Latest / Whys & Finds / Backpack Size for a 2-Year-Old: How to Check the Fit
Transcript
- Ben: She's two, and she wants a backpack like the big kids. You go to the store, and a lot of the backpacks on the shelf are made for school-age kids. Do you buy one she'll grow into, or one that fits her right now? Ellie: Welcome to Whys & Finds. I'm Ellie. Ben: And I'm Ben. Ellie: Today: what backpack size is right for a two-year-old? Ellie: Here's what I'd do: pick one that fits her now, not the one she'll need in a few years. Measure her back, and check the bag's real size in inches. Ben: I'm going to argue with that. I think there's a case for buying bigger. Ellie: Go ahead. I'll take the small one. Ben: Kids grow fast. You buy a small backpack now, and next year she's outgrown it. So you buy a bigger one once, and she grows into it. One purchase, done. Ellie: I get why that sounds sensible. But a backpack she'll grow into is a backpack that's too big for her today. And today is when she carries it. Ben: Too big how, though? It's a bag. She'll manage. Ellie: Mississippi State University Extension, the university's outreach service for families, has advice on choosing a backpack. It says: "Choose the correct size. Select one no wider or longer than the child's torso." Ben: For a two-year-old? Ellie: No. That advice is written for school-age kids. We didn't find guidance written for two-year-olds. So I wouldn't make it a rule for her. I'd take one idea from it: compare the bag with the child who'll wear it. Ben: Fair. Then put real numbers on it. Ellie: Naturally KIDS makes toddler backpacks in a few sizes, so I'll use theirs. The small one is 10 by 8 by 3 inches, and it holds 4 liters. The medium is 11.5 by 10 by 3.5 inches, and it holds 7 liters. Ben: So 4 liters against 7. Ellie: Right. The medium is a bigger size, made for kids 4 to 6. The small one is the right size for a child's little shoulders. Ben: Okay, but numbers on a page don't tell me much. How do I know it's too big on her? Ellie: Start with a tape measure. Measure her back from the top of her shoulders down to her waist, and then across. Compare those numbers with the bag's size in inches. Ben: A tape measure on a two-year-old. That's a very low-tech fitting room. Ellie: It's a rough check, but you see her numbers next to the bag's. Then, when the backpack comes home, pack it with what she'll carry and put it on her. Adjust the straps. Then watch her walk. I'd look for three signs that it may be too big. One: it hangs low and bumps the back of her legs when she walks. Two: the straps slide off her shoulders, even after you've adjusted them. Three: on a short walk, she keeps handing it to you. Ben: Number three is the one I'd believe. Ellie: Me too. A bag she keeps handing you isn't really her bag yet. Ben: Is there any outside advice on how a backpack should sit? Ellie: There is, and it's also written for school-age kids. Nemours KidsHealth is the parents' site of Nemours, a children's health system. It says to tighten the straps enough for the backpack to fit closely to the body. And it says the pack should rest evenly in the middle of the back and not sag down. Ben: And if she fights with it every morning? Ellie: The same page says you may need to adjust your kids' backpacks, or reduce how much they carry, if they struggle to get the backpack on or off. Again, that's school-age advice. I'd use it as something to watch for, not a rule for a two-year-old. Ben: And what does a good fit look like? Ellie: She puts it on with a little help. She opens the zipper herself and puts her things in. Then she walks off and forgets she's wearing it. Ben: And on the small one? Ellie: The small one has padded, adjustable straps and an easy zipper small hands open on their own. Ben: Fine. Now the other side. What about a bag that looks too young for her? Ellie: Look at the age range. The small one is made for ages 2 to 5. A two-year-old is at the start of that range, not the end of it. Ben: So there's some growing room in the small one after all. Ellie: Some. That part of your argument I'll take. It just comes from the age range, not from a bag that's too big. Ben: Okay. For her own things, the small one makes more sense. I'll give you that. Ben: But here's where I think you're wrong. You keep saying the small one for a two-year-old. What if the daycare sends a list? A lunch box, a change of clothes, a water bottle. You can't pick the size before you've seen the list. Ellie: That's fair. I was picturing her own things: a snack and a treasure. Ben: So if the daycare gives you a list, follow the list. Put those things together and pack them in the bag. If they don't fit in the small one, take the medium. Ellie: You're right. The medium has room to pack a small lunch box, plus side and inner pockets and a bottle holder. Ben: So the list picks the size, not the store shelf. Ellie: You earned that one. Ellie: So let's say who each one is for. The small: a two-year-old who wants her own bag. A snack, a treasure, and a plush animal on the front. The plush is 8 inches, and it's removable, so she can take it out for a hug and put it back. Ben: And if she carries her own water bottle? Ellie: Then the small with pockets. Same 10 by 8 by 3 inches, with side and inner pockets and a bottle holder. Ben: And the medium? Ellie: The medium is for when her things don't fit in the small one. Like a daycare list with a lunch box on it. Ben: So the medium is for more to carry, not for "just in case." Ellie: That's a better way to say it than mine. Ellie: Now, a few different situations. If she already has a small bag she loves, use that one. Do the same check with it: adjust the straps, take the walk, and watch for the same three signs. Ben: And if she has nothing to carry yet? Ellie: Then give her a pocket in your bag for her one favorite thing. When she starts asking to carry her own things, come back to the sizes. Ben: And if she's not into unicorns or dinosaurs? Ellie: The small one also comes with a teddy bear, a dog, a giraffe and other animals. Start with the animal she already loves. Ben: Okay, let me see if I've got it. One: buy for the child she is now, not the child she'll be in a few years. Two: check the real size in inches. The small one is 10 by 8 by 3, the medium is 11.5 by 10 by 3.5. Measure her back with a tape measure and compare. Three: when the bag comes home, pack it, adjust the straps and watch her walk. If it bumps her legs, slides off her shoulders, or keeps ending up in your hands, it may be too big. Four: the backpack advice from Nemours KidsHealth and Mississippi State University Extension is written for school-age kids. Use it as something to look at, not a rule for a two-year-old. Five: if the daycare sends a list, the list picks the size. The small for her own things, the medium when there's more to carry. Ellie: You've got it. Ellie: And if you want to see the sizes side by side, Naturally KIDS makes a small backpack, a small one with pockets and a medium one. Bring a tape measure. 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.