At our Hitchin Chiropractic Clinic we have an experienced Chiropractor Charlotte Cole who specialises in Chiropractic care for babies. She practices paediatric manual therapy which is a gentle hands-on approach to help alienate an infant’s pain. Conditions can arise from such things as traumatic births to simple muscle spasms, an indicator of which may be their refusal to latch and prefer feeding from one breast more than the other.

If you would like to know more then please give the clinic a call on 01462 420077 and book a free phone call with Charlotte and she can answer any questions you may have about Chiropractic care for babies, or click here to book online.

Here are some healthy positions for you to care for your baby.

Holding baby: your baby should be held close to you with the back of your baby’s head supported with your index finger behind the ear.

Bathing baby: your baby’s head should be supported using your thumb and forefinger while your free hand is used for bathing and supporting your baby in the tub.

Parent/child interaction: don’t throw your child up and down, this can actually cause spinal problems due to a lack of support as your child is being bent forward and backwards.

Picking children up: when lifting your child, you should be on your haunches, lift your child while holding them under both arms, and avoid carrying them on one hip. Preferably, your child should be carried in front of you with one leg either side of you.

Papoose type slings and carriers: unfortunately contraptions that allow your child to sit before it is naturally able to can cause major spinal problems. Most of the holding devices keep your baby’s spine in the ‘c’ shape curve it’s born with and do not allow the normal curves in the neck and low back to develop.

Dressing the child: clothing that has a tight collar can put a strain on your child’s spine in the neck and the area between the shoulder blades. Buttons and zips should be used as much as possible.

Feeding: if breast feeding, you should hold the baby at the level of the breast whilst supporting your arm on a pillow, to reduce spinal problems in yourself. You should place the baby so that it faces your breast so that rotation of your baby’s neck is minimised.

Crawling: crawling should be actively encouraged, as a lack of sufficient crawling is responsible for weak spinal architecture.