The weight of school bags is now on the rise, with kids carrying heavy bags

with books, sports equipments, shoes, musical instruments and many more,
to attend after-school activities. Back pain in children must not be ignored if it
is related to heavy school bags as the weight of the bag can cause permanent
deformity of spine.

Various studies have shown carrying a school bag that weighs 10% more than
the child’s body weight has led to pain in the lower back, shoulders and hands.

The sad part is that parents may dismiss these back pains as growing pains,
wrong posture, sedentary lifestyle and other reasons. Until recent years, not
much attention has been paid both by parents and school to the link between
weight of school bag and the child’s growing muscles, backbone and spine.
Surprisingly, this problem has been identified by the bag manufacturing
companies who have come up with beautiful creations of kids’ school bags on
wheels and trolley school bags.

While each country or region may have its own specification of how much
weight a student can carry, it has generally been agreed that a child or an
adult must not carry a bag that weighs more than 10-15% of the person’s body
weight.

Solutions for Heavy School Bags

Get the right bag

 A backpack, rather than a shoulder bag, is ideal for school as it helps

distribute the weight evenly. Backpacks with two straps are more
preferable. A one-side backpack can cause a lot of strain on the side it
is habitually carried.
 The backpack has to be made of light-weight material so that it does
not contribute to the total weight of the bag.
 The straps of the backpack have to be thick. They have to be adjusted in
such a way that the thick part coincides with the shoulder. This gives a
cushioning effect on the shoulder for the weight it bears.
  The height of the backpack should not exceed 4 inches below the child’s
waistline.
 A waist-clip in the bag can help position the bag close to the child’s
back.
 The straps of the backpack have to be evenly spaced, but not dig into
the child’s shoulders.
 A school bag with wheels is heavier than one that does not have wheels
and handle. But if the child does not need to climb stairs or carry the
bag for any other reasons, trolley school bags are the best bet.
 Remember, when it comes to choosing the right backpack for kids,
function, form and comfort take over fashion and glamour.

Tips to pack your School Bag

 Take only the books that are required at school. Some subjects might
have more than two books, and the student must be aware of what topic
is meant for that day.
 Organizing books daily helps to take out the books that will not be used
for the particular day and help reduce the bag weight.
 Pack only what you can carry. Avoid packing unnecessary things just
because the bag can hold them.
 Place the heavier books closer to your back. This way, the weight will
not be focused on the shoulders.
 Make use of the various compartments to put in books, notebooks,
stationery and lunch boxes. This will not only help you find things easily,
but also distribute the weight more evenly.

Posture to carry your School Backpack

 The position of the backpack must be high over the strong mid-back
muscles, not exceeding more than 4 inches below waistline.
 The weight of the backpack must be close to the child’s centre-of-mass,
that is, as close to the back as possible.
 Do not lean forward or backwards when carrying the bag. Maintain a
straight back, with the bag just close to your back.
  Do not carry the bag on one side, hoping to shift to another when tired.
This kind of habit can bend the backbone sideward because of
asymmetric weight distribution.

Parent's contribution towards reducing bag weight

 Parents should encourage and guide the children in arranging the books
required at school.
 Parents can make it a habit for the child to arrange books on a daily
basis.

 The extra clutter, bits of papers, broken pencils, etc can be cleaned out
once a week.
 Avoid hard-binding the textbooks. Soft-binding helps maintain the book
and also does not contribute to the weight of the bag.
 Pouches can be used instead of boxes to carry stationery like pens and
pencils.
 Teach the child to put down the bag while waiting for the bus, during
assembly and other such situations.

Teacher's contributions towards reducing bag weight

 Teachers can give clear instructions for the study material to be bought
the next day.
 Homework can be given on daily basis, but one subject per day. Allotting
a day of the week for each subject can reduce the number of books to
be carried for submitting homework.
 Sharing of textbooks can be done with pre-specified partners. One child
can bring half the subject-books and another child can bring another
set. So, when the class is being taught, the two children can share a
textbook.

 Textbooks for grammar can be avoided and exercises can be done in

the notebook. However, if the textbook comprises of worksheets, then
notebook can be avoided.
 For language subjects, one notebook can be divided into two sections
for grammar and literature, instead of carrying two notebooks.
School's contribution to reduce bag weight

 Language classes in the timetable can be specified as grammar and

literature while making the timetable, instead of the particular language.
For example: English grammar, English Literature, 2 nd language
grammar and 2nd language literature.
 Timetable could be in such a way that double classes are arranged for
each subject. For example: Mathematics on all days, first language and
science could alternate with second language and social sciences each
day. This will restrict the number of subjects to three for the day.
 Lockers can be used by students to keep the things or books that need
not be carried home every day. Alternatively, the students’ desks can be
made with lockers so that the there is no running over to the locker
room in between classes.