Children’s orthopedic surgeon told what to look for when choosing a bag.
There are only a few days left before the start of the school year, which means that if you have not yet collected your child for school, then you need to hurry. Pens, pencils, pencil cases, and notebooks – this is important, but you can hardly make a mistake with their choice. One of the most important attributes of any student (especially in the elementary grades) is a backpack. We talked with a pediatric orthopedist Olga Khamidulina, and she talked about what you need to pay attention to when choosing a portfolio and what errors can lead to.
If the child is a first-grader, he does not need to choose a very large backpack. Dimensions are one of the most important details. The second important rule is the weight. A full backpack should be 10-12% of the weight of the child. If the child weighs 30 kilograms, the backpack should be no more than three and a half kilograms, otherwise, it will already outweigh, you will have to constantly correct it, it will be inconvenient and harmful.
An equally important detail is the back. The backpack should be framed to keep fit and not outweigh. Accordingly, the back should be stiff. If it is not framed, it will be uncomfortable for the child, cause discomfort, things can dig into the body. Very important: backpacks must have a reflective material element – especially in the elementary grades. This is a traffic police requirement for all schools.
“Many parents believe that they have chosen some kind of magic backpack and it will save the child’s posture – this is not so. If you have health problems, first of all, you need to go to the gym, and not look for backpacks. Although, of course, an improperly selected portfolio can exacerbate posture problems. But if a child is not accustomed to keeping his back straight, if he does not pay attention to it, and his parents do not pull him, then no backpack will help,” says Olga.
To prevent the straps from rubbing, the backpack must be properly assembled: all heavy things fold down and closer to the back so as not to outweigh the center of gravity.
But the most important thing for parents is to understand that backpacks are an individual thing, they must be picked up together with the child himself. Even the right portfolio may not suit him by height, weight, back. So to come to the store and buy it without the presence of a child, in the hope that he is “right”, is a mistake. The child should put on a backpack, walk with him at least a little and say whether it is convenient for him, whether the straps are rubbed, whether he is too heavy.
We also asked the opinion of Oksana Musatova, a mother of two children. She shared her thoughts on what prices might be acceptable for baby bags:
What you should pay attention to the backpack should have a blown orthopedic back, reflective strips – in winter it is especially important, it gets dark early, the child may not be noticed on the street. Lightning should work well, they quickly fail. A first-grader backpack doesn’t have to be expensive, as young children still do not know how to keep track of portfolios, most often they drop them anywhere. This year we bought a younger one for 1200 rubles. But when the child becomes older, class in the third, you can already buy a good backpack. The eldest son goes to the sixth grade, he bought a backpack for 5000 rubles, the quality is excellent, backpacks are worth the price, but you don’t need to choose such a first-grader.