Help Kids Carry Their Loads: Backpack Safety

Aching back and shoulders…weakened muscles…tingling arms…stooped posture. Does your child have these symptoms after wearing a heavy school backpack? Carrying too much weight in a pack or wearing it the wrong way can lead to pain and strain. Parents can take steps to help children load and wear backpacks the right way to avoid health problems.

• Never let a child carry more than 15 percent of his or her body weight. This means a child who weighs 100 pounds shouldn't wear a loaded school backpack heavier than 15 pounds.
• Load heaviest items closest to the child's back (the back of the pack).
• Check what your child carries to school and brings home. Make sure the items are necessary to the day's activities.
• On days the backpack is too loaded, your child can hand carry a book or other item.
• Select a pack with well-padded shoulder straps. Shoulders and necks have many blood vessels and nerves that can cause pain and tingling in the neck, arms, and hands when too much pressure is applied.
• Adjust the shoulder straps so that the pack fits snugly to the child's back. A pack that hangs loosely from the back can pull the child backwards and strain muscles.
• The bottom of the pack should rest in the curve of the lower back. It should never rest more than four inches below the child's waistline.

Excerpted from American Occupational Therapy Association, "Backpack Strategies for Parents and Students: Pack It Light, Wear It Right," 2002.