The Right Backpack For Your Child

From the time your child first enters childcare or preschool, a backpack to hold their belongings for the day becomes an essential item.

Most preschools and public schools are pretty flexible when it comes to what type of bag your child carries, but some schools are now introducing a school backpack that is of appropriate size and offers adequate support for your child’s back.

Most children are carrying too much around in their backpacks, and up to seventy percent of school age children complain of back pain from carrying their school bags. In the long term carrying any significant weight without proper balance and support is likely to cause chronic back problems and the risks of muscle strain, curvature of the spine and rounding of the shoulders are very real concerns.

In order to prevent injury and damage to your child’s spine, it is important to ensure that you have a backpack for them that will reduce the strain of load bearing and by making sure that they don’t carry too much.

Professional physiotherapy and chiropractic associations will often endorse school backpacks that they find meet the support requirements for a healthy spine.

Ideally the shoulder straps on your child’s bag should sit half way between the side of your child’s neck and the edge of their shoulder. Adjust the shoulder straps so that the base of the bag sits at the top of their hips, and adjust the waist strap so that it holds the bag in position. If a backpack is too big or too small your child’s spine will not be properly supported.

Young children should not be carrying more than ten percent of their body weight in their backpacks and if your child’s required daily items are too big or too heavy for them to carry from home to classroom and back again you will need to consult with their teacher and the school about appropriate load limits, especially for young children.

Think about other ways that you can reduce the weight of their load by using lightweight plastic lunchboxes instead of heavier metal boxes or smaller water bottles if they are able to refill them at school. Pack the heaviest items closest to your child’s back to help them retain their centre of gravity, otherwise they can feel they are being pulled backwards and will overcompensate, causing unnecessary strain on their back.

Explain to your child the importance of wearing their backpack properly, as wearing it only on one shoulder or carrying it in one hand will cause strain and possible damage to their growing spine. Most importantly, if your child does complain of back pain, consult your family doctor, physiotherapist or chiropractor.

Nutrition And The Development Of Boys

We recently came across an interesting article published last year in the Scientific American “Man-Made: A Baby Boy's Development May Predict a Young Man's Success”. Based on a study started in 1983 it suggests there is a definite link between nutrition of boys in early childhood and the masculinity of young men.

The study followed 770 Filipino men and their growth levels (such as height, weight, muscle mass, strength, testosterone levels and even sexual history) starting with the boys’ first two years of life, then again when they were 8, 11, 14 and then when they reached their early 20s.

In a nutshell, how fast a baby boy grows in the first six months of his life can predict the extent of his masculine characteristics as a young man. Those boys who grew the fastest were mostly breastfed and from wealthier families, therefore with more access to good quality, nutritious food.

And the reason the first 6 months are the most crucial? Well you may not know this, but during this stage in a little boy’s life his testosterone levels are roughly the same as adult levels.

"Men who as babies gained weight rapidly during the period of this testosterone surge matured earlier, were taller, had more muscle, were stronger and had higher testosterone levels,” said Christopher Kuzawa, who led the study.

So that saying “feed the man meat” probably needs to be changed to “feed the baby boy meat” (just make it organic and fat free!)

The Sneaky Eye Backpack

If you think fashion is just limited to the adult world, then you'd be wrong. Kids today know what's cool and what's not. And just like the rest of us fashion-conscious peeps, children also like to be the hippest kid in class sporting the latest gear.

Sometimes it can be frustrating to find the right school bag for our kids. As parents, we need to find something that uniquely expresses our child's style and individuality, as well as something that's durable and efficient. The practical parent in us looks for something inexpensive, but sturdy enough to stand the abuse that our children will put the bags through.

For such a need, Minti offers us the Sneaky Eye Backpack. This bag is perfect for your little boy or girl because it is available in 3 colours - black, lime, and orange. It also features two compartments, so your kids can separate their big and small stuff and find them easily. The sneaky eye print makes it a stylish accessory to carry around in school, at the beach, and even during sleepovers.

This ultra cool and durable bag is the perfect bag for our kids. With its bright colour and unique design, no one will mistake it for theirs or someone else's. It is available for a very affordable price of $49 at www.aboutaboy.com.au.

The Boon Flair Highchair

For mothers with growing toddlers, mealtimes can sometimes become a daunting endeavour. With all the preparation that needs to be done – because we all know little kids are picky eaters – and the mess that needs to be cleaned up, finding a way to make our work easier and quicker is something we all want.

Enter Boon Flair’s Cherry Seat and Coconut Pad Highchair. This highchair is made from durable materials that are easy and safe to clean. The stool itself has no cracks and crevices so there are no hard-to-reach areas where crumbs could get stuck for eternity. The removable seat pad is waterproof so you can wipe it clean in just minutes.

Included with the chair are two removable trays, which are dishwasher safe and can easily fit in the dishwasher. What makes this a must-have item for parents out there is the pneumatic lift feature which adjusts the height of the chair according to their needs. This means being able to use the chair for a long time.

Not only that, it keeps your little ones secure and in place with a five-point harness and safety post, as well as a single-step braking system. Meanwhile, six urethane casters under the foot of the chair protect your floors and make it glides smoothly for easy positioning.

Mealtime will never be the same again!