Chiropractic Care for your Baby

For infants and newborns, the foundation to great health begins with chiropractic care. Just like adults, your little one can benefit in a number of ways from a properly adjusted spine. It can be scary to think of your little one getting an adjustment, but imagine if you were curled up in a little ball for months — you’d probably be out of alignment, too!

Here’s what you need to know about chiropractic care for your baby.

Babies and Chiropractic

Spinal issues don’t just magically appear at a certain age. In fact in most cases, the problem exists long before the symptoms present themselves. So long as you have a spine, you can benefit from spinal adjustments.

Newborns, infants, and children of all ages can get adjusted. Though they will enjoy many of the same benefits as adults, the adjustments are exactly the same as an adult would receive. Adjustments are based on need. Just as an adult patient experiencing pain would receive different than one who is hunched over and cannot straighten their back, kids too are adjusted differently than adults.

The most noticeable difference is the amount of force required to move the joint is very light in a baby versus, say, a 250-pound man. Different adjusting tools also have specific adjustments for babies. It is common that parents experience the benefits of chiropractic first. When they realize how gentle the process actually is, they become worry-free.

Signs Your Little One May Need an Adjustment

There are many reasons your child may need a chiropractic adjustment beyond the benefits of long-term health. Chiropractic care shouldn’t be the only treatment you seek out if these symptoms are present, but it is a natural, drug-free approach that may help.

• Use of forceps in delivery - Sometimes delivery requires the use of forceps. If that was the case for your baby’s delivery, it is possible that the spine was subjected to different levels of force. That torque could very easily result in improper spinal movement and restrictions that negatively impact spinal function.
• Difficulty breastfeeding - When newborns have difficulty latching during breastfeeding, it can often result from an inability to get into the proper position because of joints moving improperly or pain and discomfort from the feeding position.
• Colic - Constant crying that seems to be for no apparent reason and does not let up combined with interrupted sleep is common in babies. The nervous system is often overstimulated and overloaded due to spinal joints that are not moving properly.
• Head tilting/limited range of motion - If you notice your little one only turns one way or his or her head tilts to one side or the other are both signs of spinal joint restriction.

Our chiropractors are experts in providing adjustments for patients of all ages, including newborns and infants. Chiropractic care is gentle, natural, and effective and improves the quality of life from babies to adulthood. If you are interested in providing chiropractic care for your little one, contact us today for a consultation.