What you need to know about backpack safety

Infographic version

2013-08

Summer is winding down and back to school shopping season is here. Among the piles of binders and pencils, backpack shopping is likely on every parent’s list. Due to decreasing locker availability, an increase in homework and heavier textbooks, students are carrying more weight on their backs. Dr. Jason Busse, a CIHR-funded researcher at McMaster University, gives nine tips for safe backpack use for your child.

  • Look for thick straps, approximately 7 cm.
  • Buy backpacks with thinner fabric. It keeps the overall weight down.
  • Choose a bag with two shoulder straps and use them both to help balance the weight.
  • Pack the heaviest items in the bottom.
  • Look for a bag with a hip or waist strap.
  • Try to avoid having your child wear a backpack for more than 20 minutes at a time.
  • Make sure that the backpack is not too big.
  • Backpacks should not extend above the shoulder or below the hip bone.
  • Keep the backpack light. A child should not carry more than 10 percent of its body weight.