Back to school, not back in pain

Back to school should not mean a pain in the back. As the parent of an 8 year old, I am often amazed at how much stuff she can fit in her backpack. The weight of the pack seems to increase yearly. The big question is - How much is too much?
The weight of the pack should not be more than 15% of the child's body weight. So multiply your child's weight by .15. That means a 60 lb child should not carry more than 9 lbs. The incidence of low back pain in children is on the rise, and this looks to be one major factor. I know my daughter has considerably more homework than I had at her age. Her pack is filled with completed projects, notebooks, shoes, etc.
It is wise to consider a few more things than total weight, however:
-Foremost, make sure they wear both straps. Wearing only one strap will obviously create an unbalanced body.
-Keep the heaviest objects closest to the part of the bag touching the child's back. This ensures best weight distribution in carrying the load.
-The bottom of the bag should not pass the child's waist. If it does, the child will need to lean forward too much.
-A bag with a waist strap keeps the load closest to the body. Again this means the lightest effective load and less strain for your child.
Lastly, consider cleaning out the backpack weekly. Not only will your child have a lighter load, you may come across a few permission slips or upcoming projects that your child may have forgotten to mention to you. (If your child is anything like mine.)