Osteopathic Treatment of Newborns, Infants, and Young Children

Imagine going on a road trip crammed in the back seat with a pile of suitcases. When you got out of that tight space, it would take your body some time to loosen up and straighten out. Newborns have a similar experience when they leave the womb. When you include the force of contractions, the dramatic change in environment, and the complete lack of voluntary muscle control, it’s no wonder that babies often need some extra support.

I provide gentle hands-on bodywork, listening closely to and following the lead of the child’s body to help them into a position of comfort and ease. From that place, their nervous system can reboot shortened muscles, improve blood flow and hydration of tissues, and release held tension to improve motion and function. 

Some indications your child could benefit from osteopathic treatment:

  • Torticollis (head tilting or looking to one side more than the other)

  • Plagiocephaly (flat spots on the head)

  • Latching/feeding issues

  • Reflux

  • Constipation

  • Colic or inconsolable crying

  • Showing frequent signs of discomfort

  • Long or complicated labor

    • especially if forceps or vacuum were used to assist delivery

  • Post-delivery interventions

    • Respiratory support

    • NICU admissions

  • Delayed or asymmetrical milestones

    • rolls to one side only

    • crawls favoring one leg

    • butt scoots instead of crawling

  • Diagnoses relating to muscle tone and function

    • Downs Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, hypotonia, etc

There’s a growing body of research to support the use of osteopathy in treating some of the most common and vexing issues of early childhood: colic, plagiocephaly, feeding disorders, excessive crying, and sleep disorders as well as its safety and effectiveness even for medically fragile children in the NICU.

As a result, in my residency training, we treated every newborn and their parent in the 2-3 days before they left the hospital as a matter of standard post-partum care. After seeing hundreds such patients, I’m inclined to believe that everyone, birther and baby, benefits from physical support during this major physical transition.

Request an Appointment

If the next available appointment feels a long way off, please contact me.

A baby lying comfortably on a treatment has their latch examined by Dr. Beth who is wearing a mask and gloves.