It's time to go back to school. Time for your kids to carry their backpacks again everywhere. What is the right one for your child? What should you watch for when buying one? Details here.


They are stuffed full of textbooks, thrown into lockers, left in nasty places, even dropped in the mud on a rainy day. This must-have accessory should last an entire school year of tough treatment.

Mario Tama, Getty Images
Mario Tama, Getty Images
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According to The Today Show, September 16 also marks the American Occupational Therapy Association's School Backpack Awareness Day. The goal of the day is to raise awareness about overloaded and ill-fitting backpacks. Make sure the pack has a highly visible reflective strip, internal clip or ring for keys and zippered internal pouch for electronics.

Here are additional backpack buying tips:

  1. Make sure the height of the backpack extends from approximately two inches below the shoulder blades to waist level, or slightly above the waist.
  2. Distribute weight evenly. Load heaviest items closest to the child's back and balance materials so the child can easily stand up straight.
  3. Wear the hip belt if the backpack has one, to improve balance and take some strain off sensitive neck and shoulder muscles.
  4. The backpack should not weigh more than 10 percent of a child's body weight.
WPA Pool, Getty Images
WPA Pool, Getty Images
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Also be on the lookout for fur and fringe. There are also in this year for backpacks.

So much for asking to carry a girls books. Now you have to ask to carry a girls backpack.

 

 

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