These children typically have lax ligaments which allow them to bend their knees back in this way. In this position, they are very stable and they don’t rely as much on their tummy muscles to maintain their sitting posture. This is because they likely have weak tummy muscles. Of course, sitting this way results in their tummy muscles becoming even weaker since they aren’t being worked much!
In this sitting position, the child is not likely to make good use of trunk rotation. The development of good rotation movement patterns is necessary for the development of good midline crossing ability. Regular M-sitting also contributes to further stretching of the knee ligaments.
It is best to discourage children from M-sitting. In an older child, this can be done by drawing smiley face on the inside of his knees using a non-toxic, washable pen. When he sits on the floor, the child must be able to see at least one smiley face. If he sees only one smiley face, he will be in side sitting position, which is acceptable. If he can see two smiley faces, he is likely to be sitting cross-legged or in long sitting, – either of which are acceptable sitting positions.
