Chiropractic Care for Infants & Toddlers
Time spent in the car seat is inevitable, but it should be limited as much as possible — especially for little babies, who spend a lot of time either on their backs or being carried around in different contraptions. In fact, did you know that most car seat manufacturers state that your little one should not be in a car seat for longer than 2 hours in a 24-hour window?
Car seats are for a baby’s safety, but for extended periods of time, they’re not ideal for their little spines. Lumbar spinal imbalances can result from the restricted postures the seat allows, which can impact the development of your child’s spine. The tight-fitting straps, while necessary, also add to the problem.
Another good reason to keep babies out of car seats is they also run the risk of developing a condition called “plagiocephaly.” This is when the back or side of the baby’s head is flattened – which is precisely why tummy time is recommended!
Chiropractic Care for Little Kids
If your child wants to have the coolest new Spider-Man backpack on the market or that sweet Hello Kitty model, it’s probably OK. There are just a few rules you need to keep in mind when shopping for a backpack. According to the American Chiropractic Association, you should remember these tips. Choose a backpack that:
- Waist and chest belts help transfer weight evenly
- Backpacks should not be wider or longer than a child’s torso
- Choose a backpack with a padded back and shoulder straps
- Bigger isn’t always better. With more room comes more weight for your child to carry. Fully loaded, your child’s backpack should never weigh more than 10-15% of their total body weight
Chiropractic Care for Tweens
Unless your tween has aspirations of joining an Amish community, they can’t avoid technology – more specifically, looking down at hand-held devices like their smartphone.
Tech neck is the term commonly used when referring to those with a specific set of structural changes to posture due to prolonged behaviors of improper texting or using other screen devices such as tablets. If this is not corrected, it can have lasting effects on the structure and function of the spine and, ultimately your health.
Think about this for a minute, how do most people, not just children, usually text?
Where’s the phone? Where is their head? How are their shoulders? Grab a phone, if you’re not already reading this on your phone now, and pretend you’re going to send a text.
Most often, the phone is in the hands at or below mid-chest, the neck is leaning forward, the head is tilted nearly fully down, and the shoulders are rounded forward. This is tech neck, or text neck. Once or twice or occasionally spending time in this posture certainly will not cause lasting harm.
It’s important to teach your child to hold their tablet or phone at eye level, which can help to reduce the pressure placed on the neck. In an upright posture, the head normally weighs about 10 to 12 lbs. When the head is tilted forward, it can put additional strain on the neck, reaching up to 50 or even 60 lbs of pressure.
Chiropractic Care for Teens
Being a teenager isn’t easy. Beyond heading to the movies to hang with their friends, many teens also participate in sports or physically demanding hobbies such as dance or martial arts. In fact, according to the National Safe Kids Campaign, more than 30 million children participate in organized sports in the US.
But let’s face it: every active kid is bound to get injured at some point. For teens, though, it’s important to keep in mind that they aren’t just miniature adults (even though they may act like it at times). They don’t have fully matured bodies. In fact, girls grow until around age 18, and boys can grow until they’re 21!
Routine chiropractic adjustments are a great way to help in both cases.
Chiropractic adjustments reduce joint restrictions and inflammation caused by things like sports injuries and growth spurts, which ultimately lead to improved function of both the affected joint and nervous system.
There’s a reason 90% of world-class athletes rely on a chiropractor, and your teen can too.
If you have any questions about Chiropractic care for kids of any age, let us know!
We look forward to seeing you soon!
Dr. Hughes, Dr. Shannan, Dr. Harris
