What do Osteopaths do for babies and children?

Osteopathy is commonly used as a holistic approach to recovery from birth for both mum and baby. While it’s easy to imagine how a mother may need healing after giving birth, it’s important to remember that it can be quite a journey for your baby as well. It’s not unusual for the very physical act of birth to leave it’s mark on your baby whether it has changed the shape of your baby’s head or made them favour turning their head one way. Less obvious strains in the shoulders, body, abdomen and limbs may affect your baby’s comfort or the function of their body such as their digestion or the ability to latch during feeding.

Mothers commonly turn to an osteopath to find solutions to irritability, colic and reflux, flat head, difficulty turning baby’s head, and suckling and latching problems. Osteopathy isn’t necessarily a cure for these conditions, but when there is physical strain or tightness, especially through the neck and back, osteopathic treatment can reduce baby’s discomfort, significantly reducing irritability and prolonged crying.

Osteopathy uses gentle techniques to remove the tension in the tissues that may be causing discomfort. It is never too early to bring your baby in for treatment – the longer a physical strain is ignored, the more compensatory physical adaptions your baby may make, often leading to further physical difficulties and a longer treatment process in the long run.

Here at Mount Osteopaths Leyla is our in house baby whisperer. With 3 children of her own and over 10 years of working with them, she has a wealth of experience treating babies and children and always does so with the utmost care, sensitivity and love. She will take a comprehensive history, examine how your child’s joints move, how the nervous system and gut feel and check the cranial bones of the skull. Treatment and examination will involve gentle movements and massage-type techniques. Keeping kids happy is a top priority and our sessions can be very creative – on a rug on the floor, with toys and a story from mum or dad.