This definitely needs to be the first consideration of a parent who is thinking of brining their newborn to a chiropractor. When it comes to safety numbers, the best source for information is insurance companies because their sole goal is to make money which is based on the number of doctors they insure compared to the number of claims they have.

The ChiroFutures Malpractice Insurance Program which insures thousands of chiropractors, does not base its malpractice insurance rates on the age of the patients the chiropractor sees. In fact, they are not aware of any actuarial data showing an increase in adverse events from the tens of millions of pediatric chiropractic visits per year.

(Also of note, our malpractice insurance for $1,000,000 of coverage is about $2000 per year. Most likely your car insurance covers significantly less for more money, meaning that it is safer for you and your baby to get adjusted than it is to drive to the chiropractor.

Chiropractic care is about removing obstructions and interference to the proper functioning of the nervous system. This occurs when the vertebra shift and obstruct the nervous system. So any adjustment has to begin with an analysis of your baby.

We perform our Gonstead analysis to determine if and where your baby is subluxated. Then we perform a gentle and specific correction based on your baby's needs. Lastly, we post check to ensure that a correction was made and our indicators of subluxation are no longer present.

The amount of pressure we use when making an adjustment on a baby is similar to the force you would use to check the ripeness of an avocado.

Birth is one of, if not the most stressful experiences your baby will go through. And often that stress causes a baby to become subluxated. But unfortunately, pediatric chiropractors are the only professionals that are qualified to assess for and correct vertebral subluxations.

With that being said, your baby's first adjustment cannot be too soon. All of our babies were adjusted within minutes of their birth because we want our children (and all children) to thrive. Ideally your baby is seen within the first couple of weeks of life to address stresses on the body from the birth process before they become set patterns that take longer to resolve.

For moms who want to rest and abide by the 5-5-5 rule, we recommend bringing your baby to get checked when you take your baby to the pediatrician. Getting your baby's nervous system assessed is just as important as getting your baby's height and weight checked as it is the system that will allow your baby to continue to grow and develop optimally.