W sitting

Anna W sits.

 “W-sitting” or “W-sit” is a term used to describe a sitting position in which a child sits on the floor with their legs forming a “W” shape on the floor (knees bent, legs rotated and facing away from the body).

 

 

(Old pictures I took when Anna was W sitting)

Sam does not.  I knew from my educator background that with kindergartners, this is not a good thing, but that's where my knowledge ended.  I didn't know when it became not a good thing, if it was something that kids grew out of, and if it was something to correct or do something about at this age.  So I consulted Dr. Google.

Here's some great info that I easily found:

When is it ok?

Children often move into and out of this position during play or when transitioning from crawling to sitting. W-sitting is OK and perfectly normal if used in this way. It temporarily widens the base of support, giving the child a greater sense of stability and balance during play.

When is it NOT ok?

However, this position should not be encouraged for prolonged periods of time during play as it will lead to future orthopaedic and musculoskeletal issues, affecting muscles and joints of the back and lower limb. Long-term W-sitting is NOT encouraged as it will make the child become reliant on this position for added trunk/hip stability to allow for easier toy manipulation and play. Their trunk muscles will not be activated sufficiently for them to learn and practice weight shifts during rotation and lateral (side) movements of the body.

W-sitters are often children with:

• Low muscle tone
• Hypermobile joints
• Difficulty with balance

Side effects of W-sitting:

• May develop sway back posture
• Walk and stand with feet turned inwards
• Weak trunk and low back muscles
• Tight hamstrings and low back muscles

Why do children choose to W-sit?

In W-sitting the legs are rotated outwards and spread wide apart. This means that there is a larger base of support and hence less work required by the trunk muscles to stabilise the body. The trunk muscles are important for maintaining an upright posture and reacting to shifts in balance. Possibly these children have not developed sufficient trunk rotation (twisting) or lateral flexion (bending to side) for weight shifts and so relies heavily on the wide base of support for maintaining stability during physical activity and play.

Correcting the Habit

Often W-sitting becomes a habit very quickly and it is important to address it promptly.
Encourage other ways of sitting:

• Cross-legged
• Side-sitting with both legs out to one side (make sure they alternate the side)
• Sitting with legs straight out forward as able (hamstrings can be stretched at the same time)
• Sitting on a low stool or a cushion

I also know that it can effect hand dominance and therefore fine motor skills for writing, cutting, etc.  because when W sitting, a child cannot turn their body as effectively to reach what they want.  So a child will use whatever hand is closest to the object they want, rather than their dominant hand.  Repeatedly using a non-dominant hand will weaken the ability to strengthen the ability to use the dominant hand well.

Since reading more, we've made it a habit to tell Anna to "fix her legs" immediately if we see her in a W sitting position.  Right away she changes her position and we continue on with whatever we're doing and call no further attention to it.  Easy fix.

I'm hopeful that we noticed this early enough on that it won't be a huge habit to break!