At what age should a child stop w sitting?

At what age should a child stop w sitting? If you paid attention to young children, you would have noticed that they often sit with their feet in the shape of ‘W’. It is also known as ‘w sitting’. In this, they sit down in a relaxed shape between their legs. This may seem like an impressive feat to watch, but some parents worry about the same size of the child. Many of these parents are careful not to let the child sit in a W or ‘cross-cross applause’ condition, taking care about health problems. Today, we will know why children sit in such a way by making their feet like W and it is right or wrong for them.

Why do young children often sit in a ‘W’ shape?

One reason is that in some babies, a condition involving the thighs arises, called femoral anteversion. It self-corrects for most children as they get older, but it may be more natural for them to sit in W until their body changes. In addition to that the children rotate their more internal hip and then W sitting is sometimes more comfortable. By sitting in this posture, they are more comfortable in doing everything. In such a situation, as soon as they start to sit on their own, they sit in the posture of W.


Along with this, we also have to understand that the body texture of the child is different from the body of the youth. When your foot has an internal twist, it is actually comfortable to sit in “criss-cross apples” fashion. Another reason for sitting in the W pose is that it is a more stable seating position. This makes the body easier to rotate. Children can easily reach from one thing to another and catch things easily.

At what age do children sit more in the W posture?

The child usually sits in this posture between the ages of 4 and 6 years. But you will also see it with younger and older children. Due to the ease of internal rotation of this thigh, children sit like this till the age of 8 years and then gradually it becomes less to sit in this shape.


Is it a concern to sit in the same shape as the ‘W’?

Of course not, if your child sits in this posture, there is nothing to worry about. This does not affect the size of their feet, but rather they are sitting in their natural anatomy. If your child wants to sit in a W position, it means that there is no excessive stress on his joints, muscles or knees because Children know how to avoid pain in their body. Actually they are getting rest in this posture, so they are sitting like this.
When is the point to note?

If apart from w sitting, you see that your child is developing lameness or has weakness in their lower extremities, this can be a matter of concern. Apart from this, if you see some changes with the toe, then stop the child from sitting like this. At the same time, when they have trouble walking or running, then it may need attention. This is also because they can be symptoms of hip dysplasia. Sometimes it is associated with excessive bending of the thigh and the hips are not developing normally, so you may need to have a baby X-ray done.

At what age should a child stop w sitting?