by Jamie Pancake

Created on: August 18, 2009

If you ever carried a backpack when you were in school, you can surely remember the soreness of your back when you had a lot of homework to do and a long walk home. There are many different types of backpacks available at the local Walmart or other school supply store, but that does not mean that all of them are appropriate for your child to carry his or her books back and forth to school. Different sizes and different features are for different purposes, and so you will need to take the purpose of the backpack into consideration when deciding which one is appropriate for your child to carry for school.

No matter what type of backpack your child will need, there is almost always a variety of styles to choose from and most of the time, there will be no need to compromise their individual style for the particular type of backpack that they will need. One of the most important features of the backpack that you buy for your child is the size. If you have a five year old kindergartner, you will not need a huge monstrosity of a backpack for them to carry around. There will more than likely be no books coming home and the very minimal of papers and crafts that were made at school. On the other hand, a child that is in high school will need something bigger than the smallest backpack in stock. They will typically need to bring several books home on a regular basis to study for tests and work on projects for certain classes. All of the books that they will require will not fit into a small backpack and the backpack itself will not fit the child properly. A backpack that is the proper size for your child will be roughly the same height as three quarters of the distance between the child's waist and shoulder blades. Anything too much larger or smaller and it is not the proper size.

Generally, the higher in grades that your child goes, the more homework they will be required to take home with them each night, so it is a good idea to get the backpacks with the most padding as they get older. There are many different types of backpacks, and just because it is more expensive does not mean that it is a better fit for your child. There have been several places that pads are put to be sure that your child does not suffer from any injuries as a result of carrying a backpack, so look for the backpack with as much padding in it as you can find. Do not automatically assume that the more expensive brands are going to have the most padding, that is simply not true.

Since the main point of getting the best packpack possible is to be sure that your child is able to properly carry it without getting injured and to keep the weight of the books inside the backpack off of the child's back, try to find a backpack with as much of a lightweight design as possible. The lighter the backpack, the better. Not only will the child have a lighter load on them from a lighter backpack, they will also be able to carry a few more things in there that they may need for a homework assignment or a class project.

Another great feature to look for when trying to decide which backpack will be the best choice for your child is to find a backpack with multiple compartments for the many different things that children are required to carry to help assist them in getting their assignments done on time. It not only helps to keep them better organized, but it is also fun for them to be able to put all of their cool little erasers and pencils in different compartments. Just be sure that you check each compartment periodically to be sure that there is no left over candy or papers in there that may need to be turned in.

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