It’s almost time to head back to school. Perhaps you’re busy labelling EVERY SINGLE PENCIL!!! Perhaps you’ve just realised someone forgot to empty out their lunch box LAST YEAR (Yuck). There’s a lot to buy, a lot to think about and a new routine to ease yourself and the family into. Amidst all this back-to-school chaos, you might not have given a lot of thought to what kind of bag the children (or you) carry around everyday, but you should!
Back pain is not reserved for adults. In fact, children and teenagers are particularly vulnerable – their bodies are growing and their muscles developing. And these days they’re not just lugging around books and a paper bag lunch, but a laptop, a smart screen, thermal lunch boxes with (heavy) frozen bricks to keep the fruit and vegetables crisp and delicious, water bottles, sports outfits, wet swim gear and a musical instrument. Since the last thing any busy parent needs is another thing to worry about, we’ve put together our chiropractor’s top tips on finding the best backpack to make this bit of back-to-school shopping a little easier.
Size & Fit
First things first. They need a backpack that fits them and fits their books. Hot Tip: for very young children it’s worth checking with their school which books (if any) they’re going to have to cart back and forth regularly. Scrapbooks can be huge. The smaller the child, the bigger the book! But very little bodies probably shouldn’t be lugging around very large bags. Often the scrapbooks stay in the classroom and a smaller notebook comes back and forth for parents to record home reading.
As a rule of thumb, the bag should not be bigger than the child’s back. In fact the top of the backpack should rest about 5cm below the shoulder line (where the straps will rest on the shoulders) and the bottom of the bag should sit close to your child’s waist. The bag when packed up for the day should not weigh more than 15% of your child’s body weight (remember to factor in the weight of their water bottle and lunch box ice bricks). If you’re heading to the shops without the kids, you can measure the length and width of their torsos before you go, but if it’s possible we’d recommend you take them with you. (More on that later).
Features
Broad, well-padded shoulder straps will be more comfortable and will protect the shoulders from excess pressure. Look for straps that are easy to adjust. Adjusting and readjusting the straps (after Mum carried it that time) to ensure the bag is snug and balanced across the back will help keep it comfortable.
Look for pockets and compartments rather than a cavernous space. They help your little ones, tweens and teens stay a little more organised. They also help notes from the school, artwork and birthday party invitations reach home without leftover lunch mushed all over them! More importantly, they allow you to distribute the weight of all that they’re carrying carefully. The heaviest items (like laptops and monster textbooks) should be packed closest to the body.
A waist strap will also help distribute the load of all they’re carrying. Again, look for one that’s easily adjusted. After all, you don’t want them growing out of their backpack faster than they grow out of their shoes!
Aesthetics
Get them a bag that they like. Now, as chiropractors, parenting hacks might be a little out of our usual area of expertise but hear us out. The best, most ergonomic, more perfectly fitted backpack in the world will not be much good if they insist on wearing it incorrectly. There’s no point in having two padded shoulder straps if kids need to sling their bag casually over one shoulder to feel cool. For this reason, we recommend taking them to shops with you, setting guidelines (about the features you want the bag to have, the budget for this purchase, and any school or family rules that need to be considered (“no, you’re not carrying a bag covered in “grown-up words” to school every day!!!) and then let them choose something that they like that fits within those guidelines. It’s like eating their vegetables – if they love carrots, broccoli, and tomatoes why would you waste your energy forcing them to eat nothing but kale? The brussel sprouts of backpacks might get forgotten, torn-up, or worse – casually worn slung over one shoulder, putting ridiculous strain on their young, developing spines. It’s worth getting them the glittery unicorn monstrosity, the silly superhero tribute, or the scary, sleek, secret-agent backpack that they like (even if it doesn’t meet all the criteria we’ve listed above to perfection) if it means they’ll wear it well.
We’re so pleased we could offer you this advice. Hopefully it makes the back-to-school process easier for you and helps protect your children from back issues in the future. If you ever have any concerns about their posture or back health (or yours), the team at Back 4 Life Wellness Centre are here to help. Please give us a call to make an appointment on (03) 5381 1892 to make an appointment.