132 Sat, 26 Oct 2013 15:11:12 +0000 littlek 1176132@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@HLK208: I would not do it for athletics EVER. If I thought my child (maturity wise) was not ready for school, then I would delay. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/thoughts-on-red-shirting#post-1176128 Sat, 26 Oct 2013 15:07:02 +0000 avivoca 1176128@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I started school at four and never minded being the youngest. But this won't affect Hyla, since the cutoff here is August 1, so she'll be almost six when she starts kindergarten. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/thoughts-on-red-shirting#post-1176118 Sat, 26 Oct 2013 14:57:12 +0000 808love 1176118@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>All this talk about redshirting makes me think about how LO (no choice involved) will be an elder in the class...maybe we should get into sports just for the sake of taking advantage of her incredibly old age!<br /> @Espion: :D </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/thoughts-on-red-shirting#post-1176107 Sat, 26 Oct 2013 14:46:42 +0000 blackbird 1176107@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I do agree it seems like such a slim thing to hope for...like you want your kid to be so much bigger/stronger on the slim chance that he is so much better that he will, what, get a sports scholarship? </p> <p>Although I totally understand it....my brother started school young and I do not think it benefited him at all. I'm sure he could have benefited from being redshirted a year. </p> <p>I always think of redshirting as a football term, though. Five year college students who sit out their first year so they're eligible for another year of play. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/thoughts-on-red-shirting#post-1176106 Sat, 26 Oct 2013 14:45:30 +0000 MrsKoala 1176106@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I was one of the youngest in my class. I started at 4 and I think I have only benefited by it throughout my life as I had to keep up with the older kids. Sports were never an issue physically, either. I was a three sport varsity athlete. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/thoughts-on-red-shirting#post-1176098 Sat, 26 Oct 2013 14:32:48 +0000 Elderberrygin 1176098@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I was redshirted because my parents didn't feel like I was socially ready for school, so they held me back in preschool for an extra year. I don't think it really did anything to help my social skills, to be honest, but I think its a legitimate reason to hold a child back. </p> <p>As an educator, I'm fairly opposed to doing it for academic or sporting reasons. As far as I can recall in the literature, the academic advantage only holds for a few years and doesn't have an impact on overall performance or college entry and it ends up being inequitable in the ways outlined by previous posters. </p> <p>LO is nowhere near the cut-off date so its not something we even have to consider, but we discussed it before TTC and both agreed we wouldn't redshirt. DH was one of the youngest in his year and he thrived academically and socially and, frankly, we can't afford the expense of keeping her in Pre-K for an extra year. </p>