Why is posture even important?
When it comes to posture, your mama knew best. Her reminders to stop slouching were good advice.
It’s not until an issue such as lower back pain occurs as an adult that many of us begin to look into posture. And we rarely think about it for little ones.
Good posture provides not only physical health, but importantly, mental health. When the spine is aligned correctly, less stress is placed on the joints, bones and ligaments holding the spinal joints together and this allows the muscles to work more efficiently. Further, motor skills can often be significantly affected - incorrect spinal development from an early age can affect both fine and gross motor skills and their development through childhood.
As important, if not more, are the effects on mental and psychological health. Improving posture can help younger children stay more focused, more energised and have longer and more consistent attention spans throughout the day. As the child grows, correct posture can lead to more self-confidence in the later years of childhood and throughout adolescence.
How important is posture for babies?
Posture is a habit. Developing healthy habits regarding posture are important for babies as soon as they can sit up. If we can instil good postural habits in our babies from a young age we can prevent many problems further down the line.
The bone, joint and muscle health problems start arising as soon as gravity exerts its effect on bones and joints. What good posture does is it helps distribute this evenly.
It is particularly important for little ones to be aware of good posture because the habits they develop can go on for a lifetime. Over time, this can cause structural anatomical changes to occur and raise their risk of having pain and/or injury to their bones, joints and muscles (Specialty Orthopaedics).
Problems with posture in reclined prams
Poor positioning
The reclined structure of many prams positions baby so that the spine is at an angle greater than 100-1100 to their legs - i.e. they are reclined. Peer reviewed, evidence-based research (Nachemson and Elfstrom, 1970) has shown that the optimal seating position to achieve lowest pressure on intervertebral discs is a backrest angle of 90°. Research shows that any angle greater than this can cause uneven pressure on intervertebral discus and lead to long term spinal problems
Muscle imbalance
A reclined backrest is more likely to cause the infant to learn back than a fully upright backrest. The problem arises when the reclined backrest of the pram becomes a stimulus for little ones to lean back rather than use their own muscles to remain upright (Body and Posture LLC). This leads to the usual spine muscles not being strengthened as the infant grows. Not only are the usual spine muscles not strengthened as much, this positioning can also lead to muscular imbalance, activating certain muscle groups (e.g. abdominals) incorrectly.
Decreased interactions with the surrounding world
Infants develop more and more curiosity about the world as they grow. This encourages them to interact and explore objects and people in it out of their own volition. Such interactions contribute to psychological change and lay a foundation for future cognitive skills. A reclined infant is more likely to stare at the sky than interact and engage with the world around them, resulting in lower social and physical interactions with the surrounding world.
What are solutions to poor pram posture?
1. Ensuring to couple good posture with active movements in order to optimise the health benefits. This involves minimising time in the pram and pairing with intervals of movement, and thereby, encouraging mobility and independence.
2. Using an ergonomic pram cushion to provide that optimal seating position for correct posture.
“The Wedge provides an optimal seating position for spinal development for babies 6 months of age”- Dr Roosinovich, UK paediatrician, member of The Royal College of Paediatrics and Childs Health
3.Encourage all above principles of good posture and the correct seating position from an early age.
Above all - don't sit your baby up before they have good head and back control and when they feel ready and confident in themselves.
By Dr. I. Perkins, Founder of Eyas, UK trained physician
If you’re trying to conceive (TTC), you probably know that there are certain foods and nutrients that become especially important once you’re pregnant. But nutrition plays a vital role even when trying to conceive, much like laying a strong foundation before constructing a house.
Certain nutrients create that foundation by supporting egg and sperm health (yes, nutrition matters for both partners), hormone balance and creating a hospitable environment for a fertilized egg to implant. In fact, studies show that certain nutrients can help increase fertility and improve success rates for both natural conception and fertility treatments.
In other words, nutrition is a key player in the TTC journey, but getting the right nutrients in the right quantities can be tricky. That’s where supplements come in. Just as you’d take a multivitamin to fill in nutritional gaps for optimal health, fertility supplements can give you that extra nutrient boost.
Choosing supplements for your fertility journey
When choosing a supplement to support your fertility journey, look for science-backed, high-quality ingredients. Our editors are careful to select and partner with brands that use ingredients that have been clinically studied to support fertility. Eu Natural® (pronounced you) covers all those bases and more. We love knowing that Eu Natural® products contain zero artificial additives, binders, or fillers and are lab-tested to ensure purity and potency.
When choosing a supplement to support your fertility journey, look for science-backed, high-quality ingredients. Our editors are careful to select and partner with brands that use ingredients that have been clinically studied to support fertility. Eu Natural® (pronounced you) covers all those bases and more. We love knowing that Eu Natural® products contain zero artificial additives, binders, or fillers and are lab-tested to ensure purity and potency.
Founder of Eyas, UK trained physician
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