We remember school days all our lives for a reason. We are formed as people during the years we spend in school, we acquire knowledge, acquire friendships, abilities and habits, and especially we develop a sense of self-worth. And our body remembers well. Learning is demanding, and all the burden that children carry in their bags causes parents to worry. Choosing a school bag is therefore not a matter of pattern but of quality and weight of the bag.
The bag must correspond to the child's body weight
A child's body weight when entering first grade ranges from 19 to 28 kg (90% of children at the age of 6.5 have this body weight). This means that children of the same chronological age have very different body weights and that a school bag weighing 2 to 3 kg will be extremely heavy for one child, but a "tolerable burden" for another. For comparison, if an adult man weighing 70 kg were to carry a load weighing 15% of his weight, this would amount to 10.5 kg. Such a burden is too great even for an adult, and especially for a child. The younger the child, the lower the permissible load, and for children between 6 and 7 years old, it should not be more than 5 to 10% of their body weight. If the child is carrying too heavy a load, it will be difficult for him to walk and he will tire more quickly. Too much load with a bag hanging on the shoulders can lead to pain in the shoulders, tingling in the hands and fingers, and fatigue of the neck and back muscles.
A bag that is too heavy leads to incorrect posture and pain
In the long term, due to excessive and irregular load, the musculature will tire faster and the child will feel it as a faster loss of muscle strength, pain in the muscles or "pain in the bones", or as the children describe it - their arms or legs hurt. In fact, it is a pain in the area where the muscles attach to the bone caused by excessive load. Fatigue of the musculature, especially of the back, can lead to improper posture, which only worsens the condition and increases the fatigue and soreness of the musculature.
Quality shoulder straps are important for the position of the bag
The school bag should be suitable for the weight and age of the child, i.e. it should weigh 5% to 10% of the child's body weight. The bag is carried on the back and that's why shoulder straps are especially important. They should be wide enough, so as not to press into the shoulders, but not too wide, so as not to press the armpits and thus prevent proper blood flow through the large blood vessels that pass through the shoulders and upper arm. The size and shape of the bag should be such that the bag does not hang too low on the back and does not hit the back when walking. An oversized bag with a very low center of gravity can favor a child falling on his back, or if the center of gravity is high on the neck, he can fall forward.
Traffic safety and rain protection
The bag should withstand all weather conditions, even if the schoolboy wears a waterproof raincoat (and often he doesn't), it is good that the bag is made of waterproof material. There is no need to talk about safety in traffic, every parent fears for their child, going to school and returning home is therefore a matter of discipline and caution, one of the important details is the "cat's eyes" or luminous strips on the bags so that the child at dusk or in the evening was noticeable.
Proper nutrition and physical activity
Parents are recommended to encourage their children to spend time in nature and physical activity that corresponds to the child's age, development and strength, in addition to proper nutrition, in order to strengthen the musculature and general physical health. This will make it easier to meet all the school's requirements, including carrying a school bag.
Try the bag if you're not sure
Buying a bag requires a little effort and attention when choosing, sometimes it is not enough to just google and order a bag, similar to when buying, for example, shoes. It is necessary, especially for first graders, to try the bag on and assess whether it fits your child. Check the weight, size, width of the straps and all other technical features, but above all how the bag sits on your child's back. The bag that gives you the best sense of security and quality isn't always the most expensive bag, but it's also good to know that a quality bag will last for years.
Our recommendation
One of the lightest bags we have for sale are the Whoosh Junior 2in1 and Whoosh Teen 2in1, and they are also extremely high quality. They are intended for first graders and lower grades of elementary school as well as upper grades of elementary school. These are extremely light bags and are intended primarily for elementary school students. There is no better choice for that age group!