The Proper Way a Child Should Wear a Backpack

Once your child starts to wear a backpack more often you will start to notice if they are wearing it right. If they are throwing their backpacks over one should or even wearing it down low in their back, this can produce back pains for them and possibly posture problems down the road. Wearing your backpack wrong does not only cause back pains, it can be a cause in shoulder issues and headaches because all the muscles in the back of the neck are tensed up once your applying pressure to your back region.

Yes, I know it may look cool to throw that backpack over one shoulder, or it can possibly be faster to just grab it on one shoulder and go, however your child needs to learn the proper way to wear a backpack earlier in life because they will benefit from the advantages later on in life if they do so.

People often think that just because a backpack is not overly packed it will not cause any pain in their children's backs. This is not the case. Even if you have a few certain items in the backpack, and you do not wear it properly, you are causing uneven weight distribution throughout the back. This cause those muscles and joints to work in overtime.

First you will need to get your child an adjustable strap backpack. Have him or her place both straps onto the shoulders. Make sure the shoulder straps are closer to the neckline and not just hanging on the sides of the shoulders. The straps will tend to fall down towards the middle of the shoulders if more weight is added to the backpack but that is where the second step comes in.

Now, take your child's adjustable straps and tighten them so the backpack is pulled close to his or her upper back. You want your child to wear this higher on their back for proper weight distributing. If your child's backpack has a waist strap, then have them use this. It will adjust the weight more onto the hip then on the back. Added padding onto the straps is always a positive. If your child's backpack does not come with padded shoulder straps, then I advise you to purchase those infant car seat straps that protect the seat belt from the baby's face while in the car seat. These add-ons are Velcro and come in so many colors!

You will also have to have your child adjust their backpack each and everyday. This allows your child's backpack to grow with them. Also if one day your baby has more in their backpack then the day before, then the straps will need to be pulled tighter.

A great tip though is to lighten your child's load in their backpack. Make sure he or she is only carrying what they need. Any added extras can be placed to the side!