Tuesday at 5:25pm. Your kid is putting on his cleats for practice. He says they hurt. You realize they no longer fit.

Three weeks left in the season. New cleats are $60. You don’t want to buy them.

The triage

Get one finger between his heel and the back of the cleat. If you can, the cleat is fine. If you can’t, the cleat is too small.

Press on the toe. If his toe is curled or folded, the cleat is too small.

If the cleat is too small, he is not playing in it tomorrow. The risk of toe injury is real. Don’t try to make them last three more weeks.

The cheap fix

A used pair from a teammate’s older sibling. Most teams have at least one family with cleats that have been outgrown two months ago and are sitting in the garage.

Ask in the team chat. Anyone have a size 3 youth cleat we can borrow for the rest of the season? You will usually get a yes.

The borrowed cleats are fine for three weeks. He won’t notice the difference.

The right fix

Buy the cleat one half-size too big. Add an insole if needed. The cleat will fit for the rest of this season and the start of next.

Don’t buy the perfect-fitting cleat for $60 if you’ll be buying another in four months.

The sales rule

End-of-season sale at the sporting goods store. 30 to 50 percent off cleats from the previous year. Same quality. Same brand. Different colorway.

If you have a week to wait, the sales are real. If you need them tomorrow, full price.

The online option

Used cleats on local marketplace apps. Often $15 to $25. Inspect before buying. Look at the sole. Look at the inside. If they’re clean and the sole is intact, they’re fine.

Cleats wear out at the sole, not the upper. A cosmetically scuffed cleat with good cleats is fine.

The bigger lesson

Buy cleats with growth in mind. Half a size larger than the kid’s foot. Add an insole.

This stretches the life of the cleat by 50%. Saves you a buy a year.

The thing parents over-spend on

Brand-new top-tier cleats for an eight-year-old. The cleats your kid wants because pro players wear them.

The $80 to $120 cleats are not better for a kid this age. They’re often heavier, stiffer, and built for adult foot mechanics.

Get the $30 to $50 mid-tier cleat. Lighter. Softer. Fits a kid’s foot better.

The kid who insists on the brand

Your kid wants the brand his teammates have. Cool.

Three options. Buy used. Buy last year’s model on sale. Buy a pair of cheaper-brand cleats now and save up for the brand cleats next season.

The kid who learns the cost-quality tradeoff at eight is the kid who buys smart at eighteen.

The mid-game cleat blowout

If a cleat splits during a game, the team usually has a backup pair. Ask the coach. Most rec teams have an emergency stash.

If not, the kid plays in regular sneakers. The game continues. The cleats get replaced on Monday.

The shorter rule

Buy half a size up. Use insoles. Buy used or end-of-season sale. Skip the brand premium until the kid actually cares about playing competitively.

You’ll save $200 a year. The kid plays just as well.