Have you wondered about how your baby might benefit from chiropractic care? It’s a fact that infants stand to gain a lot from regular visits to a chiropractor, and the advantages are numerous. Find out why little ones need this kind of medical care, how it helps them in specific ways, and what you can do to make sure your young one gets the best care possible.

Babies Need Chiropractic Care

Adults visit chiropractors for a wide range of conditions, like back pain, colic, lack of focus, difficulty sleeping, migraines, fatigue, tension headaches, postural problems, and more. It’s pretty easy for older children and adults to recognize when the body is out of kilter and needs chiropractic care, whether that means a routine spinal adjustment or more complex treatment.

Infants have no idea why they’re hurting and, in any case, couldn’t tell us even if they did know. But lack of communication is not the real difficulty. Body alignment is of paramount importance for infant health and can become worse as their bodies grow. Likewise, for your infant to have his or her best shot at healthy growth, the spine needs to be correctly aligned and adjusted for optimal health.

Why do babies need chiropractic care? For all sorts of reasons, ranging from colic and sleep problems to breastfeeding efficiency and nervous system health. In many cases, the first two or three weeks after birth are crucial for getting their little bodies in natural alignment for long-term growth.

When you take your infant to the chiropractor, the doctor can use a very gentle type of adjustment to help the nervous system work most efficiently and aid the body in its natural quest to heal itself. Whether it’s due to spinal tension, a malfunctioning digestive system, a routine ear infection, acid reflux, breastfeeding mechanics like latching, or anything else, babies can appear irritable or upset for all kinds of reasons. Chiropractic care can go a long way toward resolving medical challenges like these in infants.

If you want your infant to sleep better, have a more robust immune system, experience better brain development, and have fewer colic problems, chiropractic care can get the job done.

How Chiropractic Treatment Helps Infants

There are dozens of ways in which chiropractic care can directly benefit newborns and growing infants, including the following;

  • Better sleep: Many infants have problems establishing regular sleep patterns due to general physical discomfort. In some cases, this unease can be the result of a poorly aligned spine. When a chiropractor performs adjustments on a young child, the result can be better sleep habits and reduction of daytime fussiness.
  • Brain and nerve development: The spine is the center of your baby’s nerve health. That’s why regular adjustments can go a long way toward promoting nerve and brain development and general neurological health. This benefit is not restricted to children; even adults experience fewer problems related to nerves when they regularly receive spinal adjustments.
  • Immune system enhancement: The human spine plays a crucial role in the body’s ability to fight off infection. When the nerve system is out of whack due to a poorly aligned spine, gentle adjustment can restore natural positioning and bring about a stronger immune response in infants.
  • Efficient breastfeeding: Working to bring about better overall body alignment, which is centered on the spinal column, chiropractors can alleviate many feeding-related problems in newborns like latching difficulty, head position during feeding, and more.
  • Colic reduction: By stimulating nerve efficiency related to the small intestines, chiropractic physicians can help relieve many kinds of stomach problems in infants, notably colic. One of the most common causes of colic is an under-developed digestive system in newborns. The result is gas build-up that causes stomach pain.
  • Alleviation of ear infections: Chiropractors who specialize in treating infants can gently massage the upper neck area and restore correct fluid drainage, thus fighting off the troubling effects of common ear infections. Chiropractic care can also help infants avoid getting infections.

The Facts about Infant Chiropractic

Some adults who know the benefits of chiropractic care firsthand are unaware of how infants can benefit from the same medical approach. Here are some of the basic facts parents should know about infant chiropractic:

  • Can Ease Many Kinds of Pain: It’s not just about back pain. For newborns, there are all sorts of medical problems that chiropractic treatment can address, like sleep problems, upset stomach, nursing difficulties, and more. Just as adults visit their chiropractors for dozens of different conditions, infants can get a lot from regular care.
  • Helps Prevent Infections: Unlike adults, infants don’t yet have a fully developed immune system. When the spine is properly aligned, it’s easier for the body to ward off dangerous viruses and other types of infections that tend to prey upon young bodies.
  • Is 100 Percent Safe for Babies: Adults who know what a typical spinal adjustment feels like wonder whether this sort of technique is appropriate for an infant. Chiropractors who treat infants use an extremely gentle variant of the same form of adjustment. Besides, it’s much easier for chiropractic physicians to perform adjustments on babies because small children have much more pliable, loose tissues than adults.
  • Is Appropriate for Babies with Special Needs, Too: Even for special needs children who have Autism, Down Syndrome, or other conditions, chiropractic can help them reach their full physical potential. It can help bring about a healthier nervous system, an aligned body, and natural growth.

Take the Next Step for Your Infant’s Health

If you are a parent who wants to get the most out of chiropractic care for your infant, now is the time to take action. It’s a fact that many adult spinal conditions begin at birth. And even if you went through one of the natural birthing procedures, it’s possible your child’s spine and nerve system was unduly stressed. There are dozens of health conditions common in newborns, like nerve irritation, that are caused by misalignment of the skull and spine. A few include chronic infections, allergies, sleep problems, nursing difficulties, breathing challenges, and colic.

The sooner your baby gets chiropractic care, the better. Even if you’re unsure about the specific benefits of treatment or simply want to find out what a chiropractic physician can do for your child, visit The Birth Center at the Delaware Center for Health & Wellness.

Dr. Andrea Moses specializes in wellness for women and children, notably pelvic balance for pregnant mothers and chiropractic pediatric care. Dr. Moses is fully certified as a Webster Technique practitioner and has been in family practice since 1997 as a practicing doctor and owner. She also conducts the Backpack Safety program, leads a Mom’s Group Health Education course, and teaches Proper Posture. With over 20 years of experience, you and your family are in great hands. Learn more and schedule an appointment at your earliest convenience.

We look forward to helping you and your baby feel better. Our direct phone number is (302) 993-9113, so feel free to contact our office at your convenience.