For the little ones, I always try to use mom’s lap as the treatment table. My favorite upper-body position is for the infant, toddler, or small child to sit on mom’s lap and face her. As mom holds the waist, I will be gently holding the back of the neck with my hands.
If the child has strabismus, I will have mom hold each eyelid, one at a time, with her index and third finger pads. I will be feeling strain that usually descends into the trunk. For throat issues, mom will gently hold the infant’s throat, so we are lightly encircling the neck.
Oral therapy for babies with teeth can be a problem. Since I like my fingers, I have mom use her index finger for placement. I always ask if she wants to wear a glove. Rarely have I seen a child bite any mom.
While I am holding the back of the neck, mom will hold the roof of the mouth, then the middle of the tongue, and then the floor of the mouth in the tongue tie area. For any of these connections, you may feel a strain pattern from below the neck pulling into the head.
When I am working on the diaphragm or the abdominal organs, the baby will be sitting with its back against mom’s chest. I am holding the abdominal area with my fingertips as mom (or dad) holds the back at the same level as my fingers.
With the infant lying on its back on mom’s thighs with feet towards me, I am holding their thighs (pelvis) while mom is holding whatever upper body spot(s) you want.
Try any connection that makes sense in that moment. Connecting the dots can help you access deeper levels of strain and also gets the parent in the game.
The infant may not be happy, so as soon as that strain starts to release, it is back into mom’s arms for a while. Becoming a happy baby can take hard work.
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