Kids tend to treat themselves as pack mules, piling heavy books into bags, then lugging them around to the detriment of their necks and backs.

The American Occupational Therapy Association offers some guidelines for ensuring backpacks aren’t backbreakers:

*Don’t let your kids carry more than 10 percent of their weight. If your girl weighs 60 pounds, that means her carrying limit should be six pounds.

*Only use backpacks with padded straps. Rough straps have a way of digging into skin.

*Don’t sling the bag over one shoulder. The more evenly distributed the weight is, the less likely a bag is to cause injury.

If you carry a backpack or have kids that do so, what do you do to lighten the load?

Backpack Awareness Day for People of All Ages [AOTA]

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