Craniosacral Therapy for babies and children
As a Certified Craniosacral Therapist with over 14 years of experience working alongside Cambridge and Waikato Midwives, I support babies to become happy and relaxed at sleeping and feeding.
Craniosacral Therapy for babies and children is a gentle hands on treatment that allows me to listen to the parents, respond to the baby's needs, and support the entire family in addressing issues related to sleep, feeding, and digestion.
The key benefits of Craniosacral Therapy for babies & children
Helping with feeding and sucking problems
Balancing post birthing patterns
Head turning and torticollis
Pre and post tongue tie revision treatments
Breastfeeding, latching and feeding issues
Calming digestion Issues
Promoting sleeping and calming
Learning to crawl, walk and run
Muscle and growing pain
Posture and movement patterns
Sensory processing
Learning difficulties
Sleeping issues
Emotional issues
Each session is unique to the child. Babies who are not on the move are treated on the table with Parents/Caregiver right beside them. If baby is unhappy or needs to feed they can nurse or be cuddled while I am treating them.
Babies on the move or children can be treated on the table, in a parents arms or on the floor playing or reading.
This gentle treatment eases:
Birthing issues and trauma
Craniosacral Therapy can help a baby recover after a hard labour, Cesarean birth, Ventouse or forceps delivery or even a fast delivery. A general check up or to fix obvious issues is part of each baby session.
Breastfeeding & latching problems
Craniosacral Therapy can address the many causes of breastfeeding, bottlefeeding and latching issues. I’ll take the time to truly see what is impacting the feeding journey and will treat the causes.
Tongue or lip ties
Babies with lip and tongue ties can cause pain with breastfeeding, and noisy or lazy feeding. Treatment includes identifying ties as well as Craniosacral therapy to improve sucking and reduce feeding pain.
Fussy or crying babies
Craniosacral Therapy can help to soothe the nervous system, release tight muscles, improve relaxation and self calming within the baby.
Colic, reflux and digestive issues
Digestive issues in babies are distressing. Each session works with the parents and the child to relax the stomach, improve feeding techniques, relax the body and find answers individual to the baby.
Head turning, torticollis and misshapen heads
Craniosacral Therapy can retrain the muscles to allow the head to turn easily thus allowing the baby to lie with its head on both sides. Exercises for head movement and sleeping are also taught to the parents.
Tummy Time
Tummy time teaches baby to hold its head up as well as strengthening the neck and arms to prepare for crawling. Learn how to optimise this exercise and make it enjoyable for Baby and Parents.
Rolling and crawling
I help babies overcome movement challenges, including transforming bum shufflers and commando crawlers. Treatment for delayed or difficult walking is gentle and effective, with toddlers treated on the ground to allow free movement during the session.
Sleep regressions
Sleep regressions can be from many causes - digestive, tight muscles, sore body from falling while learning to walk or simply overstimulation. Treatment includes craniosacral therapy and techniques specific to the needs of the child.
Feeding solids
Feeding solids can be easy or hard. Babies are learning swallowing, drinking and sensory processing techniques. Craniosacral Therapies can help with the transition to solids by reducing the nervous system reactions to change.
Emotional turmoil
As babies and children get older they will show their emotions stronger. This is a learning process for parents and babies. Craniosacral Therapy will help to support their nervous system during this time of change allowing for a calmer baby and toddler.
Frequently asked questions
What does a baby Craniosacral treatment look like?
Each treatment starts with an in depth discussion of how the baby is, its history and also how Mum and the rest of the family are. This allows the full picture to be seen.
The baby is then either placed on the table or held by a parent.
Each Craniosacral treatment for baby is baby led. That means that the baby decides what needs working on and when. This allows the baby to relax into the treatment. Unwinding and releasing restrictions and tension at the rate the baby can cope with. Craniosacral Therapy for baby (or Cranial Baby Massage as some call it) gently uses only 5g of pressure to relax and release these restrictions. These restrictions may be within muscles, nerves, fascia, the pelvis and the skull. I follow the tissue to where it wants to move to - thus a release.
Will you explain what is happening throughout the treatment?
During the session I will explain what I am working on, what I’ve seen with behaviour and movement patterns with the baby and then will give concepts for parents to use based on what I’ve observed within the session.
All information and concepts given are purely that. My favourite phrase is - "It is your baby, you set the rules, you put it to sleep at night, you get it up in the morning. You know it the best". When you get 'advice', if it feels right for you then do it, if it doesn't feel right then don't do it. It is purely your child.
Do you offer Craniosacral Therapy Session for Mother and Baby?
During this 1 1/2 hour session Mum and Baby get time focused on their own wellbeing. The Postnatal Mum is listened to and worked with to help find solutions to the many issues she faces with a baby. Topics that are addressed are varied and can range from her own post birthing pain to feeding issues. The session allows time to de-brief about the birth or how they are feeling that day or week.
The craniosacral treatment is specialised to helping her recover from the birth she had as well as the muscular pain and tiredness from having a baby.
If Mum has had a Caesarian Section (C-Section) birth, the scar can be worked on and released from 6 weeks after the birth.
It is preferable that a support person comes in to be able to look after the baby to allow Mum to fully focus on her own needs for this time frame.
Will baby get upset?
Baby may be quiet throughout the treatment or it may tell us that there is a restriction or that a release is happening.
If baby, during the Craniosacral treatment, gets upset during the treatment, I will continue to treat the baby while it is having a cuddle or being fed. Each treatment is done with the parent at the table with the baby. They are fully part of the session.
Should baby be fed before the treatment?
It doesn't matter whether baby is fed or not fed before the session. Treatment can continue while baby is feeding.
Do you offer Craniosacral Therapy at both clinics?
Yes, at both the Morrinsville and Cambridge clinic. See the locations here
Does Medical Insurance cover treatments?
Southern Cross Insurance covers all of my treatments if you have Wellbeing One or Wellbeing Two policies with the Body Care Module added to it as I am a Level 6 MANZ registered Massage Therapist. You can use the Easy-claim payment within the clinic. This saves having to pay and then submit receipts to your provider. Other Insurance companies may pay retrospectively. I am happy to provide receipts for treatments.
Kind words
"I have taken both my babies to see Heather. She took time to listen to each of their birth stories and what they are like as babies. Heather is very gentle and takes it nice and slow to see how the baby reacts. It’s quite fascinating to watch how they respond to her gentle movements.
I have noticed positive changes in them and have taken them back for more appointments. I highly recommend Heather."
FELICITY
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Clinic locations
Morrinsville Community House
43 Canada Street, Morrinsville
Cambridge Midwives Clinic
12 Raleigh Street, Cambridge