08/29/2025
Let me tell ya 'bout: Babies at the Chiropractor (PART 1).
(If you have a question about kids and Chiropractic or something I said here, post in comments and I will answer or include in a future segment)
I have now had the privelge of checking and adjusting children from newborns up for about a quarter century now! 😲 Yes, it means I am getting old, but I would like to think that I have picked up on a couple things over the years. In interest of keeping it short and not lecturing, I would like to share a few observations for folks who might be curious (or even confused) about why a baby or even a child would go to a Chiropractor. Here are some randomly ordered thoughts on the matter:
Finding a good Chiropractor for your baby
1) There are only a couple professional certification bodies in Chiropractic that teach pediatric analysis and adjusting, but many Chiropractic colleges have courses that will train the practitioner in a minimal way. I am funny with degrees and certifications: just because you have a degree, doesn't mean you are great at your craft, and just because you don't have a degree, doesn't mean you are incompetant. What the extra degree definitely signifies is this person is passionate about this subject to spend the time, money, and stress to achieve an advanced degree in it. In my case I found the ICPA to be the best fit, but I humbly say, there are probably great Chiropractors doing amamzing pediatric work without a big certification, so what is a parent to do to find a good practitioner?
2) First, ask around. People in the neighborhood will know, but be sure to ask "what did they do" so you feel good about the approach. Next, I think you can boil it down to three questions to ask the practitioner: 1) How do you find a subluxation on a baby in your office? (Don't worry if you don't understand perfectly, but if they can't explain it professionally and graciously to you, then I don't think you want them). 2) How often do you recommend an infant/child be checked. (Again, I am not concerned as much with the answer as the professinalism of the response). 3) What can cause a baby/ child to need an adjustment?
That's it! The answers should be logical and make you feel comfortable. I would NOT ask, "Can Chiropractic help with X, Y, or Z in my baby?", even though every fiber of your being will want to ask that.
When is too soon for a baby?
We Chiropractors like to brag about how soon we checked our kids when they were born. At many seminars I have attended it sounds like this, "I checked mine the first day they were born!". "Oh yeah, well I checked mine in the first few minutes". "That's nothing, I regularly sneak into hospitals for my patients and sneakily check them there!"
While I support the enthusiasm and the concept of getting the baby started on the right foot, I believe Chiropractic and taking care of your child's nervous system should be a lifetime pursuit, and I don't feel Chiropractic is an emergency activity. Though I have tried it all over the years, now I tell people, "have your baby, hunker down at home with family and close friends, and get to know your new baby. Sooner or later, you are going to want to reenter the world again. That is a great time to come and see me and I will get you both checked out. Obviously birth can be rigourous and sometimes difficult for mom, and the same is true for the baby." Over the years what is the average time people wait to get their baby checked? Two Weeks. By two weeks mom is done with the hunkering down and more than ready to see the Chiropractor
Do newborns ever NOT need to be adjusted, and what frequency do you recommend?
It is funny, in my pediatric training we were taught about an old study that said in a conventional birth (Hospital, OB, woman laying on her back, etc) you would see an upper cervical subluxation about 80% of the time due to the OB rotating the head. I have seen this to actually hold true. About 80% of kids are subluxated due to the birth process. Factors that can increase the liklihood based on my experience: C-section, forceps, vaccum, very long labors, and very short labors.
Frequency: Almost every Chiropractor I know checks their kids weekly or every couple weeks. In the large majority of cases (but not always) a newborn does not need to be adjusted as often as an adult for obvious reasons (a proper explanation for this requires more space, so it will be a different post)
I am happy to field questions or include unanswered topics is future posts. Until then, love you all, and remmeber to not leave your children at home while you do the things to take care of yourself.😘
