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(That’s adorable Darien munchkin Lane Murphy, being fitted with a back pack by Patrick Charland at the Darien Sport Shop)
Big sigh: it’s almost time for back-to-school, where our children will acquire so many text books and folders and notebooks that their backpacks become essentially the same size as their bodies.
It always makes my heart hurt when I see anyone from little grade school munchkins, tromping along with their backpacks mounted on their backs and hanging down to their ankles, to high-schoolers bent into a practically vertical sideways slump in order to balance the gigantic load over their opposite shoulder. I can’t help but giggle a little bit, because they’re so darn CUTE, but then I feel really bad about it and sorry for their misery.
Which is why I was delighted when this website’s Charter Sponsor, the Darien Sport Shop, sent along this handy list of tips about how to properly fit a child’s backpack (which they sell up in the Ski & Sport Department, which I didn’t know). Science can help relieve your child’s suffering, so read on to find out how you can make this year a little less damaging to your little one’s back!
On August 21, Dr. Birsky, a Darien chiropractor, will be on hand at the Darien Sport Shop in the third floor backpack department from 12 noon until 2 pm to answer questions and give advice on backpack safety during the store’s back to school focus as part of the State of Connecticut’s Tax-Free Week on clothing and shoes under $300.
In fitting a backpack, Dr. Birsky recommends:
* Choose a backpack with wide padded shoulder straps. The straps should be adjusted to place the backpack higher on the back, transferring the weight from the back and spine to the shoulders.
* Kids should use the sternum and waist straps, which most kids do not, which will help distribute the weight more evenly.
* Select the correct size for your child. Backpack sizes are measured by volume in cubic inches. An elementary school student would benefit from a smaller backpack, 1,500 cubic inches, while middle school students would be better off with a backpack volume of 1,800 to 1,850 cubic inches. High school students will most likely need the largest size, 2,000 cubic inches. Since kids grow at different rates, it is essential that they try on the backpack to ensure a proper fit. It is also important to note that backpacks, like other sport and safety equipment, are not meant to “grow into” and should be reevaluated every year.
* Look for backpacks that have many compartments to store items safely and effectively and to help kids stay organized. Some products have padded sleeves for laptops and specific security pockets for phones, calculators, keys, ID cards, and I-pods. Students need to pack efficiently with books in size order, which will help distribute the items evenly and prevent the backpack from bulging.
* Special outside pockets with bungee cords are useful for storing a fleece, rather than stuffing it inside, or for keeping a baseball mitt or cleats for after school sports.
* Look for a sturdy product and brand name to assure that the backpack will be of high quality and long lasting.
* Finally, kids should stand up tall, wear both shoulder straps and not lean forward. If they lean forward the backpack is too heavy. An alternative to the traditional backpack is the “wheelie” version that can be pulled much like travel luggage.
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