There is one thing just about every student carries to school that can have lasting effects on their body.
A backpack.
Even though many books are moving digitally, this is still something to keep an eye on for your child.
Those backpacks can come home full of books, binders, papers, lunchboxes, water bottles, and more, which can get heavy.
WATCH How kids wear backpacks should be top of mind for parents
Dr. Melissa Schorpion at Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital said that weight shouldn't be more than 10-15% of the child's body weight.
That means that if the student is 70 pounds, the backpack shouldn't weigh more than 7 pounds. Her advice is to have the child carry some things, like their lunchbox or water bottle.
"The most important thing with the size is that when you put it on the child, the backpack sits nice and high, right between their shoulder blades. So if you have a backpack that's too big for one of the little ones, it's going to sit below on the lower back," said Dr. Schorpion.
If you start to hear complaints from your child, it may be coming from their backpack.
"If they start to report some neck pain or shoulder pain, and a lot of times, the kids will start to have pain on just one side, and that's typically from wearing the backpack just on one side instead of on both shoulders," said Dr. Schorpion.
The way you pack your backpack is also important. Keep the heaviest books closer to you (to the back of the backpack) and then move the lighter things towards the front.
