From September, our child will have a daily companion bag, which, if wrongly chosen, can cause shoulder and back pain.
Quality instead of fashion
It may be tempting to get a cheap but more fashionable backpack during your bag deals but don’t. The life of such a bag will probably be only a few weeks, maybe a month, and then we have to look for another bag. So it’s better to invest now and land on a durable, quality piece. Let’s see if the material it is made of is strong enough. Doesn’t it disappear somewhere? Will, it does not easily separate along the stitches/perforations? The zipper should always be covered with fabric to protect it from the rain!
Size matters
If the size of the bag is not good, the child will be misplaced while wearing it, which is a direct way to back and shoulder pain. Therefore, when choosing a school bag, the most important consideration is perfect size and comfort! Here are some practical tips for doing this.
1. Select the appropriate size: The width of the bag should be approximately the width of the child’s back. In short, a young child should not carry an adult backpack. The upper part of the bag should ideally start 5-6 inches below the shoulder and end at the waist or slightly above the waist.
2. An ergonomically designed, well-ventilated back is important: It protects the small spine and does not sweat in warm weather.
3. Wide, padded, adjustable shoulder strap: This is important for comfort and weight reduction. It is important that we adjust the shoulder straps to equal lengths and that our child does not carry his/her schoolbag halfway.
4. Looking for a multi-pocket, multi-compartment bag: This helps ensure better weight distribution. Heavier books or objects should be placed close to the child’s back and lighter ones should be placed in the front pockets. Of course, it is not the last one in terms of organization.
5. The weight of the bag should never exceed 15% of the weight of the child: The bag and its contents should remain below this value. This means a maximum of 6 pounds for a 45 kg child. The newest models weight less than 1 kg.
6. Stable soles: For the underwear especially, but also for older children, it is advantageous to have a hard plastic soleplate so that it can be placed firmly on the floor and the books are better placed inside.
7. It does not hurt to have fluorescent reflective materials or reflective tapes on it: It is essential for the safety of our child when traveling alone in the rain or fog.
8. Before You Buy Try It Out: Take some of the things your child will normally carry in the bag, put it in the piece of choice and check the weight distribution.