Latest / Whys & Finds / First Backpack for a Toddler: What Makes a Good One
Transcript
- Ben: Your toddler is getting a first backpack. You look online, and the list goes on and on. Big, small, pockets everywhere, animals on the front. How do you tell a good one from one that ends up on your shoulder? Ellie: Welcome to Whys & Finds. I'm Ellie. Ben: And I'm Ben. Ellie: Today: what makes a good first backpack for a toddler? Ellie: Let's keep it simple: a good first backpack fits your toddler today, not next year. It's about the size of their back. The straps go short enough to hold it close. And when it's on, it sits in the middle of their back, not down low. Size first, straps second. The rest comes after. Ben: That's it? Nothing about the pockets, the animal, the zipper? Ellie: Those matter too. But if the fit is wrong, the rest doesn't help. A bag that slides and swings comes off before you reach the car. And then you carry it. Ben: Okay. Size, straps, where it sits. Ellie: That's the order I'd check them in. Ben: Start with size, then. How do I know a bag is too big? On the website they all look the same. Ellie: That's the problem with a picture. There's no child next to it. So put the bag next to your child. Hold it against their back. Ben: And look for what? Ellie: A few things. The bag sticks out past their sides. The bottom hangs down past their waist. Or you pull the straps to the shortest setting, and they're still loose. Ben: That last one I've seen. The strap ends flapping, and the bag still slipping off one shoulder. Ellie: Right. That's a bag made for a bigger child. It isn't a bad bag. It's just not their size yet. Ben: And then there's the idea of buying big so it lasts. Ellie: I get why people do it. But a first backpack is for a toddler to carry now. A bag they grow into is a bag you end up carrying. Ben: Is there any outside advice on how a backpack should sit? Or is this just your eye? Ellie: There is. Nemours KidsHealth is the parents' site of Nemours, a children's health system. It has a page on backpacks. One thing first. The page is written for school-age kids. Books, lockers, the school bus. So it's not a rule for a toddler. Ben: Then why bring it up? Ellie: Because what it says about fit is easy to see on any child. It says: "Tighten the straps enough for the backpack to fit closely to the body. The pack should rest evenly in the middle of the back and not sag down to the buttocks." Ben: Closely to the body. In the middle. Not sagging. Ellie: Those three words are the whole check. Put the bag on them. Tighten the straps. Step back and look where it sits. Ben: And if I tighten them all the way, and it still sags? Ellie: Then you have your answer about size. The straps can only go so short. If that's not short enough for this child, the bag is too big for them today. Ben: So the straps tell you about the bag. Ellie: They do. That's why I check them second, right after size. Ben: Okay, say the bag fits on day one. Done? Ellie: Not quite. The first week tells you more than the first try. Straps get pulled and loosen. Things pile up inside. Ben: How would I notice? Ellie: Mornings at the door. If they used to put it on easily, and now it's a fight, look again. Maybe the straps loosened. Maybe there's more inside than on day one. Ben: So two fixes. Tighten the straps, or take something out. Ellie: I'd try the straps first. Then the contents. Ben: Give me a real bag with real numbers, then. "About the size of their back" is hard to shop for. Ellie: Fair. I'll use one I know. Naturally KIDS makes a small backpack. It's 10 by 8 by 3 inches, and it holds 4 liters. The right size for a child's little shoulders. Padded, adjustable straps and an easy zipper small hands open on their own. Ben: 4 liters. What goes in that? Ellie: Room for a snack and a treasure. That's a first backpack's job. Ben: And there's an animal on the front of that one. Ellie: A removable plush animal. It comes out and joins whatever game is going on. It hides in the couch cushions. It gets a ride in a cardboard box. It sits in on a pretend tea party. Then it goes back on the bag for the trip home. Ben: So the bag comes with someone to play with. Ellie: Something like that. And a bag they want to wear gets worn. Ben: Okay, I want to push on one thing. You said the pockets come after. I'd put them first. More pockets, more order. The snack in one, the treasure in another, the tissues in a third. Ellie: For you, yes. For a toddler, I'd keep it to one main space. They open one zipper, and everything they own is right there. Ben: But then everything's mixed up in one heap. Ellie: It is. And a toddler can find things in a heap. What's hard is remembering which of five pockets the cracker went into. Ben: Hm. So pockets are for grown-ups. Ellie: Pockets are for a job. If daycare wants a water bottle in the bag, a side pocket holds it upright. If they want a name on everything, a label inside helps. If there's no job, one main space is enough. Ben: So you'd only add pockets when there's a reason. Ellie: When there's a reason. And that's why the same small backpack comes two ways. One has one main compartment and no pockets. The other is the same 10 by 8 by 3 inches, with side and inner pockets, a bottle holder and a label for their name inside. Ben: Okay. I'll give you that one. One space, unless daycare says otherwise. Ellie: Unless daycare says otherwise. Ellie: Now, a few different situations. If they're set on one animal, look at the whole range first. The small backpack comes as a dog, a giraffe, a unicorn, a T-Rex and more. Ben: And if there's a big brother or sister with a big school bag, and the little one wants that exact bag? Ellie: Let them wear it around the house for a few minutes. That's play. For going out, give them a bag their own size, so they're the one carrying it. Ben: What if it's a gift, and the child isn't there to try it on? Ellie: Then ask the family for one number: the width of the child's back, measured with a tape. Compare it with the bag's size in inches. When it arrives, they tighten the straps and look where it sits. Ben: Okay, let me see if I've got it. One: a good first backpack fits your toddler today, not next year. Size first, straps second. Two: hold the bag against their back. If it sticks out past their sides, hangs past their waist, or the straps are loose at the shortest setting, it's too big today. Three: Nemours KidsHealth, in advice written for school-age kids, says to tighten the straps so the backpack fits closely to the body and rests in the middle of the back. If it still sags with the straps all the way short, the bag is too big. Four: look again after the first week. If putting it on turns into a fight, check the straps, then what's inside. And five: one main space is enough, unless there's a job for a pocket, like a water bottle for daycare. Ellie: You've got it. Ellie: And if you're choosing a first one, Naturally KIDS makes that small backpack, with pockets or without. Measure their back first, then check the inches. Ellie: That's it for today. A reminder: the voices in this episode are AI-generated. Whys & Finds is made by Naturally KIDS. Ellie: That's today's why. See you at the next find.