What is it?
The child’s feet are outside of legs when child sits on their bottom.
What is the big deal?
W sitting places excessive stress on the knee joint, disengages abdominal muscles and promotes poor posture. Over time, W sitting can lead to in-toeing or pigeon toe walking pattern, tight muscles in hips/legs and hip/back/knee pain.
How do I fix it?
Promote better sitting posture such as criss-cross, side sit or long sit by using verbal prompts and hands on assist if needed.
When should I seek help?
Evaluation from a licensed physical therapist is a good idea if your child shows poor posture, signs/complaints of pain, abnormal walking pattern such as pigeon toed, weakness in core/legs or a delay in gross motor skills.