Infant Chiropractor in Lincoln NE: Your Baby's First Visit
Photo: Kevin Gent on Unsplash
Your baby turns her head to the right every time you lay her down, and someone at church mentions a chiropractor. A baby's first chiropractic visit is mostly talking, watching and a gentle exam, with very light hands-on care only if the exam says it fits.
This guide comes from me, Dr. James Cain, DC, the family chiropractor with an office off Pine Lake Road in Lincoln. It's for new parents who are curious, a little nervous and want a straight answer.
What happens at a baby's first chiropractic visit?
Most of the first visit is questions and watching your baby move. Here's how it usually goes at our office:
We talk first. How the birth went, how feeding and sleep are going, and what your pediatrician has said at checkups. Bring every question.
We look at a normal day. How many hours your baby spends in the car seat, swing, bouncer or carrier, which side you usually hold her on, and how tummy time is going.
I watch her move. Does she turn her head just as far both ways? Does she kick and reach with both sides? How does she hold her head up on her tummy?
A gentle, hands-on check. I feel how her neck and back move, with you right there. She can stay in your lap if she's happier there.
We decide together. I explain what I noticed, in everyday words. Sometimes the answer is a few habits to try at home. Sometimes it's a call to your pediatrician. Sometimes it's light care here. You decide what happens next.
A sleepy, fed baby is a happier exam. Our Saturday window, 8 to 8:30 AM, is often quiet, and we can schedule new-patient visits before or after our posted hours, so call or text and we'll find a time that works with naps.
How gentle is chiropractic care for a baby?
Very gentle, and it looks nothing like an adult adjustment. If I recommend hands-on care for a baby, it's light, steady fingertip pressure, about what you'd use to check if a peach is ripe.
The why is simple: a baby's spine is still growing, and her muscles are just learning to hold her head up. She needs room to move, not force.
If anything I do seems to upset your baby, we stop. You can pick her up anytime.
What does the research say about chiropractic for babies?
Birth is hard work for mom and for baby. Babies get pushed, pulled and twisted on the way out, and sometimes helped along with forceps or a vacuum. A lot of parents simply want that checked. Is your baby moving freely? Turning their head easily both ways? Comfortable on their back and their tummy?
That’s what a visit here is. A gentle check of how your baby’s spine and body are moving, using about the pressure of a fingertip.
What it isn’t is a treatment for colic, ear infections or any other illness (BMC Pediatrics review).
On safety, the same review found the side effects reported in trials were usually mild and short-lived, like fussiness. Moderate to serious problems were reported only now and then, and the authors called for better reporting to know the true risk.
So here’s how I use that. I don’t promise any result for a baby. I see a visit as part of keeping your whole family well from day one, right alongside your pediatrician. I check how your baby moves, use gentle care only when the exam fits, and refer you quickly when something needs a medical doctor.
What helps at home this week?
The most useful thing most parents can do starts on the living room floor. Tummy time builds the neck, shoulder and arm strength your baby will need to roll, sit and crawl, and it helps keep flat spots from forming on the back of the head (NIH Safe to Sleep).
Start small. Two or three sessions a day of 3 to 5 minutes, while she's awake and you're watching. Most babies can start a day or two after birth.
Build up. By about 2 months, aim for 15 to 30 minutes of total tummy time a day, split up however works (NIH Safe to Sleep).
Get down at her level. Lie on the floor face to face, or lay her on your chest. She'll lift her head to see you.
Switch sides. Alternate the arm you hold and feed her on, and switch which end of the crib her head goes. She'll turn toward the room and toward you, so changing it up gets her looking both ways.
Limit the "containers." Car seats, swings and bouncers all put pressure on the back of the head. Use the car seat for the car.
That last one matters. Once Lincoln turns cold in November, babies spend more time in seats indoors and in long car rides to Grandma's for Thanksgiving. Plan floor time around those days.
A check you can do tonight: look at your baby's head from above after a bath, when her hair is wet. The back should be evenly round and the ears even. About 1 in 5 babies develops some flattening from lying in one position, most often in the first 4 to 12 weeks (HealthyChildren.org, from the AAP). If you see a flat spot or a head tilt, start with your pediatrician. They can tell a positional flat spot from a rarer problem with the skull and refer to physical therapy when it's needed.
Photo: Josh Duncan on Unsplash
When should you call the pediatrician or 911?
Your pediatrician comes first for anything that might be a medical problem. Call them first if your baby has:
Crying you can't settle, poor feeding or fewer wet diapers than usual
A flat spot, a head that always tilts one way, or a lump in the neck
Vomiting, or spit-up that is green, bloody or forceful
Not reaching milestones your pediatrician talked about
Call 911 or head to the nearest ER for trouble breathing, blue or gray lips, a baby who is limp or very hard to wake, a seizure, or any fall or bump to the head followed by vomiting or unusual sleepiness.
Bring your baby in when the big questions are answered, and you'd like a gentle look at how she moves and how your days are set up. You don't need a referral. When my exam finds anything that needs a medical doctor, I'll tell you and send you back to your pediatrician.
Your first-visit checklist
A fed, rested baby (and a bottle or a quiet spot to nurse)
An extra diaper and a burp cloth
Notes from her last pediatrician checkup
A list of how she spends a normal day: car seat, swing, sleep, tummy time
Your questions, written down
Our care page for kids and families explains how we care for children of every age, and the kids visit guide covers toddlers through teens. Expecting? Read the prenatal guide.
Questions people ask
What age can a baby see a chiropractor?
There's no set starting age. Call or text and we'll talk through whether a visit makes sense.
Does chiropractic help colic?
The research doesn't show that chiropractic treats colic. What I can do is look at how your baby moves and how your days are set up, and talk through holding and tummy time.
Will my baby cry during the visit?
Some do, mostly because a new place is a lot to take in. You hold her or stay right beside her the whole time, and we stop whenever she needs a break.
If you're wondering whether a visit makes sense for your baby, phone or text our office at 402-423-4422 and we'll talk it over with you first, or see more at championchirolincoln.com.
Written by Dr. James Cain, DC, a chiropractor at Champion Family Chiropractic in Lincoln, Nebraska. This article is general education, not personal medical advice. Questions about your own health? Call or text us at 402-423-4422 and we'll help you figure out the next step. For a medical emergency, call 911.
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