So frequently we hear, “My kid sits like that all the time!” or “What’s so bad about this position?” There is a lot of concern out there for this so-called “w-sitting”. But what actually is it? It’s commonly talked about in relation to the way a child sits, which is shaped similar to a “W” sitting on their bottom with the feet splayed out to the side creating a “W” shape with the legs.
Research has shown that w-sitting can lead to many different developmental difficulties, and many pediatricians and pediatric physical therapists discourage this sitting position. While there are some healthcare professionals that believe that w-sitting is merely an innocent phase that the child will grow out of, the prevailing recommendation is to encourage your child to sit in other ways to prevent problems in posture and motor skills.
Why do toddlers w-sit?
For many kids, this starts out as just a comfortable position, and they sit that way without thinking about it. Oftentimes, the child is sitting this way to make up for weaknesses in their core and hips. Because their legs are out, they are sitting in a wide base of support, which allows them to play with toys upright without having to worry about falling over.
While it is common for kids to go in and out of this position when playing, the troubles arise when they are there for a longer period of time. So, as a parent, it is important to correct your child when you see this for the following main reasons:
- W-sitting increases the chance that your child’s leg muscles will become short and tight, causing further problems in developmental skills, posture, and walking patterns, such as “pigeon toed gait”.
- This is similar to hip flexors becoming tight in adult office workers leading to poor posture.
- W-sitting increased the chance of hip dislocation, especially if your child has hip dysplasia (even not diagnosed)
- W-sitting impairs body balance and makes it difficult for a child to develop a dominant hand
- This makes it difficult to rotate their body learning core balance; shift weight side to side learning one side balance that’s important for standing balance, running, and jumping; and work on cross-body activities that are important for dominant hand determination.
So how do you correct them?
BE CONSISTENT! While it is difficult (and, honestly, overkill) to be there to correct every instance of w-sitting, it is important to pay attention to your child when you are around them and find a phrase that works for you and your child to correct them. Your child may not be old enough to understand your verbal directions, so it might be necessary to manually change your child’s sitting position and use the phrase at the same time. Eventually, you will only need to use the phrase.
Some other ways your child can safely sit on the floor could be: side sitting (to either side), cross legged sitting (criss-cross applesauce), and long sitting (feet straight in front). These positions allow for your child to use both of their hands together on both sides of their body.
If any of these positions are difficult, core strength might be an issue. Some core exercises to help include, but are not limited to, bridging, planks, wheelbarrow walking, swimming, swinging, and crab walking. Regular active play is always a core strength builder!
If your child has difficulty maintaining positions other than w-sitting, it might be worthwhile to consult your physician or seek help from a physical therapist to help with position changing and/or provide treatment for any underlying strength deficits or muscle tightening that has resulted.