Babies & children
We love kids! We see babies and children of all ages, literally from birth. We have lots of toys to keep the kids entertained and warm furry mats to keep your baby comfy and happy. We have a bouncy bjorn chair, full change facilities, buggy parking and ground floor easy access throughout – we aim to make your visit as stress-free as possible. Our amazing team are always ready to help with entertainment and colouring so you can have your adjustment without worrying about the children and their siblings can be suitably distracted when it’s baby brothers turn. We have kids of our own, so understand what you need to be able to relax!

Why Chiropractic for babies and kids?
Pregnant mothers are usually very well informed and do all they can for the new arrival. Healthy eating, cutting out alcohol/cigarettes/drugs (prescription or other), exercising, seeing the chiropractor and nutritionist. It is normal to hope for a natural, intervention free and drug free birth and doing all that can be done to facilitate this outcome. Then, after birth, breastfeeding to give baby the best possible start in life. Even the most natural birth and start to life can result in stress to such a delicate system.

It is this stress that is placed on the rapidly growing and developing baby that can result in a certain level of dysfunction. The most common signs of this dysfunction are excessive crying, wind that will not be passed from either end, constipation, reflux, positing, regurgitation/vomiting, failure to latch or feed well, the list goes on. Most of these symptoms come from the newly developed digestive system, however the cause of these symptoms are commonly from abnormal neural control of the digestive system. The standard treatment from the GP is some variation of an ant-acid (Gaviscon etc) to ease the digestive discomfort, however if the neural cause of the dysfunction is not addressed then the problem will persist. This is where the chiropractor steps in.

Gentle techniques
We are proficient in gentle spinal and cranial techniques aimed to improve the function of your child’s spine, nervous system and cranial system. See the bottom of this page for articles discussing the many common childhood problems that chiropractic is beginning to show effectiveness in treating. Our chiropractors also use gentle cranio-sacral techniques to ensure that your baby is adjusted carefully and precisely allowing their peripheral, sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems to function optimally.

Personal care
We aim to correct the cause of a problem in the least number of visits possible. We use the best available evidence to help your child by drawing information from the scientific literature, knowledge of the natural history of your problem and collective clinical experience from many sources all over the world.

Real family and children’s experiences
For some personal experiences, please read the family testimonials. We also have a great selection of pregnancy and birth stories which our clients have kindly shared. We see many mums-to-be throughout their pregnancy and are happy to try and help even if you are due in only a few weeks. Our chiropractors are trained in Webster’s technique, a gentle way of ensuring the pelvis is relaxed, allowing the ligaments attached to the uterus to unwind often allowing baby more space to turn.

Will an adjustment hurt my baby?
Adjustments on babies and children are delicate and careful and always tailored for the individual. Our chiropractors are all very experienced in dealing with newborns and will always be careful and considerate towards your amazing new baby.

Regular check ups
You take your child to the dentist, so why not the chiropractor? Spinal problems that are carried into adulthood are preventable to a great extent, just like tooth decay. Taking care of your child’s body as much as you would their teeth is knowing that their spine, nervous system and general well being are being looked after too. This is particularly important at key life stages: as soon after birth as possible, first signs of head control, rolling, sitting, starting to crawl, pulling up to standing and starting to walk.

It is important that babies are checked so they have good alignment as they transition between these phases and use the left and right sides of their bodies equally. If your child moves with an unusual, crablike or bum-shuffling motion there could well be a block to their mobility which chiropractic may be able to help with.

Younger spines are much more flexible than in adulthood (all those amazing gymnasts!) and they also heal amazingly well. Children are constantly using their bodies in many physically challenging ways – with constant bumps and knocks – if they seem out of sorts it could be because the information highway is compromised due to a subluxation of the spine compromising the nerve communication from the spine.

Apart from the obvious traumas to the spine such as a fall or car prang, or wearing a heavy back pack every day, there are other causes of misalignment that are often overlooked. We notice the big falls and bumps that our children make regularly, but there are many smaller events that contribute to spinal subluxations. These may not result in pain in a small child but are paving the way for worse posture later. Getting your child checked regularly after a fall or at significant developmental stages is the best way to ensure their spine is subluxation free.

Backpack for School – a must
It is important that school children carry their books in a backpack with two straps. This is a small change that you can make that will help towards not creating new postural problems in a growing child. You also need to make sure that they actually use both straps, as hung off one shoulder and filled with books can be very stressful on the spine.

Research papers related to this topic:
The short-term effect of spinal manipulation in the treatment of infantile colic: a randomized controlled clinical trial with a blinded observer.
(J Manipulative Physiol Ther. 1999 Oct;22(8):517-22. Wiberg JM, Nordsteen J, Nilsson N.)

Below is a link to a Pdf document which summarises the current level of research for the effectiveness of chiropractic in treating ear infections, infantile colic, bedwetting, asthma, scoliosis, ADHD and headache – “Infant and Child Chiropractic Care”. Please read this document and decide for yourself if you think its worth a trip to the chiropractor. Download PDF