Gentle, supportive care for your baby’s early development
From feeding challenges and sleep difficulties to colic, reflux, or birth-related strain — many parents come to us with the same quiet question: “Is this normal?” We’re here to help you feel heard, supported, and more confident in your baby’s body.
Osteopathic care for babies is gentle, hands-on, and always tailored to their stage of development. Our approach is calm, respectful, and informed by experience — guided by your baby, and grounded in trust.
Why Parents Seek Osteopathic Care for Their Baby
In the early months, babies are adapting to life outside the womb — and their bodies sometimes show signs of tension, imbalance, or discomfort. These can affect feeding, settling, sleep, and general ease in movement.
Osteopaths use a gentle, whole-body approach to assess your baby’s development and offer calm, supportive care to help things feel smoother — for both baby and parent.
- Difficulty latching, feeding or turning the head evenly
- Preference for one side (often linked to torticollis or head turning asymmetry)
- Discomfort during tummy time or while being held
- Reflux, unsettled digestion, or wind
- Sleep struggles or difficulties settling
- Flat spots on the head (plagiocephaly) or positional discomfort
- Tension or stiffness following a difficult birth
The Role of Osteopathy for Babies
How We Work With Babies
Our approach to working with babies is gentle, respectful, and entirely hands-on — but never forceful. We use soft palpation, cranial techniques, and biodynamic principles to sense areas of tension or imbalance in your baby’s body.
Treatment is always guided by your baby’s comfort and response. Sometimes it looks like subtle hand placement, other times like supporting their natural movements as they stretch, unwind, or settle.
We explain everything as we go, and your baby stays clothed and securely held or supported at all times. You’re part of the session too — because when a baby feels calm and safe, they’re more able to respond to care.
Restlessness, Irritability & Recovery After Birth
Birth is a big event — for both baby and parent. While many newborns settle into their new world with ease, others may seem unusually restless, irritable, or difficult to soothe. Sometimes this reflects tension or asymmetry in the body after a long or difficult labour, assisted delivery, or caesarean birth.
Osteopaths trained in treating infants may gently assess for areas of restriction or discomfort and support your baby’s recovery with soft, hands-on care. One study has suggested that osteopathic care may assist newborns in the early weeks following birth (research link: Cerritelli 2013).
Reflux, Colic & Digestive Discomfort
Digestive issues like reflux and colic can make life unsettled — for both babies and their parents. While osteopaths don’t treat reflux or colic as medical conditions, we may support the musculoskeletal factors that contribute to your baby’s comfort, posture, and ability to settle.
Tension in the diaphragm, neck, or abdominal wall may play a role in how your baby feeds, swallows, and processes wind. Gentle osteopathic treatment can help ease areas of tightness and support more balanced movement patterns.
A 2012 study explored how osteopathic care may influence symptoms of colic in infants (research link: Dobson 2012).
Head Shape, Torticollis & Movement and joint Asymmetries
It’s common for babies to develop flat spots on their head, prefer turning one way, or show differences in how they move their neck, hips or feet — especially in the first few months. While these patterns often improve on their own, some parents seek osteopathic support to help their baby feel more comfortable and move more freely.
We offer gentle, hands-on treatment alongside positioning guidance and movement advice to support symmetry and ease. If your baby is in a helmeting program or being monitored for hip development, we’re happy to work collaboratively as part of your care team.
A 2006 study explored how osteopathic care may assist in early cases of deformational plagiocephaly(research link: Philippi 2006).
Sleep Support & Postnatal Checks for Babies
Sleep is one of the most common concerns we hear from new parents — and while no baby sleeps perfectly, some find it harder to settle than others. There can be many reasons for this, including feeding, digestion, or physical tension. Osteopathic care may help support more ease and comfort in the body, and a 2006 study suggested gentle touch therapies may play a role in improving infant sleep(research link: Kelmanson 2006)
We also offer postnatal musculoskeletal checks to assess your baby’s mobility, symmetry, and comfort — especially if there were challenges during birth. Sometimes we find nothing of concern; other times, we may notice areas of strain or restriction in the neck, shoulders, hips, or cranial base, which can be addressed with gentle hands-on care and guidance for parents.
We aim to keep treatment focused, appropriate, and minimal — and always led by what’s best for your baby.
Nurturing Osteopathic Care for Your Baby’s Health
Not every concern fits into a checklist — and sometimes, you just want to talk it through. If you’re wondering whether osteopathy could support your baby, we’re here to listen and help you decide.
Meet Our CliniciansPersonalised Care Across All Ages
Explore how osteopathy can support you and your family—through pregnancy, newborn care, and childhood development.
Osteopathy for Pain & Movement
Support for Growing Bodies
Pregnancy & Infant Osteopathy
Not sure if osteopathy is right for your situation? Just give us a call—we’re happy to chat about what you’re dealing with and whether we can help.
As one of the Gold Coast’s longest-running osteopathic clinics, we believe in honesty, not guesswork. If we don’t think we’re the right fit, we’ll let you know and help point you in the right direction.
Jem Fly
Alex FRith
Niribi Sanna
