MUST READ & DO: Immediately STOP YOUR CHILD FROM Sitting In This “W” Position!!

This position is when children sit on the floor on their bottom with legs out to the sides in the letter “W”.

When people sit in that “W” position, they put stress not only on their leg muscles, but also on their hips and knees in internal/medial rotation.

Furthermore, this position can cause shortening of leg muscles and loosening of joints. It can lead to abnormalities in bony alignment and gait. Significant issues can arise in balance, coordination, strength, and big gross motor skills. These are skills that require activation of our big muscles.

“W” sitting is a preferred position for your toddler because his hips and knees both allow for this increased joint movement and it is an extremely comfortable position. The key reason why he enjoys this position is because it provides a wide base of support; therefore, he does not have to use his trunk muscles that much to maintain stability in an upright position.

This position prevents strengthening of his trunk and posture muscles, and this lack of strength will also lead to a variety of limitations in balance, coordination, gait, motor planning, and even difficulty with attention skills when trying to sit upright in a classroom chair. Every time developmental opportunities are maximized, such as working on trunk strength in good positions, there is always great impact on academics down the road.

Here Are Some Alternative Positions How to Sit

1) Tailor sit “criss cross apple sauce” or my favorite name “Pretzel” –this position is truly the opposite of “W” sit. Pretzel allows for external/lateral rotation of hips and knees, which places these joints in better positioning for typical alignment and development.

Tailor sit allows significant strengthening of the trunk, due to increased trunk rotation and the ability to cross the center-line or “mid-line” of his body – imagine a line straight down from your nose to the space in between your feet. Many of our children today have great difficulty crossing this mid-line. When he crosses midline, he is encouraging the development of bilateral coordination.

This is a crucial skill that allows the two sides of the body to work together. Bilateral coordination is not only important for coordination and motor planning, but also for the development of most academic, perceptual, and handwriting skills down the road.

2) Long sit – this position is when he sits on his bottom, with his legs straight out in front of him. This is a wonderful position because it is a great challenge for trunk and posture strengthening. It also allows increased trunk rotation which will target the oblique abdominal muscles.

3) Tall Kneel – this position is when he has his knees on the ground with extended hips and trunk, maintaining an erect upper body. This position maximizes strengthening of the trunk against gravity, with also helps to maximize strengthening at the pelvis and hips joints. This is an ideal position when playing at the coffee table, practicing crossing midline by placing puzzle pieces all around him on the coffee table. If you want to add an additional challenge, place the puzzle pieces on the floor and have him lower up and down from a short kneel position- buttocks touching heels, and back up to a tall kneel position. This activity is great for thigh strengthening, too.

Please keep in mind, there is a small population of children that, due to either Orthopedic or Neurologic conditions, can only sustain a “W” position and have great difficulty achieving alternative positions. If your child belongs into one of these categories, please discuss this with your Pediatrician and clinical support team prior to attempting alternative positions.

Your child wants to “W” sit, but it’s your job to discourage him and encourage a new position as much as possible. Good luck!