The Burden of Heavy School Bag is Hurting your Child’s Back

Do you know the Burden of Heavy School Bag is Hurting your Child’s Back?

Carrying the excessive weight of their school bag. They cannot even walk straight anymore!

The burden of a heavy school bag is adversely affecting your child’s back. 7 out of 10 school children are overloaded with the weight of the school bag. Effects are SHOCKING!

Your child is losing interest in going to school? Doesn’t want to arrange her school bag? Are the scores of your child going down? Quite possible that your child is fatigued carrying a heavy school bag.

Studies have shown a long term impact of the burden of a school bag hurting your child’s back. The school bag should not weigh more than 10% of the child’s body weight.

 A happy child is self-motivated to learn

Its a matter of concern about how the weight of school bags make a negative effect on a developing spine. As in the early years of childhood, the backbone is at a critical stage of development.

What happens to the stem of a tender plant in a storm? It bends and if the storm continues, it breaks. Since the stem is a vital part of a plant which carries nutrients to all its other parts. If the stem is bent or broken, it causes hindrance to the growth of the plant. A similar situation happens when your child carries an overloaded school bag.

The factors which increase the risk of hurting his back are

1. Weight of the Bag;
2. Time spent carrying the bag;
3. The shape of the bag;
4. Method of carrying the bag;

The recent research shows that discomfort increases as the week progresses and is highest on Friday. Almost all students 95%, used backpack- style schoolbags with two straps, but it’s disappointing that only 65% carried their schoolbags on their backs using two straps.

It’s common to observe that the bag weight to body weight ratio is likely to be high as some students are still quite small but carry loads similar to larger and older children.

What should you do?

Tips to reduce the burden of his school bag and risk to your child’s back

1. Lighten your child’s bag. Encourage your child to follow the time table and avoid carrying extra books to school.
2. If the load of the bag is more than 10% of your child’s weight, it’s good to have a waist strap. It will help distribute the load and take the pressure off the shoulders.
3. The shoulder straps should be broad and padded. It will also prevent sharp edges of textbooks do not dig into your child’s back.
4. Choose a bag with adjustable straps. Adjust the straps of the bag so that the bag sits 2 inches above the waist and holds the bag close to the body.
5. Your child should carry the bags using both straps and should not sling the bag over one shoulder.
6. Keep the bag down while your child is waiting for the school bus.
7. Avoid swinging the backpack while carrying it.
8. Encourage your child to engage in physical activities like football, cricket etc for at least for an hour daily.

Strong muscles will prevent poor posture and spine damage

Remember our school days!? Arranging our school bags the evening before.

It may be a good idea to revisit the habit. Happy Packing!