Techniques to encourage a good sitting posture for life!

Learn how to prevent your baby from getting a bad sitting posture and potential back and neck problems in the future.

Bad sitting posture is epidemic in our modern world. We sit for so much in our sedentary lives and this puts an enormous amount of strain on our back, especially if our posture is bad. Back and neck pain is what I see most in my professional work and it is largely due to poor posture. Posture is a habit. If we can instil good postural habits in our babies when their brains are sponges, then they will have far less trouble with back and neck pain in the future.

Good posture also instils a confident, self-assured mind and body. Physical Therapist Peter Walker has written a book “Baby Massage” (2011 and 2015) which has some great ideas for helping your baby to sit and encouraging good sitting posture for babies. All of the ideas below are from his book, reference below.

It is bad to sit your baby before they can control their head and hold their back straight as this can weaken the spine. By 2-3 months your baby should have enough head and shoulder strength to begin working on a good sitting posture. When they can hold their head up in tummy time they are ready for early sitting exercises. Do not pull your baby in to a sitting position with their hands! This is not good for their unstable shoulders and wrists.

Sit your baby so their feet are touching and knees are apart (tailor pose). Sit behind them so that you can put one hand on their chest to support them. Then with the other hand gently stroke your baby’s head to calm them, then run your hands down their neck and spine with firm enough pressure to straighten his spine and to put their weight on to the back of their thighs rather than their low back.

When your baby can prop themselves up on their forearms and hands in tummy time they are ready for supported sitting. At this stage they could fall in all directions so make sure that they are supported from all sides. Sit them in the tailor pose leaning forward so that they can practice pushing themselves up off the pillow. When they are stable take away the supports whilst always being there in case.

Lean them forward so they practice taking weight on to straight arms while you support them around their hips. Then when stable take your hands to their legs for decreased support. When confident they are stable, massage downwards on their sacrum (back of their hips) to help straighten their back and then follow this by massaging down the whole back continuing to finish by pushing down on the sacrum.

“massage downwards on their sacrum... to help straighten their back...”

Sitting unsupported is usually achieved around 6-7 months of age. Continuing periods of sitting behind them and massaging down their back to help straighten it. Also in this time you can help prevent another poor sitting posture of hunched shoulders. Do this by stroking over the shoulders and gently pull their arms downwards. This will help relax their shoulders (and arms).

To increase and maintain good sitting posture getting good leg flexibility is also important. When most adults sit on the floor they do so with their back curved putting the pressure through their low back (see fatheron the left). This is because they don’t have good leg muscle flexibility (and core control). It also limits breathing and digestion as well as damage the spine.

You can keep the hips flexible by putting your baby in to the tailor pose whilst holding your baby on your lap or when standing. Put your arms under theirs and over their legs to hold their feet. Gently swing from side to side and allow them to bend forward to increase the stretch. Flexibility can be lost once they are standing and walking so this is a nice one to do with your child as they get older (but not after they become too heavy to hold!)

"most adults sit on the floor with their back curved putting pressure through their low back..."

Another leg stretch to do is for the hamstrings and inner thigh muscles. Sit your baby on your lap and then raise both his feet to his mouth, then do one at a time whilst massaging the back of the raised leg. Then take the legs out to the sides (side splits) and massage the inner thighs. Then bend one knee to bring the foot to the centre (half a tailor pose) and then do the other side. Lastly bring the legs together and straighten the legs to the floor and then stretch the calves by gently taking the toes up towards the ceiling.

Lastly to help obtain and maintain good posture, chest and back stretches are important. Sit your baby on your lap facing to one side while you sit supported on the floor with your legs straight. Then gently lean her backwards so that her feet are still on the floor and she arches her back and head backwards. Massage their back by rolling your legs from side to side. You can then gently pat her chest, rub her abdomen clockwise and stroke down the front of her thighs whilst still rolling your legs for massage. A variation of this exercise is on the right.

Once your baby can stand you can try this last exercise for back strength and flexibility. Kneel on the ground comfortably and lay your baby on your thighs with their legs around your waist. Lean your baby backwards with your hands under their head and back. Then put your hands over their shoulders and allow their legs to roll up to their head and then roll your baby side to side to relax them (and do some incidental vestibular training).

Then put your arms on their upper arms and raise yourself up on to your knees and let your baby roll backwards with their legs over their head so they do a backwards somersault and land on their feet. This is obviously going to take some confidence on both of your parts so divide the stages and only do what your baby is comfortable with. Again I stress this is only for when they are able to stand (about 1 year old).

All of the stretches mentioned are important to override tightness from sustained flexion in the foetal position when being in the womb. I advise that we keep doing these stretches/ yoga throughout life to prevent the stiffness and pathology that is so common today in adults. There are some more baby bonding and exercise ideas rolled in to one! Love the multitasking.

Summary

Don't sit your baby up before they have good head and back control as this can cause damage.

Specific massage and stretches can help gain a good strong posture for your baby.

Flexibility and strength must be maintained in to adulthood to maintain good posture.

Reference: Walker, P (2015) Baby Massage, Carroll & Brown Publishers Limited

Melli Tilbrook is a Physiotherapist based at Adelaide Physiotherapy and Pilates Studio, Beulah Park.