A child’s brain is like a dry sponge that easily soaks up everything it comes in contact with. This is why a child is easier to teach while they are still young and inquisitive. One of the most important habits you can help your children develop is proper posture.
Why is a correct and proper posture important though? Well, one of the worst pitfalls of a terrible stance are body and joint pains that never seem to go away.
Here at FlexiSpot, we care about your children’s overall health. Which is why, here are a few tips to remember if you are raising a child to have the proper posture.
Full Undivided Attention
As a parent it should be natural for us to give our children the full undivided attention they deserve with whatever they are doing. This includes taking notice of their posture whenever you are with them. While it may appear cumbersome, doing this for your child would help prevent future problems with their body. It also decreases their chances of developing arthritis later on in life. If you are still not convinced, you must keep in mind that physiotherapy treatments can cost you thousands of dollars if your child’s posture do get worse.
By giving enough attention to your children’s posture, you will begin to see the not-so-great ways they are doing it.
To correct this, you must remember what is considered as a proper posture for the following;
When your child is sitting:
- Sit straight while keeping the back straight while the shoulders are relaxed back. Your child’s bottoms should reach the back of the chair
- Everyone’s backs have normal curves. Which is why a lumbar pillow is a great way to support these natural curves. If lumbar pillows are not available in your household, a rolled-up towel is a great alternative.
- If you are finding a hard time finding the natural curve of your child’s spine, make them sit at the end of a chair and slouch completely. Then tell them to carefully draw themselves up and accentuate the curve with all their might.
- Hold this position for a few seconds then release lightly at 10 degrees. You now made your children properly position their backs for sitting
- Make sure that your child’s weight is distributed evenly on their hips. By doing so, their bottoms would not feel tired by just a few seconds of sitting.
- Your child’s knees should be bent at a right angle while they keep their knees level or slightly higher their hips. A foot stool is also great if their feet cannot reach the floor as keeping it flat on the ground is also important. Do not let them acquire the habit of crossing their legs.
- Children are not robots so it is only natural for them to switch sitting positions. If they can, your children must avoid sitting in the same position for more than 35 minutes.
- Try to invest on child-friendly standing desks and chairs to accommodate their bodies and height better. The Height Adjustable Ergonomic Study Desk/Kids Desk -40"W by FlexiSpot is the perfect study and even eating desk for your child. This particular product can be adjusted whenever your child grows an inch or two. It also features an easy-to-clean water-proof material for the desk so that you do not have to worry about the mess and spills that they make.
- When it is time to stand up, teach your child to move to the front of the seat. To properly hoist themselves up, they must straighten their legs instead of bending their waist forward from the seat.
When your child is standing:
- Remind them to keep most of their weight on the balls of their feet. This ensures even distribution of their weight.
- There is no need to lock their knees into place as this causes strain and eventually pain. Your child’s knees should be slightly bent.
- Their feet should be shoulder-width apart to maintain balance.
- Your child’s arm’s should loosely hang down their sides. Keep it relaxed at all times.
- Stand straight and tall with your shoulders pulled down and backward.
- To look better while standing up, teach them how to comfortably tuck in their stomachs. Remember, it does not matter if your child has a naturally bulging stomach as long as you know that they are at a healthy weight. Sucking in their stomach also activates their core muscles.
- Remind your children to not push their head forward, backward, or to the side as it can create tension for their poor little necks. To have an idea if they are properly eating, check if their earlobes are in line with their shoulders.
- It is okay to shift their weight from their toes to the heels or even from foot to foot if they are standing for a long time.
When your child is lying down:
- At a young age, it is important to take notice of your child’s sleeping position. Which is why you should watch out if they are maintaining the curve of their spine with a lumbar roll on their lower back or a comfortable pillow under the knees and even when they are sleeping on their sides. Teach them to avoid the habit of pulling their knees close up to their chest when they are sleeping on their side as it can compromise their spinal health.
- If your young one loves to sleep on their stomach, that has got to go especially if their mattress does not have a memory foam technology that adapts well to the contours of their body. Sleeping on their stomach can also cause major discomfort for the neck which will only produce moody children in the morning or once they wake up from nap time.
- Take your time if you are searching for a quality mattress. It does not matter if your child prefers a soft or firmer mattress, what matters is that they can comfortably sleep on it while also providing support.
- Where you put your child’s mattress also matters. Choose a solid box spring to avoid mattress sagging as this provides an uneven surface for your child to sleep on.
- For their pillows, take note of how your child usually sleeps. Their pillow should accommodate their sleeping styles. Better yet, get a pillow that supports any kind of position.
- A lumbar support pillow is also a good hack to prevent back pain. If you cannot find a lumbar support pillow, a great hack to do is tie a rolled sheet or towel at your child’s waist.T
- Just like with standing up from a seated position, avoid bending the waist forward to avoid strains. A better way for your child to stand up would be by turning on their sides while drawing their knees upwards to swing their legs to the side of their bed. They also must make use of their hands to support their body’s weight.
Now that you are well-equipped with the knowledge to preserve your child’s spinal and neck health, it is time to head over to FlexiSpot’s website and treat yourself for being a great parent.
Also, FlexiSpot offers a wide range of the best ergonomic and multi-functional standing desks and office chairs for every age and personality.
