A lot of the responsibility for packing lightly — and safely — rests with kids:

Encourage kids to use their locker or desk often throughout the day instead of carrying the entire day's worth of books in the backpack.

Make sure kids don't tote unnecessary items — laptops, cellphones, and video games can add extra pounds to a pack.

Encourage kids to bring home only the books needed for homework or studying each night.

Ask about homework planning. A heavier pack on Fridays might mean that a child is delaying homework until the weekend, making for an unnecessarily heavy backpack.

Picking up the backpack the right way can help kids avoid back injuries. As with any heavy weight, they should bend at the knees and grab the pack with both hands when lifting a backpack to the shoulders.

Use all of the backpack's compartments, putting heavier items, such as textbooks, closest to the center of the back.