Forward Head Posture

✨FORWARD HEAD POSTURE✨

Back to school is always a good time to talk about kids and screen time postures.

The posture we allow our kids to sit in for prolonged periods of time can be detrimental to their health! Many kids can sit and be comfortable in a slumped forward posture, this can put a lot of strain on the back, creating a rounded upper back and resulting forward head posture:
✨can reduce lung capacity by up to 30%
✨ increase tension in neck and cranial muscles
✨alter eye tracking (impact reading)
✨reduce somatosensory (movement and sensation) input to brain due to long periods of not moving.

These poor postures can become poor adult posture if not addressed at an early age. It is much harder to out-train poor posture as an adult...although not impossible! 😉 Best to teach them young and engrain the brain from early on.

Ipads, phones, devices are a popular source of entertainment from a very young age and they are a huge contributing factor to poor posture.

We need to be mindful :
✨how we allow our kids to sit and watch screens
✨how long we allow them to be sedentary for watching screens ✨what it is they are actually watching or playing.

The best thing we can do to ensure our kids don't develop poor musculoskeletal habits is to encourage them to MOVE!

✨regular outdoor activity, local sporting clubs, running, walking, swimming, kicking a ball
✨specific postural exercises guided by your kids health professional
✨movement that encourages or challenges balance

Movement can also occur whilst they are using ipads or phones by regularly changing postures every 5-10 minutes.

Here are a few examples of good screen watching postures:

✨Laying face down posture encourages extension of the back and can promote a healthy spine.

✨prop up the device on a table and have your child sit on the floor with their back nice and tall so they can view the device with a neutral back and neck posture.

✨Depending on the height of the table they could be sitting/tall kneeling/standing with the device on the table.

Concerned about your child’s posture ?? please get in touch!

Let the floor be you baby's playground

✨BRAIN DEVELOPMENT✨

To fire and wire up a growing brain it requires constant input from the environment :
✨ relationships and caregiving
✨ movement
✨ sensation

As the brain develops through the first 2 years, this regular input is crucial for learning conscious movement, emotional regulation and adaptive body control.

✨Posture
✨Symmetry
✨Balance
✨movement patterns
✨Communication
✨Control of emotions
are all key indicators of how well the brain is developing.

In the first 6-12 mths of your baby’s life - think of the floor as their playground…the more they feel their body on that surface the more they will wire in pathways of movement and awareness of how they can control, feel and move their bodies.

The floor allows their body to be in a neutral posture (not flexed in a seat or bouncer) and is the perfect space to practice :
✨Tummy time
✨Rolling
✨Finding their feet
✨Thrusting their hips
✨Twisting all over the place

All building balance, motor co-ordination, sensation and confidence. You may see them repeating certain movements over and over and over again then witness the delight on their faces when they lock in the patten of a new skill 👶🏼

Empowering parents to encourage babies to move and develop naturally. 👶🏼 Baby led movement is about giving babies complete control to move their bodies in their own time at their own pace. Instead of parents taking charge of their milestones and movements by prematurely putting them in positions (seats, walkers, bouncers) that they are not neurologically of musculoskeletally ready for. 👶🏼 Allowing babies and kids to discover the joy of movement completely on their own, when they are ready!

If you have any concerns about how your child is moving their body and adapting to the environment please reach out for a discussion and assessment. Assessment helps us understand how the brain is developing and there are always pathways of recovery and change.

As a children’s chiropractor - we assess and work gently with the spine, pelvis, cranial and central nervous system, giving advice and home care or referral to specialist if needed.

We are all born with potential and possibility.

Growing brains is what are all about!