Kids Back Packs 

When you decided to buy a backpack for your child, here are some considerations to take note of.  You can let your child choose his or her favorite color.  However, you must insist that your child has a back friendly backpack.   Pediatricians and parents are reporting an alarming increase in complaints of back, shoulder and neck pain, sometimes accompanied by reports of numbness and tingling in the hands and arms, which cannot be attributed to any injury or disease, other than too heavy or improperly worn backpacks.

The backpacks we see on most kids are not back friendly. The shoulder straps are narrow and not padded, which can put pressure on the nerves in the back, which can cause the tingling problems mentioned. There is no padding allowing the pack to bounce against the back as the child walks, also there is no anchoring system which also contributes to the bouncing which can cause repetitive impact injury to the back.

When you are shopping for your daughter’s back pack, look first for wide padded straps and a padded back in the bag itself, at the very least, it should have a waist belt which stabilizes the load and prevents it from shifting or bouncing. There are backpacks that offer additional protection, such as chest belts and side straps. The chest and waist belts put the weight bearing on the two strongest muscle systems in the body, the abdominal and back muscles.