Keep an Eye on your Child’s Backpack Heed These Safety Tips

 According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, more than 14,000 children are treated annually for backpack-related injuries.
Danielle Flowers, MD, pediatrician and Physician-in-Charge at Kaiser Permanente Mission Hills Medical Offices, encourages parents to pay special attention when choosing backpacks for youths.
Backpacks that are worn incorrectly, not fitted properly or are too heavy, can cause backaches, shoulder pain, poor posture and neck injuries.
A full backpack should never weigh more than 10 to 15 percent of a child’s body weight. To put this in perspective, if a child weighs 75 pounds, their backpack should weigh no more than 11 pounds.
Dr. Flowers suggests these additional tips:
• Fit the backpack closely to the body, resting it in the middle of the back.
• Don’t let the backpack sag. Avoid it falling more than four inches below waistline.
• Place heavier items closest to the center of the back.
Last minute tips on rolling backpacks:
Although some parents may be tempted to purchase a rolling backpack, users tend to overload their rolling backapacks and if the pack has to be lifted continuously, it can cause wrist and/or shoulder strain.