Follow
these guidelines
Place
your children's backpack on a scale an average day at school. If the backpacks
and all of its contents weigh more than 15% of the children of the body weight,
it is too heavy and puts her at risk of injury. Ideally, the safest weighs
percentage is less than 10%
Go
through the items in your kids backpacks and make sure that he only carries
what is necessary. Encourage the child to keep as many items as possible in a
desk or locker, and bring home only what is just needed to do homework. If it
possible, gets some duplicates of the heavy items like calculator and textbooks
to keep at your house so he does not need to carry them back and forth.
Invest
a good quality of backpack for your kids. Make sure that it has two padded,
wide straps that distribute weight evenly -- a waist strap helps do the same. A
padded back provides a soft cushion to help keep objects inside the pack from
being felt by the wearer. A school backpack with adequate space and zippered
compartments allows for proper placement of heavy books.
Ensure
that your kid knows how to prepare properly wear and lift her backpack. This
means that he should always have both straps on. Wearing only one strap can put
too many weights on the shoulder and cause injury. Teach her to pack the
heaviest books closest to the center of her back--this reduces strain. Have
your child put her school bag on. Adjust the straps for her so that the bottom of
the backpack sits about 2 inches just above her waist. Remind your kid to bend
at the knees when lifting a heavy backpack off the floor, rather than the
waist.
Speak
to teachers and work with them to create a pro-health plan. Suggest that they
limit the number of books that need to be carried home every night and then
encourage them to put assignments online or use the CD-ROMs that often come
with textbooks. If the students at school of your kid's use lockers, find out
also if they have enough opportunities and time during the day switch their
books. Spreading information about backpack-related injuries is the best way to
raise awareness and effectively implement changes.
A thoughtful opinion and ideas I will use on my website. You’ve obviously spent a lot of time on this. Thank you!
Posted by: Maricor Ricablanca | 08/11/2010 at 07:28 PM