4 Tips For Proper Postural Hygiene In Children
During early childhood, the child’s body develops rapidly. It is the right time to observe her, accompany her and educate her about taking care of herself, in order to prevent possible vicious positions that can lead to future changes. Healthy habits and freedom of movement must be considered the main axes to be incorporated and maintained throughout life. Here are some of the tips to obtain proper postural hygiene in children.
Posture is the way we organize different parts of the body. It is an activity that will be determined by several factors, such as genetic and environmental factors. By adopting a postural attitude and repeating it over time, we obtain postural habits.
Hence the importance of providing body education to children from an early age, as the development of the central nervous system and the locomotor system deepens in the first years of life.
The child’s motor development takes place at different stages. In her first few weeks, she must be able to straighten her head in order to voluntarily orient her in space. From the first few months he acquires greater muscle strength until he is able to sit up and then starts to crawl.
By the first year she is able to stop standing to take her first steps. From 2 to 5 years of age, she improves walking coordination, motor skills and knowledge of her own body. Below, we will give more details about 4 tips to achieve proper postural hygiene in children.
4 tips for proper postural hygiene in children
1. Teach the child healthy habits
From the moment the baby is born, he begins to adapt to the environment that surrounds him, as well as to his caregivers and to his daily habits and activities. It is from this moment on that we must be aware of how the behavior of adults influence the child’s development and the importance of healthy habits in both.
How we eat, how we relate to each other, and how we move will directly influence how the child will reproduce these behaviors. It is an opportunity to offer healthy and good quality food as your source of energy. In addition to building clear and simple communication, adapted to the child, to better understand their needs at each stage, and convey the value of being physically active.
Screen exposure is one of the most difficult topics for many moms and dads. It can be a major obstacle to achieving proper postural hygiene in children. The fact that they are increasingly engaging makes children stay in front of them longer.
This means that they maintain the same posture, without moving, for prolonged periods, which leads the child to get used to a more sedentary behavior.
2. Facilitate the child’s free movement for proper postural hygiene
Exploration is one of the ways in which a child knows the world. For that, you need freedom to move around, in comfortable clothes (barefoot as far as possible) and in the space in which you find yourself.
There are countless devices on the market to keep the little ones safe in a confined space. These elements provide greater comfort to the adult, but take away important movement possibilities for the child.
This does not mean that they should not be used, but that their use should not last for long periods. The priority must be the use of the floor, adapted with the necessary elements to make it safe. On blankets or padded floors, with toys or entertainment items for every age. Always accompanying and supervising the child, without leaving him alone.
3. Encourage the child to play
Playing is another way in which the little one discovers his environment and is the best way to learn. It is a need that has different characteristics in the child’s interest, depending on the stage of maturation and the context in which it is found.
The toy is a tool that allows you to learn while having fun. The child learns with his whole being, which allows him to develop his motor, emotional and intellectual areas simultaneously. This favors the development of coordination, body schema and, therefore, your postural awareness.
4. Provide multiple stimulation to the child for good postural hygiene
The richness of the stimuli lies in the variety of activities. And therein lies the importance of caregivers being able to record what the child’s needs are at each stage and being able to adapt them to the objects and circumstances surrounding them.
Therefore, it is essential to respect individual development times and not force positions or postures that the child has not yet conquered on their own. We also can’t rush the child to stand or walk if he doesn’t feel confident enough to do it himself.
Better safe than sorry
Postural changes usually manifest themselves, or at least are detected, around 6 to 8 years of age, when the child starts elementary school. At that time, biomechanical imbalances that could have been avoided with proper postural hygiene were already established.
Among the most common diseases are scoliosis, hyperkyphosis and hyperlordosis, that is, different spinal deviations. Treatments are long and require an interdisciplinary team. All of this affects the child’s quality of life and emotionality.
From the moment she starts the basic level (pre-school), her spine must be protected with backpacks supported on both shoulders or with wheels, whose weight cannot exceed 10% of the child’s body weight. Just as school furniture must be adequate and proportionate. It is from that moment on that you must insist on the importance of sitting correctly in the chair.
Therefore, it is essential to start teaching healthy habits, allowing freedom of movement, encouraging playing and stimulating the child in different ways from the first months of life, in order to obtain adequate postural hygiene. This will provide them with great benefits in motor development and better muscle balance, in addition to, consequently, healthier postural habits and less predisposition to future changes.
