Good Fit with Childrens Backpacks

Backpacks come in many sizes. Most parents understand that your child's backpack should not be too big

for him/her. However, your child's backpack should not be too small either. The backpack should still be large enough to help distribute the pack's weight.

As a rule of thumb, your child's backpacks should be only slightly smaller but not larger than his/her back. To know exactly how big is your child's back; you should take accurate measurements rather than depend on visual comparison.

To measure your child's back; first take measurements from his/her shoulder line to the waist line and add two inches or 5 cm. This length is the maximum height your child's backpack should be.

The shoulder line is where the backpack straps (common strap type backpack, strap position will be different for sling type) will rest on the body, approximately half way between the neck and shoulder joint.

The waist line is normally measured at the level of the belly button. When properly worn, the backpack should rest about two inches below the shoulder line and four inches to six inches below the waist line. Adding the difference between 2 and 4 inches gives us 2 inches which we compensate by adding into our measurement.

The width of the back can be measured at a few locations along the child's back. To carry a backpack comfortably, we want to distribute the pack's weight across the shoulder, back and hip muscles.

To do so, we should rest the backpack between centres of both shoulder blades. Measure the width between the ridges of both shoulder blades to approximate the appropriate backpack width. I backpack that is too wide may be too heavy for your child. On the other hand, if it is too narrow, your child will feel very uncomfortable since the weight is not well distributed across his/her back.

The dimensions for the backpack's peripherals should be considered too. Wide straps are good for comfort and weight distribution, but overly wide straps make it difficult for your child to put his/her backpack on or take it off.

After getting measurements for your child's back, you now know the size limit of the backpack you should get. But size is only half the story. A correctly sized pack can still end up being too heavy for your child if it is packed to the brim.

In terms of weight load, your child's weight should be considered. In general, a child weighing 30 kg should not carry more than 2.5 kg of backpack weight. A child weighing 40 kg should not carry more than 5 kg of load and so on. For every 10 kg increase in your child's weight, the maximum backpack weight should not increase by more than 2.5 kg. However, no child should carry more than 10 kg on his/her back, even if your child weighs more than 70 kg (your young child weighing in excess of 70 kg is potentially facing a different kind of health hazard)!

Note that the small backpacks you are buying may be fairly heavy in itself. This is especially true for durable materials such as canvas. As much as possible, keep the backpacks light unless you expect high duty use. Your child should never need to be carrying around weight that he/she doesn't need.

Remember, buying a suitable backpack is not about the latest designs or cartoon characters. Thousands of children suffer from back or neck related injures due to poorly sized or overweight backpacks. Your child's backpack is supposed to help him/her carrying things around, and safely too! Always choose the right-sized packs and try to keep it light weight!