How to set up a kids’ backpack

I noticed Claire walking a bit lopsided the other day. It took me a moment to realize that it was because one of her backpack straps were just a little longer than the other, putting more weight on one shoulder. Kids’ backpacks should be comfortable and a proper fit is important to avoid muscle strain and spine alignment issues later on. Makes sure your kids don’t get injured by setting up their backpack correctly from the beginning and teaching them how to wear it safely.

How to set up your child’s backpack to fit correctly

There are so many backpacks on the market with varying quality. Your kid may be drawn to colorful designs but you need to pay special attention to the construction of the backpacks.

• Make sure you buy a good quality backpack with important safety features (check out the list of safety features here).
• When your child gets their new backpack, the first thing you need to do is to check it for defects. Pull at the straps to make sure they are attached properly. Open and close the backpack multiple times to check how smooth the zippers are.
• Then, get your child to wear the empty backpack to see where it sits on their back.
• This is when it will be glaringly obvious if you’ve chosen a backpack that is too big for your child. The top of the pack should not peep above their shoulders and the bottom of the backpack should not sit below their hip line, like the 2 boys in the pic below:

Check out Simple Modern Backpacks on Amazon

• Check that the backpack is sitting squarely in the middle of your kid’s back. Keep adjusting the shoulder straps until the position is right.
• Also make sure the backpack sits close to their back and is not hanging away from their body.
• Once you’re happy with the length of the straps, take the backpack off and check that the straps are the same length. This is important so that the backpack weight will be distributed evenly on both shoulders.
• Now, put it back on your child and buckle the chest/ waist strap. Adjust it so it isn’t too loose. Check this by trying to pull the straps of your kid’s shoulders. If it’s doing it’s job, the straps won’t fall off.
• If you have too much strap leftover, tame the excess with a piece of tape so it’s not dangling.
• Once you’ve adjusted the backpack correctly, make a little marking on the straps so it’s easy for you to check regularly to make sure the straps haven’t moved.

How to organize the contents in your child’s backpack

How you arrange the contents of your child’s backpack is just as important as what you put in it. Remember that your child should not carry more than 10% of their body weight. When your child is small, this isn’t much at all.

Start with an empty backpack

Think of the most essential things your child needs to carry to daycare and factor these in first. The essentials in Claire’s daycare backpack are:

• single bedsheet
• Cuski (her blankie)
• afternoon snack
• water bottle
• change of clothes
• plastic A4 folder for artwork and other paper

If your child is older, they might need to carry books or a lunchbox as well.

Have a checklist

The easiest way to make sure you don’t miss anything is to have a checklist you can tick off. I use an app on my phone but some moms use a luggage tag checklist. You can attach the list to one of the zipper tabs of the backpack so you have it handy every time you pack your child’s bag.

Check out this luggage tag on Amazon. Just don’t write your child’s name on it.

Put the heavy things in first

Books tend to be the heaviest thing that children carry in their backpack. Make sure these are packed nearest to the body. The books should be resting on your child’s back when they are wearing the backpack. The underlying principle here is to keep the weight as close to your child’s body as possible. Their water bottle will go into the side mesh pocket and their lunch can go into the main compartment on the opposite side to the water bottle. This is so it’s not too heavy on one side. Also make sure there is nothing in the backpack with sharp corners poking into your child’s back.

Weigh it

Unless you’re a human weighing machine, you’ll need to weigh the backpack to make sure it’s not too heavy for your child. The average 3 year old weighs 30 pounds. This means they can only carry about 3 pounds in their backpack, including the weight of the backpack. The easiest way to do this is to weigh the backpack on your bathroom scale.

Do a regular clean-out

It’s easy for kids (and adults) to accumulate stuff in their backpacks. And more often than not, you find half-eaten snacks as well. To keep your child’s backpack from getting disorganized, you’ll need to do a regular clean-out. I do a mini clean-out of Claire’s backpack every morning when I help her pack for the day so she isn’t carrying any unnecessary weight. Every 2 weeks or so, I pull everything out and shake the backpack over a trash can to get out all crumbs and sand (yes, sand).

Check out this 11-inch unicorn backpack on Amazon

How to put a backpack on your child the right way

As a kid, I used to throw my backpack to the ground, lie on top of it and slip my arms into the straps. Then I would somehow flip myself up, tortoise-style. This is the wrong way to wear a backpack! I could have injured my back and knees. In fact, I might have since I have spine and knee problems now. The best way to put a backpack on your child is to hold the handle with one hand and let your child slip one of their arms into a strap first. Keep a hold of the handle while your child puts the other strap on. Only let the backpack go when they have the straps sitting squarely on their shoulders. It’s the same when they need to take their backpack of. Hold onto the handle while they slip the straps off their shoulders.

Check out this doggy backpack with an easy-to-hold handle

How your child can wear their backpack safely

Kids will be kids. It takes a hundred reminders to teach them a good habit and only a blink of an eye for them to learn a bad one. When it comes to backpack safety, drilling good backpack-wearing habits into your child is worth it. These are the main things they should be doing to keep safe while wearing their backpack:

• Wear both straps. All the time. Using only one strap will cause neck and shoulder pain
• Don’t carry more than 10% their body weight.
• They need to be able to walk straight when carrying their backpack. If they are hunched forwards or leaning backwards, the backpack is too heavy.
• Check the backpack straps regularly to make sure they are still the same length.
• Keep checking in with your child to see if they are experiencing any pain or discomfort.
• And if they say they are in pain, don’t ignore it.

Why is it important to set up your kid’s backpack correctly?

To prevent discomfort and injuries now

Your child can hurt themselves falling if their backpack is too heavy or not balanced properly on both shoulders. They can also sustain neck, shoulder and back injuries that can last the rest of their lives.

To prevent future problems

If they walk hunched over because of a heavy backpack for a long time, bad posture can become a life-long habit. Your child’s bones are still developing and spine misalignment now will cause major back issues later.

To wrap up

Setting up your child’s backpack correctly and making sure it’s not too heavy doesn’t take much time but the benefits are far-reaching. Teach your kids good backpack habits early so they’re not compromising their health later.