Send Your Kids to School in Style With the Best Children’s Backpacks

Buying Guide: Children’s Backpacks

When buying a children’s backpack, parents are usually most concerned about finding the one that is the right size while also roomy enough to stock all the important items a child needs for a productive day. A children’s backpack themed based on the child’s interests is a close second. The weight of the empty backpack, intelligent design with dedicated pockets, durable materials, padded straps, and soft lining are all important features. On top of all that, it must withstand the damage that children throw at them through their careless handling.

These requirements can make it difficult to find a children’s backpack that your child can carry comfortably to school and on trips. In this buying guide, we will discuss all these factors so you can ensure that your child’s backpacking experience is both comfortable and enjoyable year after year.

How To Find the Right Size and Comfortable Fit

A right-sized children’s backpack should look appropriate on the child’s back while also providing sufficient storage space. Here’s how to strike the right balance between the two:

Backpack width

The backpack’s width mainly depends on the child’s weight and body type. Adult backpacks are generally 13 inches wide, while children’s backpacks are around 10 inches wide. You can try a few backpacks on your child and determine the right width for them.

Backpack height

You can determine the proper height for your children’s backpack using a tape measure. Start measuring a few inches below your child’s shoulder blade and end at the waistline. You’ll have the ideal height for your children’s backpack with a one-inch margin. This should be about 15 inches for preschoolers and around 17 inches for elementary school kids.

Smartly designed pockets

Dedicated pockets for laptops, tablets, stationery, lunch box, and a water bottle are fairly common in modern children’s backpacks. They help organize the backpack’s contents and keep the space clean. A good design cleverly generates more space inside the backpack by preventing unnecessary clutter in limited space.

What Makes Children’s Backpacks More Durable?

A backpack should be well-made using a long-lasting material. Nylon is the gold standard as a material for backpacks, because it makes the bag lightweight, waterproof, heatproof, and wear-resistant. A 600 denier polyester is almost equally good, but weighs slightly more than nylon and is less wear resistant.

A durable build is not all about the materials; firm and neat stitching, covered zippers, and closed edges of the fabric are equally important. Here are a few checks to ensure the durability of the children’s backpack:

• Fabric or waterproof flaps over the zippers to prevent water damage to the metal of the zippers.
• Make sure no loose threads come from the edges and stitched pieces. Over time, they can cause the bag to lose its integrity and structure.
• The stitching should be even and firm.

The better the quality, the higher the price you will have to pay. Many budget-friendly options are available, including our top picks that also rank high in quality. Cheap children’s backpacks last only a few months and are usually preferred for a short trip.

How To Find a Comfortable Children’s Backpack

You can enhance your child’s comfort level by opting for better straps and keeping the bag’s weight within the limit. Here’s how you can achieve it.

Broad, adjustable, and padded straps

Broad straps assist in distributing the weight of the bag across the shoulders. Thin straps, on the other hand, are more likely to strain the shoulders, because the weight is concentrated on a small area of the shoulder muscles.

A good children’s backpack has adjustable straps that do not affect the child’s standing posture. After you’ve adjusted the straps to the optimal settings, make sure that the locks stay in place when the child runs or jumps. Tape the straps just below the locks if necessary to prevent them from coming loose.

The cushioning in the padded straps reduces the impact on the muscles. A mesh fabric over this cushioning prevents sweating and makes the wearing experience more comfortable.

Backpack’s weight

As a general rule, a children’s backpack full of items should not exceed 15% of the child’s body weight. When you try to practically implement this limit, you’ll notice that it is critical to keep the backpack’s own weight at a bare minimum for your younger children. As a result, a children’s backpack weighing less than one pound is ideal.

How To Choose the Right Children’s Backpack

Kids enjoy personalizing their backpacks in an effort to stand out from the crowd. Children’s backpacks are available in various designs and colors, but a little styling space allows kids to customize them to their taste. Kids love to paint or draw something of their own on their backpack. This is why minimalist designs are also popular among kids, because the whole bag is like a canvas to them. Most kindergartners love basic colors, rainbow patterns, and fantasy animal designs. Designs like these might not appeal to an older child, so it is important to consider the age of the child that you are buying the backpack for.

When purchasing a surprise gift for a child, consider their interests and choose the theme accordingly. Make sure that the design is authentic and made by professional artists. Popular themes such as unicorns, dinosaurs, hearts, cars, and cartoon animals can be found easily. Whenever possible, involve the child in the selection process, because most backpack collections come in dozens of different themes.