Choosing the Right Backpack

A backpack, while extremely convenient and useful, can pose some hazards and risks to your child. If your child doesn’t wear their backpack properly, or if it is the wrong size, they may experience back problems. In addition, if your child’s backpack does not have the proper straps, it can cause tingling and loss of blood flow to their head. This is not a good thing. Here are some tips for choosing a backpack for kids of any age.

As a parent, you are going to want to choose the right backpack for your kids. Remember that this is something they are going to wear everyday and that will carry all of their things. The right backpack will make all the difference, so this is not an area to try to cut costs. The following are a few of the things to consider when choosing your child’s backpack.

The weight of the pack. Most doctors and physical therapists recommend that a child not wear a pack that weighs more than 10-15% of their own body weight. This refers to the weight of the backpack when it is fully loaded. A lightweight pack that doesn’t add a lot of weight to your child’s load is best. Canvas is a good choice.

The straps. Narrow straps can cut into the child’s shoulders and cut off blood flow causing tingling in extremities. Choose a backpack with wide, padded straps.

The pack itself. It is good for kids to have compartments for all of their things, but look for something that has a padded back. This provides increased comfort and protects kids from being poked by sharp edges on objects.

Extra support. It’s important that your child make sure the weight of the backpack is distributed evenly. One way to help with that is to have a waist belt or a chest belt. This helps to distribute the weight more evenly across the body and keeps them from ruining their posture. Of course, they have to wear it properly. This means wearing it on both shoulders with the straps done up.

Multiple compartments can also help distribute weight more evenly. If you have smaller compartments in the front for things like pencil boxes and crayons and a larger area in the back this will help to distribute the weight more evenly.

Finally, make sure you are buying a backpack that is the proper size for your child’s body. The smaller the child’s frame, the smaller the backpack should be.