Backpack Safety
	How to prevent your child from straining his back. by Julie Ellis

Now that kids—even little ones—tote backpacks everywhere, backpack-related aches and pains are on the rise. The overloaded packs can strain young muscles, especially when kids sling them over one shoulder in an unbalanced fashion. Here are a few tips to keep your child walking tall while carrying her stuff in style:

• Don't overload the backpack. Your child should carry no more weight in her pack than the weight she can carry comfortably in her arms for a few minutes. To be sure your child isn't carrying more than she can safely bear, notice her posture. Backpack wearers should walk normally, with their shoulders down and back and their stomach muscles tightened.
  
  
• Be sure the backpack is the right size. It should not be wider or longer than your child's torso. (The torso extends from the bony bump at the base of the neck down to the top of the hips.)
  
  
• Make sure she wears the pack properly. The backpack should be evenly centered in the middle of your child's back. You should also make sure the straps are snug but not excessively tight. Straps that are too tight can cause the pack to ride up on the child's neck.
  
  
• Keep the safety belt buckled. The best and safest backpacks have belts at their base that can be buckled snugly around the child's waist. The waist belt helps distribute the weight to the lower body so the hips and legs bear some of the load. So insist that your child uses it.
  
  
• Check the contents of the bag. Anything that could poke through the pack's material, such as scissors, should be stored in a protective container. Make sure your child's emergency contact information is inside.
  

  Julie Ellis is a physical therapist at the Children's Memorial Hospital in Chicago.

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