MLHD urges Wagga parents to ensure their child's backpacks are well sized and fitted

Murrumbidgee Local Health District paediatric occupational therapist Georgia Bradbury said ensuring children have correctly-sized backpacks was important.

"It's important to have good backpack health for our students attending school, particularly for protecting their muscles and joints and making sure they're having good endurance and keeping healthy and safe at school," Miss Bradbury said.

"If their backpack is worn incorrectly, particularly having a backpack slung over one shoulder, we are seeing that children tend to get pain in their shoulder and back."

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Ensuring the backpack is well adjusted is also key.

"There's a few tips and tricks, we always say choose a backpack with padded straps," Miss Bradbury said.

"They should be wearing two straps at all times. You can also get a waist belt, that's actually a really useful addition as it helps to distribute the weight evenly."

Placement of items in the bag can also make a big difference, according to Miss Bradbury.

"It's important to put the heaviest items closet to the body at the bottom of the bag," she said.

"It should always be less then 10 per cent of the child's body weight."

Heavy or oversized backpacks can not only strain joints and muscles, but can heavily affect a child's posture.

Parents can apply for $150 worth of Back to School NSW vouchers, which can be used for school supplies, via service.nsw.gov.au.

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