Back to School - Choosing and fitting your child's school bag
“Hi ho, hi ho, it’s back to school we go”
BACKPACKS
With school going back next week, now is the time to be making sure your child has a well-fitting and supportive backpack so that they don’t experience pain or strain during the school year from carrying around their school books or sports equipment.Key things to look for in a school backpack for your child:
Two shoulder straps - this helps your child to maintain an upright optimal posture. Wearing a bag slung over one shoulder can contribute to neck, shoulder and back pain.
Wide and padded shoulder straps - this will prevent the straps from digging into your child’s shoulders.
Waist and chest straps (if possible) – the waist strap takes some of the load off your child’s shoulders and re-distributes it to the hips and pelvis, and the chest strap prevents the shoulder straps from sliding back which can cause your child to lean forwards and round their shoulders.
A padded back support that fits snugly to your child’s back – the backpack should not extend higher than your child’s shoulders or lower than your child’s pelvis.
When fitting the backpack to your child:
Position the back pack close to and in line with your child’s spine – this will prevent them leaning forwards or backwards, or rolling their shoulders forwards
Fit the waist strap firmly - so that it takes some of the load of the backpack
Pack heaviest items closest to your child’s back - this keeps the load close to your child and prevents them from leaning forwards and straining
Try and decrease the load as much as possible – use separate folders and books for different subjects so your child only has to take to school what they need, see if they can share the load of textbooks with a group of friends (ie: one friend brings the maths textbook, one friend brings the science text book, and then they share) – or better yet, your child’s school might have all of their textbooks online!
If you have concerns about your child’s posture, or their back, neck or shoulder health, please contact us for an appointment.