12 Sep Back to School: Tips for Choosing a Backpack for Your Child

It’s back to school season, which means new teachers, new clothes, new supplies, and a new backpack for kids. It also means more back to school tips for parents. 79 million students carry backpacks with them to school every day. Unfortunately, over half of them carry loads that are too heavy for them.

Over 2,000 backpack-related injuries are reported every year with children suffering from aching backs and shoulders, tingling arms, weakened muscles, stooped posture, and lower back pain. Injuries caused to the lower back now can follow children on into adulthood and for the rest of their lives. To help combat backpack injures, we would like to suggest a few guidelines on choosing a backpack to help keep your children safe this year. As always, feel free to contact us if you suspect your child might be suffering from a backpack related injury.

Select a Backpack

• Make sure the backpack is the right size for your child
• A correctly fitting backpack sits about 2 inches below the shoulder blades and slightly above the hips
• Choose a backpack that has plenty of padding in the back and shoulders
• A backpack with a chest strap and waistbelt is ideal
• If your child’s backpack is consistently too heavy, try a rolling backpack

Pack the Backpack

• Your child’s backpack should weigh no more than 10% of your child’s body weight
• Put the heavies items in the back of the pack
• Pack everything snugly so items don’t slide out of place
• Use pockets to disturb the weight evenly
• Pack only what items are necessary for the day

Wear

• Use both shoulder straps to distribute the weight evenly
• Wear a waist belt if the pack has one
• Adjust the straps so that the pack fit snugly on your child’s back