It’s that time again.. you’re picking up school supplies, stylish clothes, and… a brand new backpack! With the hundreds of different style options for backpacks today – it may not be your first thought to get the most supportive or “healthy” bag. Kids often forgot that they are putting a lot of stress on their back just from carrying their backpack. We’re here to give you some healthy tips for picking out and wearing your backpack!
Which Backpack is best?
We know that kids will often grab for the backpack with their favorite movie character on the back and could care less about support and size, but we want to give some tips for parents to check out when assisting their young ones pick their new backpack! We recommend:
- Go for wide, padded shoulder straps. Wide straps will help to evenly distribute the weight inside the bag which leaves less strain on one area and padded straps won’t dig into your shoulders (ouch!)
- The more compartments the better. Try to look for a backpack with several different sized compartments – this will help with distributing weight again!
- Buckle up. Look for backpacks that have a waist belt. This will help take pressure off the child’s lower back.
How to Wear
With every new school year, comes new trends for the kids. Believe it or not — there is a “cool” way to wear your backpack – which might not always be the healthiest. We recommend:
- Wear both straps. Carrying a backpack around while just wearing one strap can create a disproportionate shift in weight which could lead to injury.
- Don’t sag. Kids often tend to wear their backpacks very low on their backs. This can cause an unnecessary amount of strain on their shoulders.
- Keep it light. Try to make sure your child’s backpack doesn’t weigh any more than 5-10% of their bodyweight. Sometimes kids will carry more books than necessary to avoid stopping by their locker — so remind your kids to always stop by their locker when necessary!
Our Chiropractors at Aligned Modern Health are certified to treat patients of all ages. If your little one is carrying too much in their backpack and is in pain — you can make an appointment for them here: https://alignedmodernhealth.com/schedule-an-appointment/
