Bumps and Baby Chiropractors

30/03/2026

Nursing/Bottle feeding difficulty can be so stressful for parents. There is help for both mom and baby.

28/03/2026

Today is move day 😢 Sad to leave! But sometimes we need to sacrifice for the next generation 👩‍⚕️ Please update your location of Bumps and Baby Chiropractors, exclusively at📍210 Matagorda Street, Berario, Randburg = right next to Fairland. Still with Dr Keevara Raidoo on Wednesdays🙏🏻 From Dr Michelle Beech Cloete - owner and family Chiropractor

23/03/2026

It wasn’t just another day. Every day, you etched something lasting into your child’s story.

In the small, intentional moments, you helped lay a foundation that can carry strength, resilience, and wellbeing into generations to come.

Chiropractic care supports that investment—helping to nurture and develop your child’s neurological foundation from the very beginning.

Well done, Momma 🙌 You are doing great!

20/03/2026

From April 2026, Bumps and Baby Chiropractors will only be practising from our Randburg location.
As Dr. Michelle Cloete has started a family, this change allows us to continue providing thoughtful, attentive care for you and your family — while still taking care of hers.

Our practice will now be located at:
210 Matagorda Street, Berario, Randburg
Situated between Fairland and Northcliff
This location is just a short drive from our previous practice and allows us to continue serving our wonderful community in a calm and welcoming space.

We are deeply grateful for your continued trust and look forward to welcoming you there.
What does this mean? Dr Keevara Raidoo is practising on a Wednesday to help you and your family. Dr Michelle is tending to her own family, but is looking forward to helping you when back from maternity leave.

15/03/2026

Milestones Focus and Advice: 0–3 Months

➡️ Face Time 😃🌷

Your baby follows every social cue on your face.
Facial expressions are one of the first languages your baby learns.

Smile. Raise your eyebrows. Talk softly.
Your baby studies every movement and emotion you show.

Those quiet moments of face-to-face connection are building the foundations of social, emotional and communication development.

---

➡️Co-Regulation

Your breath and heartbeat matter more than you realise.

When you are calm, your baby senses it.
When you slow down, your baby often settles too.

Babies borrow regulation from their parents.
The calmer you are, the safer your baby feels — and the more present you can both be in the moment.

---

➡️ Midline Crossing 🫵🏼

Bringing your baby’s arms toward the centre of their body is incredibly important.

You can gently bring opposite arm to opposite leg from day one.
These simple movements stimulate early brain communication between the left and right sides.

Later on, this supports:

* Gross motor development
* Writing skills
* Reading and language development

Small movements now support big milestones later.

---

➡️ Tummy Time, Tummy Time, Tummy Time 🙌

I cannot stress this one enough.

So many milestones pivot on tummy time:

* Neck strength
* Shoulder stability
* Core strength
* Crawling and coordination later on

Start from day one with short, supervised sessions and gradually increase according to age-appropriate guidelines.

Consistency matters.
Don’t miss a day.

---

➡️ Dental Hygiene 🦷

Dental hygiene does not begin when teeth appear.

It begins on day one.

Using gauze or a soft cloth with fluoride-free baby toothpaste helps clean the gums and introduces oral care early. It also stimulates the oral sensory system and prepares the mouth for feeding, speech and healthy teeth later.

As moms, we have the knowledge to help our babies thrive.
Let’s get it right from the beginning.

From your friendly family chiropractor,
**Dr Michelle Cloete**
*MTech Chiropractic, SOT*

14/03/2026

Has your shoe size remained a size larger post-pregnancy? 🤰🏼

02/03/2026

You thought you were getting the hang of this newborn thing…Then Week 5 or 6 arrives.

Cue: late afternoon fussiness, cluster feeding, squirming, and the sudden inability to be put down.

If this is you — take a breath. This stage is *very* common.

What’s Happening at 5–6 Weeks?

Around this time, two big shifts occur:

1️⃣ Relaxin Is Leaving Baby’s System

Relaxin (the hormone that kept baby flexible in utero) begins working its way out of their body. As it decreases:

* Babies may feel a little tighter
* Their bodies may seem less “mouldable”
* You might notice more tension or squirming

From a chiropractic lens, this is when we sometimes see increased muscular tone and tension patterns emerging.

2️⃣ Cortisol Rises in the Evenings

Even tiny babies have cortisol fluctuations. By late afternoon:

* Stress hormones rise
* Fatigue builds
* Their immature nervous system struggles to self-regulate

They don’t yet have the neurological wiring to calm themselves.

So they borrow yours.

---

Co-Regulation Is Everything

At 5–6 weeks, babies regulate through *you*.

Your steady breathing.
Your slow movements.
Your calm tone.

When you soften, their nervous system often follows. It’s not weakness — it’s biology.

---

What Helped Me (From One Mom to Another)

With my own little one, these were game changers:

✨ Infant Probiotics

Supporting the gut can help during this period of digestive immaturity. A regulated gut often means a more comfortable baby.

🛁 Night-Time Bath Routine

This became our reset button. Warm water:

* Activates the parasympathetic nervous system
* Lowers cortisol
* Provides deep sensory input

Consistency is key. Same time. Same sequence. Dim lights. Predictable rhythm.

Routine builds safety. Safety calms the nervous system.

🐆 Leopard Hold

This classic hold (baby tummy-down along your forearm) provides:

* Gentle abdominal pressure
* Vestibular input
* A soothing containment effect

For overtired, windy, tense babies — it can work beautifully.

---
5–6 weeks is a peak fussiness window.
It doesn’t mean something is wrong.
It means your baby is developing.

If crying is excessive, feeding is distressed, or tension seems significant, have baby assessed by a qualified paediatric professional.

But most often?
This is a phase of nervous system maturation.

Dim the lights. Run the bath. Breathe slow. Try the leopard hold.

You’re not failing.
You’re co-regulating a tiny human whose nervous system is still under construction. 🌙

From your family Chiropractor and a fellow Mom,
Dr Michelle Cloete (MTech Chiropractic, PCA, CASA, PainSA)

28/02/2026

Why 8–12 Week Old Babies 👶🏽 Have Peak Fussiness
Around this age, babies undergo a massive neurological leap.
Their nervous system is maturing rapidly. They are:
* Becoming more alert
* Processing more sensory input
* Still lacking the ability to regulate themselves

By late afternoon, cortisol levels tend to rise. Add:
* A full day of stimulation
* Digestive immaturity
* Fatigue
* A still-developing circadian rhythm
And you have the perfect storm.

From a nervous system perspective, your baby is not “naughty.” Your baby is overloaded.
There is sympathetic nervous system overload (fight-or-flight) gets switched on — and she doesn’t yet have the neurological wiring to switch it off independently.
That’s where you come in.

Co-regulation is your super power! Your calm is contagious
Bath routine is the perfect re-set.
Other Gentle Strategies That Help
✔️ Dim the lights earlier than you think
✔️ Reduce stimulation after 4–5pm
✔️ Babywear for rhythmic movement
✔️ Skin-to-skin contact
✔️ Slow, intentional rocking
✔️ White noise
Think: womb vibes.
Because neurologically? They were in a dark, warm, rhythmic waterbed 10 weeks ago. The outside world is still a lot.

This 8–12 week window is famous for peaking fussiness — and then gradually easing as the nervous system matures.
Your baby is not broken.
You are not failing.
This is development in motion.
And sometimes, the most powerful intervention is remembering that regulation starts with you.
Hang in there.
The witching hour doesn’t last forever.

Your family Chiropractor and proud Mom,
Dr Michelle Beech Cloete (MTech Chiropractic, PCA, CASA)

16/02/2026

Support your baby’s development. Let us help your family thrive 👶🏽🧑‍🧑‍🧒‍🧒🤰🏼😁🕺
📍210 Matagorda Street, Berario, Randburg
📞0722407009

14/02/2026

We have crushes on these very special patients this Valentine’s Day ❤️ Thank you, parents, for giving us permission to share the love in this post. (CGI applied to help hide identities).

05/02/2026

Never have a staring contest with a baby 👶🏽
You’ll lose 😄 Did you know? It is normal for newborn babies to blink only 1-2 times per minute (on average).

04/02/2026