Osteopathy for babies: gentle, safe and supportive

Osteopathy for babies is a gentle form of manual therapy for various ailments that might have been caused during birth or by developmental disorders. It can promote your baby’s overall well-being in a natural way.

What is osteopathy for babies?

Osteopathy for babies has a special role in manual therapy: it specialises in the gentle treatment of newborns and infants and centres on the fundamental principles of osteopathy. These assume that all systems of the body are interlinked. Osteopathy for babies follows a holistic approach. It looks for tensions that might cause symptoms and attempts to release these. Osteopathy for babies aims to restore natural harmony in the body.

How much does osteopathy for babies usually cost?

The costs of osteopathy for babies may vary depending on the region and experience of the osteopath. Successful treatment generally requires several sessions.

Osteopathy for children: how much does health insurance cover?

Under SANA and COMPLETA supplementary insurance, you will receive 75% of the costs of medically necessary osteopathy. In addition to the benefits provided under COMPLETA, we cover 15% of the invoice amount, up to a maximum of CHF 500 per calendar year, under COMPLETA PLUS. COMPLETA, incidentally, is part of the Baby Package.

Important: we do not cover the costs of preventive treatments. Furthermore, the osteopathy specialist must be recognised by Helsana. You can find further conditions regarding the payment of costs here.

Osteopathy for babies and children: when is it suitable?

Baby osteopathy may be suitable for a number of different symptoms. In many cases, osteopathy can be used shortly after the birth of your child – for instance, to relieve tensions and blockages arising during birth. There are many other symptoms osteopathy for babies can help with:

Treating reflux with baby osteopathy

Osteopathy can alleviate digestive issues in babies with reflux by relieving tensions in the body and supporting the function of the digestive system.

Osteopathy for stomach aches in babies

Osteopathy for children can help your baby with any stomach aches. Stomach aches in babies often include colic caused by cramps in the smooth muscles of the digestive organs. Gentle treatment techniques such as baby osteopathy can help to alleviate these cramps.

Osteopathy to help with sleep disorders in children and babies

Osteopathy for sleep disorders in babies gets to the bottom of any potential causes and attempts to resolve them. It can relieve physical blockages and improve the function of the nervous system. The gentle techniques of osteopathy can help babies to sleep better. Osteopathy can help with your baby’s sleep disorders, thus contributing to increased overall well-being.

Alleviate feeding difficulties with baby osteopathy

Osteopathy for babies can also help with feeding difficulties. It can improve the muscle function in your baby’s mouth and neck region, which in turn can promote your baby’s sucking and swallowing function. Osteopathy is particularly useful when you are breastfeeding your baby and experiencing difficulties.

Osteopathy for babies with a regulatory disorder

If your newborn has a regulatory disorder, baby osteopathy may be an effective treatment method, relieving any potential tensions in the body so your baby can better process irritants. This can promote self-regulation and alleviate excessive irritability.

Baby osteopathy for excessive crying

Osteopathy can calm babies that cry a lot by resolving the possible causes of physical discomfort. Stomach aches or sleep disorders can often be the underlying cause, but functional restrictions of the spine are frequently an issue too.

Osteopathy for children with ADHD

Osteopathy can be used to support other treatments in children with ADHD. Various osteopathy techniques can help children to better regulate tantrums and restlessness, and to concentrate. During treatment, the child’s body is examined for tensions in the area of the base of the skull and for dysfunction and misalignments that may be resolved with osteopathy for babies.

Treating tension and overextension with osteopathy for babies

Is your baby hyperextending? This can have various causes: overstimulation, growth spurts or functional disorders of the spine or abdominal organs. Where the causes are physical, osteopathy can relieve tension and have a positive effect on your baby’s posture and motor skills.

Osteopathy for babies: correcting head deformities

Osteopathy for babies is often used for head deformities. Gentle manual techniques can help promote a symmetrical head shape and improve the mobility of the cervical spine.

Osteopathy for babies: what does it involve?

In osteopathy for babies, the practitioner carefully examines your child’s body. The aim is to identify any tensions, blockages or movement restrictions that might be causing symptoms. In osteopathy for babies, the focus is on the skull, the spine and other important areas of the body.

Using gentle techniques, osteopathy for babies can relieve these tensions and promote mobility. This is done by means of gentle pressure, stretching and other manual techniques tailored specifically to the needs of your baby. You will also be given valuable tips for osteopathy exercises to do at home to give your baby additional support.

Is osteopathy for babies dangerous?

Naturally, the safety and well-being of your baby is of the utmost priority for you as a parent. Osteopathy for babies is generally regarded as a safe and gentle treatment form. When trying to find a complementary therapist, ensure that they have adequate experience. Enquire with them beforehand as to when osteopathy is suitable for your baby.

Note that osteopathy for babies is often associated with an initial deterioration. It is important to discuss any concerns beforehand. Your osteopath will tell you when you can expect to see an improvement in your baby following osteopathy treatment. An initial deterioration is a sign that the body is responding to osteopathy and usually only temporary. The time taken to see any improvement can vary since this is dependent on the individual reaction of your baby to the treatment. Some babies demonstrate an improvement immediately after the first treatment, while some require several treatment sessions before seeing any significant benefit from the osteopathy for babies.

If the symptoms do not subside after several treatment sessions, osteopathy may not be the right form of treatment for your baby’s symptoms. In this case, speak to your paediatrician about alternative treatment methods.

Articles about this topic

Do you have questions?

We're here to help.

Contact us