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Switch it up! Even more important than your kid’s posture at any given time is how long they are sustaining it, says Toronto chiropractor Ann Musse . “So if they’re si ing in a funny position, make sure they’re changing it all the time.” She suggests using a 30-minute timer if this is an issue in your home. You could also consider a yoga ball, perhaps as a desk chair or for watching TV. Yoga balls engage the core mus-
Stop slouching! Help your kids avoid bad posture by teaching them healthy habits SC H O OL AGE
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ABOUT A YEAR ago, Toronto mom Shira Blum* finally decided to do something about her seven-year-old daughter’s gait. “Yael had always walked a little funny, which is kind of normal for a toddler, but it didn’t go away,” says Blum. Yael’s feet were slightly turned in, which Blum later learned was creating tightness in her hips. This affected her movement, her posture and even the way she danced. Despite Yael’s doctor being unconcerned, Blum took her to a chiropractor and eventually to a rolfer. (Rolfing, considered an alternative medicine, is often described as a type of deep-tissue massage and body manipulation.) “I was amazed,” says Blum. “After just one session, she was standing more upright and her feet were straighter.” Even if your child doesn’t show any signs of unusual gait or excessive slouching, you should still keep an eye on their posture and teach them “spinal hygiene” to
todaysparent.com Summer 2021
ensure their backs are happy in the long term. Here are some tips to keep in mind. FIND A BACKPACK THAT FITS Backpacks that are too heavy or are worn incorrectly can cause muscle and joint injury, along with back, neck and shoulder pain. Look for a pack with wide, padded shoulder straps and a waist strap to help with weight distribution. Encourage your child to wear their backpack on both shoulders rather than throwing it over just one. (Easier said than done, but try!) A good rule of thumb is that a full backpack shouldn’t exceed 15 percent of your kid’s weight. Rolling backpacks can reduce strain if your kid is carrying an extraheavy load, but they can be hard to use on stairs and in crowded hallways. SET THE STAGE AT HOME Try to avoid your kid using a laptop on their bed or in their lap. “Looking down all the time puts a lot of strain on the neck,” says Toronto chiropractor Ann Mussett. This can cause pain and inflammation in the short term, and possibly impact how kids’ bodies develop over time. TEACH THEM HOW TO SIT While it’s tempting to tell our hunched-over kids to “sit up straight,” this isn’t a particularly helpful approach, says certified rolfer Allison Talacko, because they’ll end up sitting in a way that’s unnaturally rigid. Instead, teach your child to sit on their “sits bones”—the bony
protrusions you can feel if you slide your hand under your butt while sitting. “Once you’re centred on your sits bones, you can move back and forth, you can roll around on them—your body can organize itself around a supportive base.” GET MOVING One of the biggest risks to posture is lack of physical activity, with the correlation between good posture and activity well documented. “Kids who exercise tend to have better posture—more upright versus slumped,” says Mussett. “So just getting your kids moving is key.” Choose anything that engages them, from sports to dance and everything in between. MAKE IT A FAMILY AFFAIR Talacko suggests having frequent dance parties or movement parties on the rug. “Pretend you’re a cat or a tiger, because they move through their rib cage,” she says. Creating TikToks is a fun way to invite movement, as is family yoga: Poses like cat-cow create fluidity in the spine, while downward dog relieves back pain and strengthens the ab muscles that help support the spine. All these practices will benefit your kids in the long term. Says Mussett: “Good spinal hygiene, exercise, movement and breathing— put those four things into your kid’s life while they’re young and they’ll take them into their teen years and beyond.” —Chris Deacon *Name has been changed
PHOTO:STOCKSY, ILLUSTRATION: VÉRONIQUE JOFFRE
cles, making it nearly impossible to slouch or sit in a detrimental way.
