We hear a lot about how kiddos should best wear their backpacks – two straps, not too heavy, etc.
But as parents, how can you tell if adjusting your kids backpack is something you need to address?
There are a few postural cues that can help us determine if your big kid’s backpack is not working for them or causing strain on their body:
1. Head leaning forward with back and shoulders rounded – This posture is demonstrated in the picture, if the bag is too heavy or the straps are not positioned correctly, kiddos can often be seen jutting their head and chin forward while rounding their upper back to offset the weight and balance their center of
gravity
2. Have to use hands to help hold straps – Also pictured, if kiddos don’t feel like they can easily be hands free and are using their arms to tug downward on the straps in the front this is a huge sign that they are trying to offload some of the weight from their back and again balance it to the front
3. Cannot easily swing it onto their shoulders – Even if once they get the backpack on, they have an okay posture, if you notice that ittakes an immense amount of effort and bracing to swing the backpack on or that they are resistant to take it on & off (sitting in a chair without taking it off) then this is also normally a sign that it is too much a strain on their bodies
If you have any concern about your big kid and their backpack, or see any of the postural cues listed above, make sure to swing by the office and we can help you adjust things to fit better and take the load off their growing spines!
