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Back Breakers
The Best – and Safest – Backpacks for Your Child
By Carma Haley Shoemaker
Face the pack. Bend at the knees. Use both hands and check the weight of the pack. Lift with the legs. Apply one shoulder strap and then the other.
Tip: Don't sling the backpack onto one shoulder.
Use both shoulder straps, snug, but not too tight.
Tip: When the backpack has a waist strap, use it.
According to Young, when considering what backpack to purchase, three things should come to mind: safety, comfort and (of course) trend or style.
- Safety: Make sure the pack has two padded, adjustable straps. If your child will be carrying a large load, such as later middleschoolers and highschoolers often do, you may also want to consider an additional waist strap.
- Comfort: Select a backpack with several compartments, so weight can be dispersed evenly across a child's back. Again, look for heavily padded shoulder straps.
- Style and Trend: Many manufacturers have taken to combining style and trend with the latest safety and comfort features. For examples, visit JanSport online.
Backpacks have become as common as pencils and paper in schools across the country, but medical experts say that this back-to-school staple is fast becoming a danger to student's health.
"You don't need to be a scientist to understand the effects of backpacks on young spines," says Arnsdorff. "Watch students in any school yard struggle to walk while bent sideways under the weight of an overloaded backpack on one shoulder, and you'll quickly realize the potential danger of this commonplace item. But, with a little education, knowledge and time, your student can carry a backpack and keep his or her back pain and injury free."
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