A concerned mother recently contacted me for advice on determining the best book bag for her child. The child is small, weighing 28 lbs. and measuring 3' 4". This is a very small child and is at the bottom end of the sizes most companies design for. After performing an ergonomic evaluation of the situation this is what was determined.

Ergonomic Needs

• Pack needs to be as small and light as possible.
• Pack needs to carry art supplies, paper and workbooks (approximately 9"x12")
• Pack should be relatively thin so it holds the load as close to the back as possible
• For the short distance to be walked (3 blocks) the child could carry 5 lbs.

As you can imagine, there are not a lot of bags on the market that a child this small can wear that fulfills all these needs. After some tedious research I found a few that should work. To keep those of you with the same problem from having to do the same research I'm sharing the results.

Packs that Fit the Bill

• Samsonite Sammies Smile Small Backpack - Compare Prices
• Eastpak Orbit Mini Backpack - Compare Prices
• JanSport Shoulder Bag II - Compare Prices
• JanSport Vixen - Compare Prices
• International Traveller Monster Travelbug - Compare Prices
• ful Kirby Mini-Backpack - Compare Prices
• OGIO Spice - Compare Prices
• The North Face Women's Paige - Compare Prices

More on Ergonomics for Children & Backpacks

• Repetitve Stress Injuries in Children
• Backpack Misuse and the Pain it Inflicts on our Children
• Using Ergonomics to Determine the Best Book Bag for Your Child
• Before You Before You Buy a Child's Backpack
• Maximum Weight for a Child's Backpack
• Fitting Guide for a Child's Backpack