Learn more about w-sitting and why pediatric therapists caution against this position.

Each time I walk into a classroom, I can find at least 3 children who are on the floor in the W-Sitting position…and they kind of remind me of melting snowman.

Their legs are wide around their bottoms, their trunk posture is often droopy and they aren’t able to move their arms outside of their base of support to play. I am constantly saying “fix your legs” or “NO “W” SITTING!”. What’s so wrong with W-sitting? Let’s explore.

What is W-Sitting?

W-sitting looks like this: a child sits on the floor, his bottom is between their legs, and his knees are bent with legs rotated away from the body – if you stand above him and look down, it looks like his legs are forming a “W”. All children have the potential to begin the W-sitting habit.

In this position, a child’s base of support is wider and his center of gravity is lower, allowing for increased stability through the hips and trunk. It’s a convenient position for play because they do not have to work on keeping their balance while also concentrating on toys.

Why is W-Sitting Problematic for Kids?

In this position, a child cannot achieve active trunk rotation and cannot shift his weight over each side making it difficult to reach toys that are outside of their immediate reach. It is so important for kids to be able to weight shift and rotate in order to develop adequate balance reactions, for developing the ability to cross midline, and to have access to the movement needed to attain other important developmental milestones.

Bilateral coordination (the ability to effectively use both sides of the body together) is delayed as a result. Every motor skill a child develops is a product of developing the milestone before. So, if a child has difficulty developing bilateral coordination, he may then demonstrate delays in skills such as developing hand dominance, skipping, throwing, kicking, etc.

W-sitting can cause the hip and leg muscles to become shortened and tight which may lead to “pigeon toed” walking and could increase chance of back or pelvis pain as they grow. One study also suggests that W-sitting as a preschooler may be associated with a child becoming flat footed in both feet (European Journal of Pediatrics, Chen KC, 2010)*.

How to Correct W-Sitting

If a child is frequently in a W-sitting position, core strength may be an issue, which may lead to poor posture, delayed developmental skills, and overcompensation of other muscle groups. If your child is a W-sitter, there are a few things you can do to help him correct his sitting.

First and foremost, encourage other ways to sit on the floor. Side sitting (to either side), long sitting (legs out in front), pretzel sitting, playing in all fours, or sitting on a low bench or stool. Consistency is important!

If you find that your child has difficulty maintaining any other position than W-sitting, it may be worthwhile to seek the advice of a pediatrician or physical therapist for suggestions on how to correct his position and for treatment of any underlying strength deficits or muscle tightening that has resulted.

If you’re a therapist or teacher who frequently encounters children who are W-Sitters, share a copy of our printable W-Sitting handout with parents and caregivers!

Read more about the W-Sitting Controversy and hear how others are weighing in on the W-Sitting Debate!

Check out all of our best therapy tools here!

We love this post about W-Sitting from Rachel at CanDo Kiddo – such a well rounded review of the related issues and when W-Sitting is really a problem for kids.

*Institute of Medicine, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung City, 402, Taiwan. European Journal of Pediatrics (Impact Factor: 1.91). 12/2010; 170(7):931-6. DOI:10.1007/s00431-010-1380-7 Source: PubMed