Baby's leg shape changes diagram Baby's leg shape development process diagram

After children start learning to walk, many parents may start to worry about whether their children's walking posture is normal. Are O-shaped legs and pigeon-toed feet normal? Is the crab-shaped carriage good or bad? Today, let the experts tell parents that if you want your baby's legs to develop well, you must stay away from the three bad habits! Let's learn together!

Baby's leg shape development process

A child's leg shape development, from birth to about six or seven years old, can be divided into the following four stages.

1. Newborn to 1.5 years old: O-shaped legs

2.1.5-2 years old: normal leg shape

3.2-4 years old: X-shaped legs

4.4-6 years old: normal leg shape

When the baby is just born, because it has been in the mother's belly for a long time, the foot shape is bent and presents an O shape. Parents don't need to worry too much. Between about one and a half to two years old, the child's legs will start to straighten from the O shape because they have gradually begun to bear weight. Between about two to four years old, because the child's activity level increases at this stage, the knee joint will gradually turn outward and forward, and the child's legs will present an X shape. After the age of four, the child's legs will gradually straighten from the X shape, and around the age of six or seven, they will develop into adult-like upright legs and gradually take shape.

Stay away from bad habits. Avoid the W-shaped sitting posture.

W-shaped sitting posture affects development and harms musculoskeletal health

Why is it not recommended for children to sit in this position? Here are five reasons:

1. Reduce the strength of core training. The W-shaped sitting posture will reduce the child's core output. When using this sitting posture, not much effort is required, so the strength of the core muscles will not have a chance to be trained.

2. Prone to hunchback and sagging shoulders

When children sit in a W-shaped posture, they are more likely to hunch their backs and droop their shoulders, which will affect their posture in the long run.

3. Walking with your feet turned inward

The W-shaped sitting posture can easily cause children to walk with their feet turned inwards. This is an abnormal walking pattern that will cause the arch of the foot to collapse, making the child prone to falling and affecting his balance.

4. Limited development of trunk rotation

When the child sits in a W-shaped posture, trunk rotation will be restricted, which will affect the child's fine motor development and bilateral coordination development; therefore, if the child sits in a W-shaped posture for a long time, it will be bad for these developments.

5. Joint pain and back pain

The W-shaped sitting posture can easily cause the hip joints to be squeezed and touch the floor. In the long run, it may cause discomfort in the hip joints and waist.

Find out the reason for W-shaped sitting posture

Why do children choose the W-shaped sitting posture? It can be roughly classified into the following three main reasons.

1. Congenital structural abnormalities

If a child's hip joint structure is congenitally abnormal, it will cause the thigh to turn inward and present an internal rotation movement, causing the child to naturally assume a W-shaped sitting posture when sitting down.

2. Prone to hunchback and sagging shoulders: poor core and balance

Children with weak core muscles and sense of balance choose the W-shaped sitting posture, which is more labor-saving and more stable. Based on the above two reasons, some children with low muscle tension or poor endurance will also choose the W-shaped sitting posture!

3. Habits affected by climbing posture

At about six months old, the child begins to learn to crawl. When crawling, mothers will find that the child's knees are a little outside the hip joint, so when crawling and sitting down, they naturally present a W-shaped sitting posture. After more development, the child will basically break away from the W-shaped sitting posture, but some children will find that the W-shaped sitting posture is quite labor-saving during the process, so they continue to sit like this, and then it becomes a habit.

How to adjust the W-shaped sitting posture in daily life

Experts suggest that mothers can use the following methods to improve their children’s W-shaped sitting posture.

1. Change your sitting posture (cross-legged/knee straight/sideways)

It is recommended that parents remind their children that there are other sitting positions. They can sit cross-legged, which is the exact opposite of the W-shaped sitting position; or sit with their knees straight and bent; and then sit sideways. These three sitting positions can be used alternately?!

2. Provide suitable growth tables and chairs

Parents can also find a suitable chair for their children to sit on and play, so there will be no problem of W-shaped sitting posture.

3. Stretching

When stretching, you can let the child's soles face each other, just like sitting cross-legged, but with the soles facing each other! Then mom and dad press down from both sides of the baby's knees, gently press until it is a little tight, and then hold for about 15 seconds, repeat several times. If the child does not like stretching, it is recommended that mom and dad can use games to do it, and the child's acceptance will be improved!

4. Perform activities that strengthen your core

Parents can do some simple exercises with their children to strengthen their baby's core! For example: duck walking game. It means walking for a while in a squatting position, or playing the game of carrying things with the baby!

If your child cannot adjust to the W-shaped sitting posture, and has pigeon-toed feet or collapsed arches, it is recommended that parents go directly to the hospital for treatment and discuss with an orthopedic or rehabilitation doctor to help the child develop and grow in leg shape. This is the best solution!

Stay away from bad habits

The Crab Car is not a tool for taking care of your baby:

Experts say that it is not recommended to let children use crab cars. Although it seems safe, because children cannot see their feet when they are on the crab car, they may accidentally fall down the stairs or create other dangers. Other research literature points out that although children who ride crab cars are not slow to the point of being retarded, they will be slightly slower in crawling, walking and standing than other children.

When children sit on the crab car, there is no visual feedback (motor learning is a process of changing motor behavior ability through experience or practice. The resulting ability change is not temporary but relatively permanent.) Therefore, it will affect the development of their gait. It is recommended that parents do not let their children sit on the crab car for a long time.

Be careful not to affect your child's leg shape by walking too early

Parents hope that their children can win at the starting point and start walking and running early. But in fact, children develop at their own pace. If a child cannot stand yet, but you force him to stand; or if a child is not ready to walk yet, but you force him to learn to walk, it will naturally affect the development of the child's leg shape. Because the child's bones have not yet fully calcified and matured, they are still relatively soft, so parents' excessive expectations are actually a harm to the child rather than a help.

Conclusion: Child development is actually a range, not a specific point. If a child cannot walk at the age of one, it does not mean he is retarded; sometimes one year and two months, or one year and three months, are acceptable. It is recommended that parents be cautious with their children, but there is no need to worry or be nervous!