My 14 month old twins (12 corrected) had a visit with their OT and what I thought was a CUTE "froggie" sitting position turns out to be the dreaded W sit. Did anyone have a child that W sat and turned out to walk fine? I googled this and found all sorts of frightening info such as it could be a form of cerebral palsy affecting the lower half of the body due to prematurity. Now when I see them sitting like this I correct them, but I am panic mother mode. Did your child W sit? I figure plenty babies must do this and parents don't even know it's bad. I am feeling like a failure these days that I couldn't carry these babies to term and just hope they will continue to be healthy. I am full of questions during this second year!! Thanks for all your ongoing support!
Thanks for your reply! Did she take a long time to walk? My daughter also tends to walk on her tippytoes....did yours do that? I am just a mess these days. (It might be from having my annoying MIL living with us for 9 weeks and announcing she wants to stay longer.)
Both of my boys do this but they both seem fine. James is already walking. Jack cruises well although sometimes he is on his tip-toes. I remember sitting like this as a kid, even when I was older. I was probably about 9 by the time I realized it hurt to sit that way.
I used to sit like that as a child until I realized how uncomfortable it was. You are not a failure, I know mine W sit from time to time and they walk just fine. :hug:
Yes my DD walked quite late around 16 months I guess.. She never walked on her toes but my niece did. Both them walk perry fine now. Pls dont blame yourself... and LOL on MIL issue..
Brandon sits in that position and I'm always correcting it. He started walking at 10 months and RUNS now, but he is very bowlegged and the Dr. advised us not to let him sit that way. It's really hard to stay on top of, especially since he likes to sleep that way too!
One of mine does that and she is walking just fine. I also did that as a child and I was fine. I would just make an effort to correct it when you notice it, but I wouldn't stress about it.
My DD still sits like that, and she walks fine. I also sat like that all the time until I was 4 or 5, and I walk fine too. Stay off the internet! It's scary there!
Wow, I had no idea that was a big deal! My husband stills like this ALL THE TIME! I'm going to have to tell him not be a bad example I guess. Thanks for bringing this up!
Same here. The PT wanted me to correct her sitting every time I saw it, but that just isn't realistic (especially when you have twins). My girls were 30 weekers and started walking when they were 17 months (15 months adjusted) which is well in the range of normal. Annelise walks fine now and I never see her sitting like that anymore.
I have a group of 10 5-6 year old in my group at camp--3-4 of them w sit all the time, and I correct it every time! All of them are not limited in their mobility, BUT I used to volunteer in a physical therapy department of a Children's Hospital (when I was in college), and one of the big problems with w sitting is that it puts uneven stress on the knee tendons; which more likely than not, will lead to knee problems when they grow up. It is OK for them to sit on their knees, so with their legs folded under. One way to tell if the way they are sitting is OK, is to look at where their toes are pointing. If they point in the same direction, they are OK.
:hug: Momma!! I didn't even know it was bad! :huh: My girls sit like this from time to time, but mostly sit on their knees like Sharon mentioned above. My girls were 28 week preemies, and they both started walking when they were 12 months old (9 months adjusted). Kaylyn would walk on her tippy toes occasionally, but now she only does it in ballet class or when she is playing Ballerina. Both of my girls walk just fine, and have no problems.
Mine STILL sit like this. I tried to correct their legs for awhile, but it didn't seem to stop them. They walk normally, they run a little funny though, but I think that's just coordination that still needs to develop. I would say do what you can to keep them from sitting like that, but so far we haven't had any problems.
Try not to worry. It does but some excessive stress on hips and knees but the major concern is it this is the ONLY way a child can sit up. Same as walking on tip toes, concerning if the child stands ONLY on tip toes.
My two used to do it but they stopped on their own. It tends to be a phase unless you really bring attention to it. It is not a good way of sitting. My two didn't have any issues walking because of it. They walked in their 13th month.
My DD still sits like this from time to time and it's difficult to keep her from doing it but we try. She started walking in her 13th month and doesn't have any problems.
My DS does the "W" sit... he still does. I have asked is pedi about it, because I heard that it could cause boleggedness, etc, but he told me that my son will eventually realize how uncomfortable it is to sit like that. So I never really correct it, sometimes I do, because it looks sooo uncomfortable. He has been trying to walk for about a month now. He is 15 months old and can take about 15 (13 months adjusted) steps at a time, and then falls to his knees. I think your kids will be fine
my girls did this and so did i. and we all walk just fine. i actually sat that way well into my school age years. its funny because i didn't even notice until a friend in school for physical therapy came by and saw them sitting that way. she was like, you know a lot of preemies sit that way. and i was like thats weird because i sat that way and while they were born at 35 wks, i was full term. dont worry, they'll be fine.
