Cranio for Toddlers

Your First Appointment

What to Expect

The Initial appointment includes a health history and birth-story intake, gentle assessments and treatment.

Depending on your child’s comfort level with meeting new people, the first session can either consist of them laying on the table for the majority of the session, or seated in the parents lap.

It may take a few sessions for a child (preschoolers especially) to warm up to the care provider. The therapist will do their best to gain the trust of the child.

Craniosacral Therapy and Rhythmic Movement help your toddler to develop coordination that they'll use for a lifetime.

Have some concerns?

What we can help with:

Toddlers who are struggling with the symptoms below often see improvements within a few sessions

ASD
ADD/ADHD
anger management
back arching while sleeping
blocked tear-ducts
breathing (shallow/mouth)
breech position
broken bone, post-cast removal
chronic ear infections
chronic sinus infections
chronic cough
crowded teeth
c-section birth
constipation

flat-spots on their head
growing pains
head turning to one side
high-arch palate
injuries (especially head)
misshapen head
motor delays
picky eating
speech delays
strong gag reflex
swallowing troubles
torticollis/scoliosis
tongue ties
vacuum/forceps assisted delivery

How does it feel?

Treatment Style

Craniosacral Therapy (CST) is a gentle form of body work used to release tissues within the body at any age, from newborns to seniors.

The position of a baby in the womb, combined with their birth process and common injuries that they experience throughout their early years can lead to symptoms that parents are concerned about.

The therapist will work with your child, getting to know them and their interests, understanding what makes them feel comfortable and welcome and then will ask permission to assess and treat different areas of their body.

Parents are always in the room because we feel that a child must feel safe at all times. Healing happens best when children are well supported by their loved ones.

Depending on the needs of the child, there may also be some activities played on the floor, and the therapist will join in! It can be quite fun to watch.

Parents are often sent home with either calming touch activities, rhythmic movement videos, or massage techniques to help out with the treatment plan of their child.

A sign that craniosacral could be beneficial for your toddler is if they crawl with only 1 leg.

CST History

The science behind the techniques

This treatment was developed by Dr. John E. Upledger, an Osteopathic Practitioner. Through his extensive research at Michigan State University and many years of clinical testing, Upledger found that using as little as 5g of pressure (about the weight of a nickel) was enough to release tissues from head to toe, thus allowing the body to move freely and promote healing.

Since the techniques are so incredibly gentle, they are even safe for toddlers to receive.

Benefits

Results vary for each child. It may take up to 3 sessions to see best results. This is because some of their tension could date back to before they were born.

Benefits may include easier management of emotions, elimination of ear infections, improved digestion, or better sleep.

Most children experience noticeable results immediately – are calmer, complain of growing pains less, enjoy more textured foods or have a noticeable change in head-shape.

Often it takes only 3-6 treatments spread over a couple of months to resolve the major issue of concern.