school aged child Archive - Simply Healthy Sleep - The online-magazine for your perfect sleep experience - Powered by SAMINA

Simply Healthy Sleep - The online-magazine for your perfect sleep experience - Powered by SAMINA

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school aged child

Back ergonomics in children: how heavy may a child’s schoolbag be?

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After the summer holidays, school starts again in September. With the beginning of school, all first graders also get to choose their first schoolbag. But sometimes even the youngest children already carry heavy loads on their backs, with serious consequences for children’s sensitive backs! The bags are often filled with books that are not necessary for the lessons.

First signs of overload

Health experts advise that the weight of the schoolbag should not exceed 10% of the child’s body weight. Assuming your child weighs 20 kilos, this would mean that the satchel should not weigh more than two kilos. Also pay attention to your child’s posture: is your child standing up straight when carrying the schoolbag? Does the upper body lean forward or backward unnaturally due to excessive loads? Can your child put the schoolbag on by itself without any effort?

The first postural deformities in children can not only be attributed to the overflowing and heavy schoolbags, but also to a non-ergonomic sitting posture in everyday school life, as well as a lack of exercise and sometimes being overweight.

What should you pay attention to when buying a schoolbag?

The child’s spine is still in the middle of the development stage. Overloading can lead to postural deformities and back pain. To avoid this, the following criteria must be considered when buying the satchel:

  • When empty, the weight of the schoolbag should be no more than one kilo.
  • The straps should be wide enough, infinitely adjustable and padded. This makes it easier to distribute the weight. Long straps promote the formation of a hollow back, the bag hanging too low, thus contributing to long-term damage of posture.
  • The width of the straps should be at least four centimetres, the handle at least eight centimetres.
  • The maximum weight of the schoolbag depends on the size and weight of the child, but should not exceed 10% of the child’s weight.
  • The bag should be padded towards the back, fit closely and generally have a stable shape.

What should you pay attention to when packing the schoolbag?

It is best to pack the schoolbag with your child the evening before. This way you have enough time and avoid stressful situations in the early morning. Make sure that you only pack those books that are really needed the next day. The best way to store heavy books is near the back. In general, make sure that the weight is well distributed.

Tips for a healthy child’s back

Sitting too long and in the wrong position leads to back pain and malposition, as does too little exercise, overflowing satchels and wrong sleep bases. These effects can be prevented with simple measures and exercises.

  • Children should exercise at least two hours a day – preferably outside in the fresh air.
  • Romping around the playground, cycling, playing ball, etc. not only promote agility, but also their coordination.
  • Make sure that desk and chair always fit the child’s height. Ergonomic sitting is a crucial criterion to prevent back pain.
  • A slightly slanting table top encourages a straight sitting position.
  • When sitting, your child’s feet should be able to be placed firmly on the floor. Knees and hips form a 90 ° angle. If your child cannot reach the floor completely, a footrest can help.
  • If your child is already suffering from back pain, sitting on an exercise ball is also an option. The back muscles are then well trained and strengthened.

What else can parents pay attention to?

As a parent, you are always a role model for your child. Health experts therefore advise you to do as many tasks as possible on foot. It is also advisable to pay attention to an orthopaedic effect when equipping the bed, so that children can recover well after an active day. When lying down, your child’s spine should not be strained, but relieved. Intervertebral discs and the spine need the opportunity to relax and regenerate sufficiently during the night. Also make sure that the pillow height is suitable for the child. A pillow that is too high or too flat can promote neck tension. You can find suitable children’s pillows in selected specialist shops. Please pay attention to natural materials.

Imagesource: Pixabay

Sleep disturbances of school-aged children

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The holiday season is over, school life starts. This also brings a change into sleeping times of our children. If you haven’t changed the to-bed-go-time of your offspring a couple of days before school started, it’s advisable to do that now, at the latest. Children of preschool and primary school age need from nine to eleven hours sleep. Here, the individual sleep need can differ.

The time to sleep should be selected according to the time to get up. Meaning, if your child has to get up at 6.30 a.m., for example, you should take care that it sleeps at about 8.30 p.m. Don’t forget to consider the time for the ritual to fall asleep and the fall asleep time itself.

How can you tell whether your child has slept sufficiently?

Do you have to wake up your child several times in the morning? Is it difficult for your child to concentrate during the day, is it short-tempered and inattentive? Is there an increased urge for movement and your child can’t sit still? All these might be signs for lack of sleep.

Sleeping problems?

Sleep disturbances don’t arise all of a sudden, so take to above mentioned signs serious and try to solve the sleeping problems before they increase.

  • Rituals to fall asleep: Does your child try to frequently test the boundaries and refuses to go to bed at night? Hold firm! Develop binding rules which ensure that your child sticks to a regular sleep-wake-cycle and goes to bed at the same time. Rituals to fall asleep significantly facilitate going to bed. Read out some short and nice stories to your child before going to bed, tell a story, let it read something itself or let it listen to an audio book etc. No matter what you choose, best is to do this when your child already is in bed.
  • Exercise in the fresh air: Observe the daily routine of your child. Often children lack exercise and therefore still have a lot of energy in the evenings – and consequently are not tired enough for sleeping. Therefore take care that your child has sufficient exercise in fresh air.
  • Discuss fears and sorrows: In case you notice that something is bothering your child (a fight with a friend, an oncoming test etc.) – try to discuss it with your child. But, this discussion should not take place right before falling asleep. Otherwise your child will take its fears and sorrows into bed.
  • Leisure time stress, overstimulation and media consumption: Is your child watching TV or playing Video games in the evening? There are some points to consider: take care that the games or shows are not to stimulating and that they stop at least one hour before going to bed. Otherwise they might negatively influence falling asleep or lead to nightmares. Nightmares not necessarily have to be triggered by an exciting TV show. They also can be caused by stress and overstimulation. Try to quiet the everyday life of your child.

Receive further information in our sleep-healthy-guidebook “sleep yourself young, fit and successful”, free of cost.

Image source: @fotolia