With Ipads and phones being the "norm" for entertainment in the very young generation these days we need to take care with how we allow our kids to sit and watch screens. Of course we also need to monitor how long we allow them to be idle for watching screens and what it is they are actually watching or playing.
As well as this though, the posture in which we allow our kids to sit in for prolonged periods of time can be detrimental to their health! Many kids will land up in a slumped forward posture (as seen above), this can put a lot of strain on the back, creating a rounded upper back and forward head posture!
Or even worse!...
These poor postures can carry through to adulthood 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.
The best thing we can do to ensure our kids don't develop poor musculoskeletal habits is to encourage them to MOVE! This may be whilst they are using ipads or phones, there is no reason why they can't keep changing postures whilst using the devices. In fact, changing postures every 5-10 minutes will be the best thing for them!
Here are a few examples of good Ipad watching postures:
This prone (face down) posture encourages extension of the back and can promote a healthy spine.
Why not prop up the ipad or phone on a table and have your child sit on the floor with their back nice and tall so they can view the ipad with a neutral back and neck posture.
Depending on the height of the table they could be sitting/tall kneeling/standing with the ipad on the table.