The W-Sitting controversy has sparked some strong opinions and comments here at The Inspired Treehouse. Today, we wanted to answer to 3 of the most common comments we see about this topic.
The W-Sitting Controversy
Several months ago, we wrote one of our very first Tricks of the Trade posts about W-sitting, and WOW, we were shocked by the outpouring of response and interest!
There were over 100 comments on our post from readers with many varying opinions. And while we didn’t expect the W-sitting controversy to explode all around us, we are really glad that it sparked some conversation about the topic.
Below, we will address some of the most common questions and concerns our W-Sitting post has raised. You can also read more about the W-sitting debate here.
Comment #1
My child sat like this and never had any of the problems you described in your post about W-Sitting. -or-
I sat like this all my life and I’ve never had any problems because of it.
Our Response
To us, this is similar to saying, I never wear my seatbelt and I’ve never been in an auto accident. It is not our stance that every child is going to suffer consequences from w-sitting. Instead, our post was written to inform readers about the possible implications of w-sitting from a physical therapist’s perspective based years of clinical practice and observation.
Our concerns are valid. A child cannot fully rotate his trunk to reach when his bottom is planted on the floor between his legs. This restricted movement can negatively impact the acquisition of developmental milestones.
In W-sitting, kids are placing their hips in a position that is compromising the integrity of the joint which, in times of rapid bone growth, could affect how the femur and tibia bones grow and form. Young bones and joints are affected by the habitual patterns in which they are positioned.
The statement: “I have never had a problem” may also be misleading. You may have pain or discomfort through your hips, feet, back, neck, etc. that are related to your history of w-sitting, but you may never have attributed it to this cause.
We don’t like to get technical at The Inspired Treehouse. Our blog is about breaking information about child development down into easy to understand language. However, we are licensed, practicing physical and occupational therapists, meaning that we do have the clinical background and medical knowledge to back our professional opinions. If you would like to read more about the specifics of developmental biomechanics, here is a great article.
We have received hundreds and hundreds of comments on the post and on our social media sites about this topic. For every one person saying that they’ve had a problem related to W-Sitting, there is another person who says that they have never experienced any consequences from sitting this way. This being the case, we would expect that our readers would want to have that knowledge in order to offer their children and the children in their care alternative options for ways to sit and play.
Comment #2
“This is helicopter parenting at its finest. Let kids be kids and sit how they want to sit.”
Our Response
We bet you have made many choices since your child was born: not to sleep him on his tummy when he was a baby to keep him safe, not to let him watch too much tv, making sure he eats all of his veggies, requiring that he wears a helmet when he rides his bike. Parenting is about making decisions based on the best information you have. You decide whether the consequences of a particular action or behavior are significant enough to address it on a regular basis.
Correcting W-Sitting with your child doesn’t have to require constant hovering, nagging, or any negative interaction at all. Keep it playful!
Simply asking your child to get up and retrieve a favorite toy may be enough to change up his positioning the next time he sits back down. Use a “secret” code word to cue your child to change position, give him alternate places and ways to sit such as: a beanbag chair, a pillow to sit on, or even suggest that he lay on his tummy and get down there next to him in the same position. Pretty soon, these will become his new positions and habits.
Be sure to look back at our original post on W-Sitting to see our video of 5-year-old Finn demonstrating suggestions for alternatives to W-Sitting.
Comment #3
What if my child has a specific diagnosis that makes W-Sitting most comfortable for him/her?
Our Response
W-Sitting is not a natural developmental sitting position. If your child is a habitual W-Sitter, meaning that they sit this way all the time and are unable to get into any other comfortable position on the floor, we recommend that you approach the topic with your pediatrician. It may be determined that there is an underlying orthopedic reason that your child is a W-Sitter. If there is not an orthopedic concern, your child’s W-Sitting may be attributed to another underlying cause, such as the need for core strengthening.
We hope we’ve been able to address some of the main areas of concern raised by our post about W-Sitting. We look forward to hearing more from you on this topic.
What do you think? What has your experience been with W-Sitting? If you are a therapist, how do you discuss topics like W-Sitting and Toe Walking with your clients? We’d love to hear in the comments below.
Are you a therapist, teacher, or caregiver working with kids who are W-Sitters? Click here to find our free printable W-Sitting Handout to share with others!
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Excellent responses Lauren! But then I am a therapy momma to and agreed with your original post! :)
As fate would have it, my daughter is a W-sitter. I use the code “criss cross applesauce” with her or just tell her to fix her feet. She is able to do this independently most of the time. I have recently been encouraging the criss cross sitting when working on a bilateral coordination activity to help with her core strengthening.
She has no orthopedic implications that I am aware of, unfortunately it has just become a bad habit with her. This week however, I have noticed her independently fixing her position without me saying anything. In time we will get there. :)
Thanks again for sharing your information, I will definitely be sharing!
Thank you Heather!! We appreciate your input and support both as a mom with a child who w-sits AND as a fellow pediatric therapist. And, HORRAY for your daughter for beginning to self-correct!! :)
What about sitting like that but with toes pointed inward? My one year old sits like that
Hi Marianne…When you are saying both toes are inward, is this preventing your child’s bottom from sitting on the floor??? If so, this would be fine as it wouldn’t truly be w-sitting. If the bottom is still on the floor between the legs and the toes are inward, I would still caution the excess rotation throughout the legs if this is the preferred sitting position. If this is a sitting position that your child just moves through and doesn’t choose to stay in all of the time, I wouldn’t worry! Hope this helps!
I cared for a child with CP and this was a concern. That’s when I first learned of w-sitting. It’s something to watch for and be concerned about for sure and I’m glad more people know about it now from your posts. :)
Thank you Stacy!!
Great initial article and glad you came back and wrote these responses so parents can fully understand the importance of not letting their child W-sit. Being a pediatric therapist, I can tell you first hand how harmful it is when left unchecked. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you Katie!! We appreciate the support from our fellow therapists!
This is very interesting. After a lifetime of W sitting, this is the first time I’ve heard about the physical implications. At 35, I’ve definitely got hip joint issues, back alignment issues, etc. I was also diagnosed with fibromyalgia at 14 so I attributed those issues to that diagnosis. People marvel when they see me sit, they’re fascinated I can do that. NO MORE! I’m going to see if I can find a healthier way to sit, as I have a small child and most of the time I am truly more comfortable on the floor, anyway! My 2.5 year old son W sits and I assumed he inherited my hyper flexibility, but either way I’m going to begin correcting his sitting position starting today. Thanks for this article and insight, it was truly an education for me.
My husband w sat throughout his childhood. He had both hips replaced in his forties. I tell kids all the time, change your legs or move one leg forward. It messes up the leg alignment and PTs can see it.
Hi Catherine…thank you for your comment. I hope that your husband is feeling much better after his hip replacements and I am pretty sure that he won’t try w-sitting now! :)
Hi Holly…thank you for your comment and you are welcome!
Thanks for a great article! I am also an OT (but practice in Adult Neuro) and am concerned as my 13 month old seems to have inherited my hypotonia. It would be wonderful if you could publish an article on activity/exercise ideas for the various age groups to improve the underlying cause of w-sitting (her hips are fine). At her age all I know to do is obstacle courses, bouncing on the therapy ball & constantly moving her out of the w-sitting position. Thanks!
Hi Julie…thank you for your comment and the idea! We can definitely explore doing posts like this in the future. It sounds like you are doing all of the right things for your daughter!!
I’ve never heard of this before. My daughter sits like this all the time. I didn’t know it was bad. What are things we can do to correct the problems?
Hello Jen…trying to encourage your daughter to sit in other positions is the best thing that you can do to discourage the habitual w-sitting. Consistency is so important! Not knowing how old your daughter is and without being able to evaluate her to see what the underlying cause for the w-sitting may be, I can’t offer you any other specific ways to correct her issues. If you are finding it difficult to transition her out of w-sitting into another pattern (criss cross applesauce, tall kneel, side sitting to both sides, etc), pursue an evaluation with a pediatric physical therapist that offer advice specific to her.
Delighted to see other people advocating “no W sitting”. I remind my preschoolers about this and they are very good about it. A gentle reminder is all that is needed for most of them. They understand that it is “not good for you to sit like that” and are cooperative and responsive. NOT hard to do!
Thank you for your comment Anne! You are so right! Kids often don’t need to know the “WHY” like we as adults do. They just do what they need to do to get on with their play.
I just came across your site and these articles. I had no idea w-sitting was not a great way to sit. I have 19 month twins and one sits this way quite often. I’ll have to try getting her to sit in other positions. Any other suggestions of things I can do? She was a later crawler and walker (12 & 17 mo.) so we’ve been somewhat concerned at times about her development. Thanks for the information.
Hi Melody….thank you for your comment! I bet those twins are so much fun!!! Encouraging other sitting positions is the best thing to do at this point to try to break her habit of w-sitting. Just gently shift her out of w-sitting by swinging her legs around in front of her when you catch it or placing her toy up on a bench or stool so that she has to stay up in a tall kneel position instead of collapsing her bottom to the floor between her legs. Tall kneel will also help strengthen her core. Bouncing her on a big ball is super fun for her and will also work to stimulate those core muscles that will help with sitting and those developmental skills. Obstacle course activities to get her bending, climbing, twisting….all good! I hope that helps!!
I have a daughter who after sits like this and since reading your blog I’ve started to get her to sit in a different position.
It’s made me think about myself though when I was a child and even into my teens…..I remember sitting like this all the tie as it was comfy :-). I’ve had quite a few problems with my feet,knees and esp my hips from my teens. I’ve had SPD in both my pregnancies and number of physio appointments. It’s just making me wonder if all of this could possibly be linked to ‘w sitting’??
Hi Kirsty….so glad that you are now aware of w-sitting and are able to suggest other ways for your daughter to sit. Your history of w-sitting could have definitely contributed to your orthopedic issues as you aged into adulthood and it is awesome that you are being proactive for her! Thank you for sharing your story!
I’m a Pre-K teacher and I have 2 students who W-Sit all the time. I try to redirect them when I see them doing this. Do y’all have a letter or a flyer I could send home to parents to share this information with them? I teach in a low socioeconomic community so I know these parents don’t have access to the internet. I know I can just print these pages out and share it with them, but I wanted to see if y’all had a specific flyer or some sort of brochure that teachers or others could give to parents.
Thanks! :)
Hi Rachel….we can certainly word on putting something like this together for you to hand out to your families. We understand the obstacles of working with low income families and would be happy to help! I will be in touch. Thank you for the suggestion.
Thanks so much! I look forward to hearing from you!
My email is Rachel.Schmitt@jppss.k12.la.us
I’ve shared these articles with several of my other teacher friends who would also like a flyer/brochure for parents – so please know your work is greatly appreciated! :)
Hi Rachel….as you requested, we put together a one page handout about w-sitting. You can find it on the original W-sitting post that is in the link below. The handout is about 1/2 way down right before the video of Finn and is a blue link that says “W-Sitting Handout”. We hope this helps!!
criss cross applesauce :)
Right on Wanda! Thank you!
I appreciate your article for 2 important reasons. 1. Had I been told by doctors that sitting this way was not normal maybe my daughters genetic disorder (Ehlers Danlos) would have been detected earlier than 16 yrs old. 2. As an early childhood educator I was able to share this with several others and one educator realized she has a child that sits this way. Parents are having the child checked.
Hi Michelle….thank you for sharing the information. And, yes, w-sitting can be an indicator of an underlying cause so it is important to be vigilant and pursue medical advice if it becomes habitual. Thank you for taking the time to comment!
I work and teach in Japan where I see lots of children and adults W sitting. I was told this is culturally the best form of sitting, and that cross leg sitting is a Western idea. I’m intrigued by your article and wondering how my families will respond to this. Do you have any indication of other countries where this is the preferred sitting style and if there are long term effects? Thank you for your response.
Hi Gigi…this is the first that I have heard of w-sitting being a cultural norm. I would hope that your families would read the article and understand the implications of w-sitting and entertain the idea of considering other sitting positions such as long sit, side-sitting to both sides or tall kneeling to name a few. Thank you for bringing this to our attention!
I live in Northern California where there are a lot of Asian immigrants and Asian-American families who have been here for generations. W-sitting is quite common among their children. Why can’t W-sitting be an inherited ability, just like the ability to “hunker” (sit on your heels without your butt touching the ground), which some people can do but is impossible for others? Does anyone think the ability to hunker causes any physical problems? Are there any statistics indicating that people of Asian descent have more problems than other ethnicities because of W-sitting? I think some research into genetics is called for, rather than making blanket assumptions that W-sitting is ALWAYS bad for EVERYBODY.
Same with India, where “hero pose” is seen as a positive, not a negative – but then again, seating (as in Japan) is different throughout life there, with sitting for extended periods on the floor being the norm – far beyond most Westerners’ abilities to sit without stiffening up or legs falling asleep. Chairs (outside the most westernized areas) are for the elderly or infirm. And sitting “Indian style” (cross-legged), while of course extremely common, is associated with bad posture, being hunched over, compressing the inner organs, etc.
As a fellow pediatric therapist (OT), I completely agree with both articles!!
Thank you Maggie!!
I am a preschool teacher and have been addressing this issue for years. I have also heard that w-sitting CAN be one of MANY signs of autism. I bookmarked and shared your first article on numerous education pages. I think you did a beautiful job explaining these issues and I intend to share your article with parents the next time I need to. I already see a couple of w-sitters just one week into the school year. I usually start by asking them to “bring your legs in front of your bodies” or to bring them under their bodies. Thank you for sharing this valuable information.
Thank you for your kind words Mimi! We are so glad that you are proactive as a teacher — both with the kiddos and the parents! Way to go!!
Hi, I’m wondering if the w sitting is the sane as babies M sitting in a soft structured carrier? Would the same (undesirable) effects apply? If yes, what’s a better alternative in terms of carriers? Thanks!
Hi Lina…I hope that I am understanding exactly what you are asking. Are you referring to a product like Baby Bjorn as a “soft-structured” carrier and are you referring to “M” sitting as the baby in a position where her knees are tucked up close to her? If so, then I would say no, the implications are not the same. Babies spend 9 months all tucked up inside of you with their knees into their chest. This is a very natural position. As they gain strength and experience tummy time, those hips stretch out and the legs straighten. As long as your baby is tolerating that position as you carry him/her around, go for it!! Hope this helps!
Hi Laura,
Thanks for the answer! Soft structured carriers like Ergo and Manduca. (baby bjorn supposedly hangs baby by the groin …ouch!)
Great the know M sitting is fine – yup, her knees are tucked up slightly but spread open into an m to wrap across my waist. Thought it seemed a little similiar to W just tat she’s not on the floor. Cheers!
Great Lina…glad I was at least on the right track!! Thank you!!
At what age should I be correcting W sitting? My daughter is 11 months old and I see her doing this often.
Thx
Robyn…whenever you notice that this is becoming the preferred way for her to sit and she isn’t transitioning through it to get to other positions but instead is choosing to stay in a w-sit position for the majority of the time she is on the floor, it should be addressed. Hope that helps!!
I never knew this existed, and I’m having a hard time believing this is the cause of joint problems. I have had many problems, and I never sat like this. There are so many other things that can cause back and hip pain – like posture and a diet of inflammatory foods, plus any injuries one would get in a lifetime. To prove this particular way of sitting does in fact cause problems, the individuals studied would have to have an anti-inflammatory diet, impeccable posture, and absolutely zero injuries in their life anywhere on the trunk of the body. There aren’t enough people who can not only say that but also say that they sat like this. If it’s not a natural sitting position, how do kids do it at such a young age without being taught? I’m definitely curious to learn more, but I’m skeptical as of now.
Hi Laura…I agree with your comment that there are many other things that cause joint pain. We are simply saying that this way of sitting forcibly places the joints of the hips and knees into a compromised position. Children have very mobile joints and often do not have any difficulty getting into strange and unnatural positions (my daughter, at age 9, can sit on the floor and place her feet behind her head). However, when they do this habitually and because their muscles and bones are rapidly developing, it changes the way that these joints grow and develop which COULD lead to the consequences that we mentioned. Hope that helps explain things a little better.
My mom is 52 and still sits like this. As a child she would actually sleep like this – legs in a W and then lean forward so her belly is on the bed. She was pigeon toed, wore leg braces, and now has lower back, hip, and knee problems, as well as very poor core muscles. Despite me showing her several articles explaining why sitting like this is not good, she will not accept that her issues are even remotely related. It’s so frustrating!! But all I can do is try to inform and educate.
Hi Alicia…you are right, all you can do is try! The best thing about working with kiddos is that they don’t need explanations or articles or constant answers to the “why” to change something they are doing. But, we adults, need every bit of reinforcement we can get to change a bad habit!! I can’t even believe she slept like that…ouch!!!!! :) Thank you for sharing!
Thank you for this article! My 12 month old daughter was diagnosed with hip dysplasia at 6 weeks old and was braced 24/7 for 7 months. At 5 months old she was diagnosed with hypotonia and hypermobility. She’s been braced nights only since 8 months old and she always reverts to “W” sitting, no matter how often I correct her. She got the double whammy of limited core strength, weak muscles, and hip dysplasia. So glad “W” sitting is getting the attention it deserves.
Double whammy for sure Christine! Hang in there and good for you for being proactive with her and getting her all the help she needs! Thank you for sharing!!
Could W sitting have any affect on the position of my daughter’s feet? She has sat like this since she began sitting up on her own. She does sit properly as well but often still sits in a W. We noticed when she started walking that her knees touched and her feet point out. We were told it would get better once she walked for a while. She is now 18 months old and has been walking for 9 months now with no correction and I feel it is getting worse. Any suggestions? Pediatrician says it will correct itself, still!
I used to sit in the “w” fashion all the time as a child and teen. It was more comfortable to me than criss-crossed legs (formerly called “indian style” when I was young). As an adult, I learned I had tailor’s bunions (bunion deformities on the exterior bones of me feet) and have had sugeries. That is why it hurt to sit cross-legged. I also have posterior tibial tendon disorder (also referred to as “too many toes” as your feet tend to stick out when facing forward. My orthopedist said that this was not attributed to sitting “w”; however, many people with these problems tend to sit in the “w” fashion because it is more comfortable. I have had no negative consequences (like hip, back, joint, or alignment issues) from doing so. My doctor actually said that sitting in the “w” fashion may have delayed my tailor’s bunion progression. I’m not disputing your article or that there are issues with sitting “w”, but it is not the case for everyone. I am a runner, have had 3 children, and do not have any underlying issues from “w” sitting. I also was an early developer as a baby/child.
Hi Andrea…thank you for sharing your story. I have never heard of the bunion/tibial tendon disorder connection to w-sitting but appreciate the information!
Hi Lindsay. What you are describing could certainly be related to her w-sitting but I am glad to hear that she does not choose this position as her only sitting position. I would discourage it as much as possible and encourage her to walk, climb, negotiate different surfaces and obstacles…etc. This will help her gain balance, confidence and core strength. She may helping her body balance a bit by bringing her knees close together and widening her base of support by pointing her toes out while she walks at this point. Hope that helps.
I can remember w sitting all the time when I was a child but never knew that you shouldn’t sit that way until I read your posts. I’m 34 now and have scoliosis, flat feet, and bad hips and knees and I believe that all of that was probably cause by my w sitting. So thank you so much for the articles because I now know to correct my 3 year old if he ever sits that way.
Thank you for your comment Amanda. I am sorry that you are experiencing all of these orthopedic issues and, w-sitting related or not, no one should have to live through the pain and discomfort of scoliosis, flat feet and bad/hips knees. Cheer on your sweet little 3 year old and keep him from choosing w-sitting as his primary position!
My oldest daughter has femoral anteversion. The W sitting is the worst way she should sit according to her physical therapist and orthopedic.
Thanks for sharing Laura. I am glad that you are the amazing proactive parent that you are and pursued medical advice for your daughter!
As a child my legs were turned out wards from birth. It required braces on my legs to correct the issue. As a result of wearing leg braces for so long, I never learned to sit any other way but with my legs straight out. To this day I cannot sit crisis cross without being in pain. I also have many of the limited reach, hip pain, back pain, and other issues that a w sitter face. It can create issues that will follow them throughout their life.
Hi Melanie…thank you for sharing your story. I am so sorry that you are experiencing daily pain.
I am a 55 yo woman and I “W” sat as a kid…I have terrible hip issues and I wonder if this is why!
Very well could be Lyn. There are definitely other causes of “hip issues” but having been a consistent W-sitter may have changed the joint and your body mechanics. I am sorry that you are dealing with hip issues at such a young age!
My son is 2 now. He wears braces at night to correct his bowleggedness (which ias decreased a lot now thankfully!) and intoeing. He has inward tibular rotation (I think that’s what it’s called) so the braces help him at night to correct the pigeon-toedness. We also have to constantly correct his W sitting. My question is if we keep doing what we’re doing, will my son be ok? I keep changing his w sitting to criss cross and other positions as you this website has pointed out. My only fear is by the time he finally starts to sit correctly consistently…will it be too late?
Hello, and thank you for this very clear explanation. Our daughter’s preschool teacher recently informed us of the risks of w-sitting and I’ve been trying to do a little more research myself. In your original post about w-sitting, you cited a study that potentially linked w-sitting to flat feet. Do you have similar, research-based evidence about the other claims for w-sitting? I’m especially interested in your statement, “you are placing your hips in a position that is compromising the joint which, in times of rapid bone growth, could affect how the femur and tibia bones grow and form. Young bones and joints ARE affected by the habitual patterns in which they are positioned.” and would appreciate a chance to read more deeply into the matter. Thanks again.
Sorry – extra comment bc I’d like to be informed of follow-up comments by email.
An anecdote…As a skeptic, I take all anecdotes with a grain of salt…as should you… Evidence of causation should only ever be derived from large controlled/blinded clinical studies… That doesn’t mean there’s something to be learned/gleaned from anecdotes however, so here goes:
I am a 35 YEAR OLD ‘Still Sometimes’ W sitter… Adults often wonder why I sit like that, but it’s honestly more natural and far less painful than trying to sit cross-legged (which I have to force and I always feel my knees are pointing too high… this is as true today as it was 30 years ago)
I am mildly bow-legged – my knees point in, I tend to walk with my feet pointing out (slightly more than normal) and my toes pointing up (not sure what that’s about, all my shoes eventually angle up at the toe)… It never stopped me from being quite athletic in my teens, where I did long distance running and sprint sports (hurdles), as well as alot of weight lifting/conditioning.
So the obvious question: did my W sitting lead to bow-leggedness OR did my bow-leggedness lead to W sitting? Around my late teens, I became a bit of hypocondriac (the early internet had alot to do with that! Today I am an avowed skeptic) and went to pediatrists and orthopedic surgeons to have this checked out.
The general consensus was that I (like most people with it) was BORN with bow-ledggedness, which lead to W sitting. When asked about ‘prognosis’ I was basically told I should try skiing, skating or horseback riding — apparently areas where the condition is a benefit (I will add – hurdles too, where the backleg clears in a half-W… I was always the shortest guy in hurdles as it was a natural movement — until Grade 12 when my lack of stature (pick your parents wisely!!!) caught up (or didn’t lol) with me…
How does it relate to the article? My only word of caution to parents would be to avoid self-diagnosis and correction. Bow leggedness is fairly common and if I was forced to sit cross-legged – it would be needlessly agonizing (as in painful) for no benefit at all (it doesn’t undo bowleggedness!).
See a real doctor (as in an MD) and see if there’s something to be worried about first.
I constantly sat in the “W” position as a child and I was also uncomfortable sitting cross legged. I have really long legs and I am super flexible. I think the “W” position helped me stabilize myself at play and I have not noticed any back, hip, knee, or feet issues as a result!
Thank you for being vocal about this and not letting the nay sayers get to you. I was a HUGE W sitter as a kid. I vividly remember it and those who knew me growing up still do.
I always had knee pain growing up too. And I remember my parents taking me into the Ped and he walked in, saw me W sitting on the floor playing with the bead track, and he basically said “that is the reason her knees hurt” and walked out. We all kind of thought he was a quack.
Now reading things like this as an adult, its like the veil was lifted. For some reason, both my sons (3.5 and 20m) gravitate towards w sitting as well. I don’t know why. I always say “the w sitting gene is strong with me and my kids”. Luckily I know what I know, and have been able to encourage them to sit other ways if they sit that way for longer than 30 seconds or so (or as soon as I come in the room and notice, obviously.)
I hope that my knowledge will prevent them any harm. If this is being a “helicopter parent”, so be it. Its such a easy thing to work on and prevent.
I just want to add, I am mildly pigeon-toed and flat footed. Both of my boys are mildly pigeon toed as well, even before they started attempting to w sit. Maybe there is something structural with us that makes us gravitate to the unnatural sit
Hi Kate…thank you so much for your kind words and for sharing your personal experiences with w-sitting. Good for you for being proactive with your boys and keeping them out of this position for prolonged periods of time! Definitely not “helicopter parenting” to us. Enjoy your weekend!
fascinating article! I also sat this way when I was little. I was born with no hip sockets and while other kids could sit cross-legged on the floor, my legs would not work that way, no matter how I tried to bend them. Maybe in the 50’s the braces they used didn’t align things properly yet I was fine, doing ballet, some gymnastics during my growing up years. It was only when I started having babies that everything moved around and not in the best directions. At 55 I had a total right hip replacement and now I sit cross-legged every chance I can. It makes me feel like a little kid and I love it! My W sitting more often ended up in T sitting with my knees together and my legs out at right angles. I never thought anything of it! Again, thank you for the info. I don’t think, though, anyone could have corrected me to sit cross-legged.
Hi Cyn….thank you for your comment! It sounds as if you definitely had a medical reason to prefer a w-sitting position and that it was the only comfortable way for you to sit!
I am 52 yrs old and have sat in the w position most of my life ,and yes i have hip,back and also knee problems,i never gave it much thought,but i do suppose your knees are not suppose to be bent at angles like that for years.
I sat this way as a child, into adulthood. From my memory I thought that my knees were always misaligned, but recently my mother told me I was not born this way and that she is certain it was because of the way I sat. When my feet face forward my knees face together and my legs bow outwards. I thought this was a cool party trick, but I have since had knee, hip and back problems … Sometimes to the point where I find it difficult to walk. My coordination has never been great and I suck at all sports. After reading this I know it’s probably too late for me… but I will be looking into therapy to see if things can be fixed without surgery. DONT LET YOUR KIDS SIT LIKE THIS. It looks cute but the damage it causes is disastrous.
Hi. I am an early years’ professional in The UK. At the moment the new initiative is for all tables to be removed from all classrooms up to year 2 and writing is to be done on the floor. There is great debate between us all at the moment. Would you mind giving your opinion from an OT/ physiotherapist view?
Look forward to hearing from you.
Tara
Hi Tara! This sounds like a really interesting initiative! I think I would be inclined to take a more middle-of-the road approach on this, since what works for one child may not work for another. I like the idea of kids having the option to write while lying on the floor in a prone position, we use this in therapy sessions for weight-bearing and strength/stability building. I also recommend this position for kids who have a hard time sitting still and maintaining functional posture in their seats for long periods of time – we use this as an “alternate seating” option for them. Again, I like this position as an option for kids who need it, but I’m unsure of applying it for all children as some kids do just fine with a table and chair. Hope this answers your question!
Thanks for this article! My sister in law is a pediatric PT and has told us to watch for this. My husband is still known to W-sit. My question and concern are with my 15 month old. I’ve seen him W-sit, however, he doesn’t often hopefully because we try to correct him. However, recently I’ve noticed him putting one leg into the W-sit position… Is that as dangerous as the full W? When he has the one leg back he tends to put his other leg in front (like criss cross) or occasionally straight out… Thank you for any advice!!
Hi Rebecca…thank you for your comment! No, the position that you are describing is preferred over full w-sitting and is actually a side-sit position when the front leg is in criss cross applesauce. Try to encourage him to do this to both sides if you can!! Hope this helps!
Thank you for both of your articles. As a pediatric orthotist, I encourage my patient’s families to help decrease w-sitting. I have hypotonia myself and w-sat throughout my childhood and into my adult life (until I was in Prosthetics and Orthotics School and realized how bad it was). I am now 47 and have hip and knee problems. My son has hypotonia and tried to w-sit, but I strongly discouraged it. We practiced sitting criss-cross applesauce for years. I work for Surestep and we recently introduced a new intervention for w-sitting. My son was given the opportunity to enter a naming contest for the device and not surprisingly, one of his entries was “Criss-Crossers”. If you haven’t had a chance to see them, please check them out at http://www.surestep.net/criss_crossers.php. We are currently doing some research using sensors to track the amount of w-sitting is occurring before and after treatment with these orthoses. I will be happy to keep you up-t- date on our results. Criss-Crossers can currently be ordered direct from Surestep by parents or can be obtained through a local pediatric orthotist. We have recently begun billing them to insurance companies, but are having to use a misc. billing code, so it is isn’t completely sure that they insurance companies will cover them. They are $199 direct.
Anne, thank you for your comment regarding your experience with w-sitting and for the information on the Surestep products. We are aware of Criss-Crossers and we would love to be kept up do date on the results of the research. I love that your son’s entry won to name the product!! So fun!!
My daughter (who is 8) always sits this way. She just told me yesterday that in school she can’t sit with her legs crossed because her feet always fall asleep. The W sitting is the only way she can find that is comfortable without her legs or feet falling asleep. I’m not in school with her to correct her, what are your suggestions? She hates the feet falling asleep feeling as it seems to happen to her often. I’m not sure what to do about this? They sit on the floor all the time in school.
This is interesting. I have never liked sitting criss-cross for some of the same reasons. My feet fall asleep and my legs hurt. Legs straight out in front doesn’t work well as it makes the muscles along the backs of my legs/knees hurt to be straight out (when sitting). I either side – sat (which also ended/ends up putting the bottom leg to sleep) or w-sat. I am now 30 and all of those things are still the same. I am very flat-footed, but my back issue is attributed to on leg being just a smidgen shorter. My 5 y-o also w-sits. To my knowledge she does not have any core issues or development delays. Simply because it always was and still is very uncomfortable to me to not w-sit, I don’t push her to change either. Oddly enough, my sisters were always amazed that I could stand from the w position. Still can. Just put my feet down and push myself up with my feet and legs (no hands). That should say something about balance always strength. :)
When we discovered that my daughter had developmental vision problems, we were also told that she had retained reflexes from infancy that had delayed her visual development. One of the consequences of retaining those reflexes was poor posture and a dislike of sitting up straight on her bottom whether it was in a chair or on the floor. Part of her vision therapy was physical exercises to strengthen the core muscles. I’m not sure if this is related to W-sitting, but thank you for pointing out how a child’s physical development affects every aspect of their lives into adulthood.
I’m a 50-something recovering “W” sitter. I toe-in and now, as I am “advancing in age,” I’m feeling the affects in my knees, hips, and feet. This is such a passionate issue for me because I wasn’t offered intervention as a kid!
Is it ok to use you chart on a hand out for parents? I am trying to make a quick handout to give to my parents during meetings when they don’t qualify for PT services at the time of their meeting. THanks
Hi Kristin! Thanks for asking! The handout is definitely meant to be printed and shared with families and anyone else who would find the information useful. We just ask that you print it and share it in its entirety and in its original form with our website appearing at the bottom of it. Thank you!
While I don’t doubt your research or your good intentions, I do worry about the way “no W-sitting” is now taught in colleges of education. I have a problem with teachers correcting children for something they do naturally, particularly if this is not discussed or agreed upon with parents. That’s how I sat on the floor as a child, and had my teachers insisted I change to something less comfortable, it would have made me miserable and given my classmates another reason to think I was weird. In my 50’s I began having difficulty speaking and reading. A brain MRI found a cavernoma in my left parietal lobe. Probably there since I was an infant or toddler, this brain lesion was more than likely the cause of mild midline difficulties, the inability to differentiate between left and right, and some minor problems with balance. Just as I compensated mentally by using tricks and assets in other areas to learn, I sat in a way that gave me stability and strength. As an educator myself, I caution teachers to consider each child individually, and to respect the judgement of the parents and comfort of the student. In my case, no orthopedic or pediatric specialist would have diagnosed the problem. Sometimes fixing or preventing one problem can cause or exacerbate another.
I have an 8 month old son who crawls (mostly dragging back legs, rarely picking up knees and moving them forward), pulls up on everything and even let go and stood independently for a few seconds yesterday until I accidentally knocked him down. He still does not go from lying on his back to sitting up, however he does go from crawling position to sitting up. The issue is that when he does this he ends up in a half W position with his left leg pulled back every time. Not sure what that mean or if/when we should worry about it? Thanks!
Hi All,
Can you please address my concerns. My 2 year old is a habitual w-sitter. I am trying to change to criss cross.
Now my concern is, her thighs are together but her knees are away from each other due to w-sit. Will this be a life long situation, or, will this change, if i keep up with the criss-cross sitting position?
I am worried if it’s too late to fix her body structure. Can you please suggest me some ways to change her body structure.
Thanks in advance!
Hi Christine….thanks for your question. Because I am not able to assess your daughter myself, I cannot offer specific advice. I would, however, advise you to address your concerns with your pediatrician who may ask you to follow up with a pediatric orthopedist to see if there are any structural abnormalities in her legs that require therapy or another intervention to address. She is young! Keep doing what you are doing to move her out of the habit of constantly w-sitting.
Your post shows that you do not have the ability to learn from your clients or their families, or from the world. That is not the sign of a good therapist. Your learning comes from a book and is not REAL. Readers, there are many many people who shift in and out of this and many other positions; these are often people with lower muscle tone or greater joint laxity. This is only harmful when it is relied on as the only way of sitting with stability.
I’m a preschool teacher and am correcting w-sitting a lot. I have been to many training classes with professionals saying exactly what you have said.
I have a 15 month old granddaughter who w-sits almost exclusively. She was always happy examining every minute detail of books and toys, so I don’t think she felt the need to move around. She just started crawling at about 12 months, and can pull herself up to a standing position well, but has no desire to walk at all (if you take her hands n try to walk her, she lifts her legs up off the floor LOL). I’m beginning to notice that sometimes when she stands (always while holding onto something) one of her calves bends ever so slightly out to the side at the knee, rather like some older, heavy adults legs do. If you try to move her legs to a different position do not bent w, she gives you a look and puts one or both right back into the w positions……. any ideas?
Hi Tina….thank you for your comment. I would guess that your granddaughter is experiencing some of the negative side effects of w-sitting that we mentioned in the article. I would suggest that you express these concerns to your pediatrician to pursue a possible physical therapy evaluation so that your family can be trained in ways to move her out of exclusive w-sitting and to help correct some of the resultant muscle tightness and alignment concerns. Good luck!!
This is an interesting article. I never knew what to call that position. I am a 39 year old man…I have no kids, but I sat like that constantly, and actually still do…I’ve never noticed much in the way of hip problems, and the knee problems I have come from a martial arts injury. BUt then I have always been a lot more flexible than other kids, even the girls.
I never thought of it being a hharmful position, though,..it kninda makes me think.
Hello,
My son is a W-sitter. He is still crawling; and when he crawls somewhere (legs behind him) he simply sits up with his legs still behind him which lands him in the W position. At home we tickle his feet, which he then pulls infront of him and our of the W. At daycare we can’t ask them to do that all the time; they simply won’t do it.
My question, is when should we be concerned? Do we wait till he is walking to see how he sits then, since it seems like the W is caused when he goes from crawling to sitting?
Thanks, I loved your article.
Hi Ricky…thank you for your comment! It sounds like you are doing an amazing job of being proactive and working with your son to correct his w-sitting. At this point, I wouldn’t worry too much. Keep moving him out of that position if you see him staying there for long periods of time. Otherwise, he may be likely use this position as a transition, which is fine!! You are aware and that is AWESOME!
I am a Pediatric Occupational Therapist at an ABA center and have many w-sitters. I’ve always corrected it in my kids during therapy. Even for my consults with other kiddos here, I tell their BCBAs and programmers to have their coaches correct it. However, ABA is very evidenced based, and Occupational Therapy is trying to solidify and justify our field more by also being more evidenced based. That being said, I was trying to research more scholarly, research-based evidence pertaining to this fact. I know you said you “don’t like to get technical” on your website but just because we have degrees doesn’t mean we shouldn’t back up what we say for the other professionals (or higher education parents) who want to dive into the more “technical stuff.” I know that my drive to use evidence based interventions didn’t go away once I received my Master’s and passed my boards. I see that you posted one article on it but my internet browser says the webpage is not available. I was hoping you had more articles supporting this idea because I do want to keep correcting w-sitting but can’t bring myself to do it now that I realize there is hardly any research out there on the subject. That is, unless I’m looking in the wrong places or using the wrong terms!
To clarify, there should be no “W sitting” at all? I have a 4 year old who sits that way occasionally. But she easily gets up onto 1 knee if she needs something farther away, and often changes positions. She has no diagnoses or delays of any sort.
If you have not, I strongly suggest you do some research on EDS Hypermobility Type in connection with w sitting. EDS is a connective tissue disorder that affects collagen. People with Hypermobility Type EDS have more flexible joints as well as an astounding variety of systemic issues. EDS can *independently* cause w sitting, but also back pain (through early arthritis and a strong correlation with spina bifida occulta), flat feet, hip displasia, and more. I would hate to think people thought they could somehow correct this genetic condition just by changing the way they sit. While I do know that midline and trunk development are important for neurological development, and I agree that w sits should be discouraged, it would greatly benefit children and their families to be evaluated for Hypermobility, especially if there is a history in either parent of arthritis, fibromyalgia, or even other issues like anesthesia resistance or IBS.
I have sat like this for 52 years. I have more than perfect posture, NO joint damage [former modern dancer], and am far more comfortable in this position than any other.
I have NEVER heard of any problems with sitting like this, and I have only met, or have seen one or two people that also sit this way MY ENTIRE LIFE! Until today, I had not heard of any concerns what-so-ever until I read some nit-twit panicky parent post on facebook. From there I decided to research & check this out. I found many articles pertaining to the evil of ‘W-sitting’, ALL of them written within the last year or two. NONE before that. And NONE with ANY proper citations nor solid evidence to back up the claims of damage & such that would happen to anyone that chooses to sit like this.
Given that I have witnessed many failed attempts to mimic my way of sitting, and one dancer almost dislocating her hip joints when she tried to, it is not something easily done if you are not used to it, nor body conditioned. I have hip rotation that allows hyper positioning of the five basic ballet foot positions as well as terrific extension & height in a side kick .
I refuse to see any validity in these warnings of bodily doom & destruction without hard evidence, and will continue to look onto this as nothing more than helicopter parenting & chicken little protectionism.
Jon – I have been working with physiotherapists for over 20 years and have heard them discussing the dangers of W sitting that whole time. This is not a new idea; nor is it either helicopter parenting or chicken little protectionism. Your experience as a dancer does not equate to the physios’ and OTs’ clinical knowledge of child development. Let them do their job.
I’m very thankful that someone told me early on that W sitting was a problem with my son, otherwise, I never would have known. Now that he’s 3, he does a good job of fixing his legs when we tell him and is getting better about not W sitting.
I wish the pediatricians my son saw over the years mentioned this to me before. He is pigeon toed, more so on one side, and he has extremely high arches. The arches we can fix but had I known about all of this when he was younger I could have stopped him from sitting that way. I didn’t know it could cause this and now I see how it has affected him. He is 8 years old now, how can I fix the damage?
I am 26 years old and at 23 I underwent 6 surgeries to correct my legs from sitting like this my whole life. I suffered everyday in pain and went to 4 orthopedic surgeons to fix me. They didn’t have a clue what was wrong with my legs and all of them gave me a different diagnosis and pain meds but I didn’t want that. All I wanted was to be fixed. They ordered xrays but the problem couldn’t be seen with xrays. I finally drove 6 hours to see a doctor in houston, tx. He said my that my femur were rotated inwards 20 degrees more than the normal leg and my tibia were rotated outwards 25 degrees more than the norm. He broke both tibias, femurs, and fibulas and i had to wear 4 external fixators so that i could turn the pins 4 times daily. This would slowly rotate my bones back to normal . Now I have 4 titanium rods in my legs. Although I will still have many challenges ahead this was the only option for me to have any quality of life. The surgery/ recovery is by far the worst pain I have every endured. I would never wish that on anyone. I have a 2 year old daughter and Im constantly correcting her sitting habits. I know alot of women have commented about how they have been sitting like this their whole life and haven’t had any problems; just consider yourself lucky. I’m not telling anyone how to raise their kids but it never hurt anyone to correct the way their child sits. Because your child just might not be as lucky as you; they might have problems the rest of their life like me. I wish someone had corrected me and I could have bypassed all of this pain. Thank yall!
as a dance and acrobatic instructor for 34 years, I have always discouraged “W” sitting because I knew it over extended the knee and could cause the hips and feet to turn in. I have always paid close attention to posture and proper growth in my students and have certainly had students with issues through the years But over the last 5 years, I have noticed an increase in the number of very young students who have great difficulty in simple stretches and who actually sit with their hips “tucked under” almost to the point where their tailbone is hitting the floor while sitting with their legs straight out or in a “v” sit for stretching. Many of them are unable to fully straighten their legs or “lock” their knees because the hamstring muscles are “short” and extremely tight. Or who can not stand and reach for their toes without bending their knees. This is often painful and discourages them from stretching properly. I have also noticed that sitting in a “v” stretch position, many of these children will place their hands behind them on the floor to sit because they can not lift their bodies to sit up straight without pushing on the floor. They slouch. After consulting with an orthopedist I have learned that In children who frequently sit in a “W”, the core muscles are often unable to work in conjunction with the back muscles . This is surely a concern that all parents should pay attention to. Also, turned in feet are often turned in from the hip. Over extending the knees can result in knee pain and injuries that require pain and possibly surgery in the future. While it may seem that your child is flexible or that this position of sitting is “cute”, it can result in damage that is irreversible.
After re-reading my post, I realized that I failed to mention that my students who display sitting with their hips tucked under are frequent “w” sitters. The damage is noticeable at a very young age.
Neither the original article, not the revisited response is convincing. Sometimes information seems logical and plausible and even taught in school, and turns out not to be true when subject to closer scrutiny.
I am not aware of any peer reviewed research that provides evidence that w-sitting *causes* any problems. There is research that suggests that w-sitting might *indicate* problems, that are most likely caused by other underlying causes. In any case, to my knowledge, there is no hard evidence, that telling kids not to w-sit solves any problems. If the author of this article knows references to such evidence, please share it here.
In the absence of such evidence, please consider that your advice might cause more harm than good. First, the child and parent might both get unnecessarily frustrated. Second, they might think they fixed an issue when in reality they did not. Third, it takes attention away from things that might be more important to fix.
My daughter age 3 years sitting w by birth, but she a little problem while walking and bend her left foot inside in her every step. Her medically reports are correct but no doctor can help us in making her better. please suggest us for betterment her walking in correct position.
As a Speechie from Australia who has worked with other therapists throughout my career, I am astounded at the backlash you must have received. I didn’t see the original article but am surprised that people are questioning therapists as being hypervigilant or helicopter-ish. I love the seat belt illustration too. I primarily work with families of deaf and hard of hearing children but have sometimes these children have multiple issues; only rarely has W-sitting not been considered a priority. Thanks for the second article – I will have a look at the first.
W sitting is the most comfortable position for kids to sit when they have femoral anteversion. Kids with femoral retroversion find criss cross applesauce to be more comfortable. Interestingly, excessive retroversion is associated with higher levels of osteoarthritis later in life than anteversion. Hip version is genetically determined. You cannot sit your way into being anteverted or retroverted. In order for biomechanical forces to influence bone development, you would have to be braced in one position for a very long time. No kid sits long enough to influence their bony anatomy. While it is true that kids with underlying issues tend to sit in a W position more frequently as it is a more stable position, sitting in a W position itself will not cause long term orthopedic issues. Hip dysplasia is primarily genetic. I know all the PT and OT schools teach the horrors of W sitting, but there is no peer reviewed literature to support the claims of all the supposed damage it causes. If this was such a cause for orthopedic concern, you would think I would have treated more kids for it in Boston. I am a pediatric orthopedic PA, but don’t just take my word for it!
http://www.today.com/parents/why-w-sitting-really-not-so-bad-kids-after-all-t69806
The people in medical field, please discover a wearable device that hinders the kid from W sitting .
I am giving you free idea, make use of it and as usual make money. At least in your process of money making let the little children get benifited.
Hello,
The above mentioned comments are interesting. However, they are all comments based on experiences of experts in the field and the patient testimonials.. I am keen to know if you have any research references to support this information?
Hi, first of all, sorry for my english.
My son 9yo has all the problems descibed as connected to w-sitting (femoral antivrsion,weakness in hands and muscles, no coordination, difficulty in writing… I was thinking – and do also medical survey – to dyspaxia… ihe’s just recognized with dysgraphia… Now I discoverd this… and I understand a lot…
But now… what I could do to solve the problem??? Which medical solution?
Thank you for your advices!!!
Laura
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W-sitting: 4 reasons to stop it
Pediatric OT-at 61 years old; practicing for 39 years; I was a W-sitter. I now experience the discomfort that are a result of that early positioning. As I reflect on my experiences and the progression of developmental progress with my clients over the years I see, although I am a very functional and active individual, the W-sitting did have implications on my life that would be better to have been avoided. Non of my 3 kids did or were allowed to W-sit. :)