How to choose the right school bag? The advice of your osteopath
It's back to school time. How about a new backpack for your child?
Backpack or rolling bag or shoulder bag, what size, what straps, in short what bag to choose?
Not all bags are suitable for your child and can cause back pain, shoulder pain and disrupt your child's posture.
In this article, your osteopath gives you advice on how to choose the right bag for your child to carry throughout the school year
The characteristics of the bag or satchel
The aesthetics of the bag
As you will quickly understand, your child will base his choice of bag mainly on aesthetics and fashion, so you must find the bag that combines comfort and taste of your child. As a parent, you can make a pre-selection of several bags adapted to him and present him only those. But it is still preferable that he chooses, after all it is him who will have it on his back almost every day of the year ...
The size of the binder
- The bag or satchel should not be wider than your child's back,
- It should not come up above the shoulders,
- It should not go down on the buttocks.
The material of the bag
A light fabric is recommended to avoid weighing down the bag. It must also be resistant and washable (stains are numerous especially when you leave your bag lying around). A little bonus, take a waterproof material, it will avoid that your child's things get soaked in case of rain.
The straps
They should be adjustable, but also padded at the shoulders. The recommended width is about 5 cm but can be smaller for very young children.
The pockets
In addition to the very practical aspect of the pockets, they allow to distribute the weight, in front and on the sides.
The belt
Due to the many school books, some bags are heavy, it is recommended to take a bag with a belt in addition to the straps to better distribute the weight.
Upholstery
The padding of the straps on the shoulders is recommended, but also on the back. This way, your child will feel less the different things in his bag.
How to carry your backpack?
Adjusting the straps
The first thing to do when wearing a backpack is to adjust the straps.
Even if it is sometimes trendy to wear it low, it should not go below the top of the buttocks. Also avoid to tighten them too much because otherwise the bag would go up on the top of the back.
Carry your bag on both shoulders
It is highly recommended, if not essential, to carry your bag on both shoulders to avoid an imbalance. What you must absolutely avoid is to carry your bag always on one and the same shoulder.
The weight of the backpack
Children's backpacks are often too heavy. It is recommended that this weight does not exceed 10% of your child's weight.
Here are some things that show your child's bag is too heavy: A backpack is too heavy when...
- Your child is leaning forward
- It must hold straps of its bag
- His approach is not usual
In all these cases, it means that his bag is too heavy and that it must be lightened.
How to lighten the backpack?
- Use binders whenever possible instead of notebooks. Your child can then put the current chapter sheets in a sorter instead of having his entire notebook
- Ask the teacher or teachers and arrange with classmates to share the books with his or her neighbor. This way, your child will only carry half the books.
- If your child has a locker, he/she should leave as much of his/her stuff in the locker as possible.
- Give your child an empty water bottle to fill when they get to school, so they don't have to carry the weight of the water in the bottle.
Other types of bags
The handbag
Although it is often preferred by many high school and teenage girls because of its aesthetics, it is really not recommended. Indeed, it is difficult to put books in a handbag and especially the handbag is carried only on one side. There will be an imbalance with a lot of weight on the shoulder that carries the bag and no weight on the other. The same is true if the bag is carried by hand. To avoid leaning on the side of the bag, your body will adapt and place your back and neck at an angle on the other side. Your child's shoulders, neck and back will not be very happy...
We advise you to use a handbag only if what is inside is light and easy to carry.
The shoulder bag / saddle bag
Even though it distributes the weight of the bag better than a handbag, a shoulder bag is not ideal either. Indeed, the load of the bag is reflected asymmetrically on the body.
If you still want to use a shoulder bag, here are some tips:
- The strap must be adjustable
- The strap must be padded
- The bag must be well positioned at the side to avoid its swinging
The bag on wheels
As its name suggests, this bag is on wheels, which allows you to considerably unload your child's back. However, it is heavier than a backpack. So if your child has to change classrooms or climb stairs a lot, it is not ideal. Moreover, when we pull a wheeled bag, we tend to pull it always with the same arm which can also be a source of asymmetry and dysfunctions.
What are the consequences of an ill-fitting backpack?
Here are the symptoms your child may have if his or her bag is not fitted or adjusted properly:
- Back pain
- Shoulder pain
- Neck pain
- Chest pain, etc.
Even if osteopathy helps in all these pains, we advise you to take a bag adapted to your child's age, size and needs.
If your child is in pain or if you wish to have a preventive consultation, your osteopath welcomes you in his office in Versailles.
Marie Messager
Pediatric Osteopath
in Versailles - Yvelines
