School supplies, lunch boxes and books – lots of heavy books. If you’ve ever picked up your child’s backpack you may be surprised by how heavy it is. But have you stopped to think about the load it puts on someone much smaller than you?
Carrying a heavy backpack can lead to back, neck and shoulder pain and even posture problems. In fact, more than 14,000 children are treated annually for backpack-related injuries, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.
As a guide, a backpack should weigh no more than 10-15 percent of a child’s body weight, says The American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons. [1] Other safety tips for keeping your child safe from backpack-related injury are outlined in the infographic below.
Infographic by Irina de Souza