School is starting back up again! The kids are out of the house all day because of going to classes and learning a ton. Learning is difficult if you are in pain though. Could your child’s backpack be causing them more issues than it helps? Have you ever wondered how to properly set up that backpack to work for them instead of against them? Or been worried when you tried to move it out of the middle of the floor and realize it weighs almost as much as them? You aren’t alone. This is a question we get asked frequently. There are some guidelines that will help us figure this out and get your kid more comfortable at school and we are excited to share them with you!
Guidelines
WEIGHT
• Your/Your kid’s backpack should try to stick to the 10% rule. That is that the backpack shouldn’t weigh more than 10% of the person’s bodyweight that is carrying it. For example, If the person weighs 100lbs, their backpack should be 10lbs or under in weight.
• This can be difficult, but with some practice will get much easier. Make it a habit to take out the books and materials you don’t need that day. Keeping books and notebooks and calculators when you don’t need it adds up in weight quickly!
SIZING
• Shoulders and hips are your lines to hit. The backpack should naturally fall below the shoulders on the top side, and stay above the hips on the bottom side. This takes some adjusting of the straps, so make sure they are even length or as close as you can get to even.
PACKING AND WEARING
• When it comes to packing up your book bag for the day, you should be using all of the pockets. Put the heaviest items in the pocket closest to your body, while the lightest items sit in the smaller, further away pocket.
• USE BOTH STRAPS. Everyone has seen people walking around with just one strap on their shoulder. This isn’t good for your spine. Its an uneven load that will cause your body to start adapting to that, which causes issues whenever you aren’t wearing the bookbag.
This isn’t an exhaustive list of all the things to look out for, but this is a good start. Some other considerations would be to find a backpack that has wide thick shoulder straps to help distribute the weight. Also, if you know you or your kid have a lot of walking to do throughout the day, consider a rolling backpack. Use these tips this school year to help keep everyone feeling good! If you have any questions or want us to take a look at your kids backpack, just let us know!
