What we check
- Upper neck rotation, and whether your baby can turn comfortably to both sides while on her back
- Whether lying flat provokes discomfort or arching
- Base-of-skull and jaw tension, especially in a baby who clenches or grinds down on a feed
- Rib and diaphragm motion, since slow full breathing supports settling
- Pelvis and hip symmetry and any habitual drawn-up leg
- Startle response and how quickly your baby can come back down after being disturbed
- Autonomic nervous-system tension measured on an INSiGHT scan
- Your current sleep setup, so we can confirm it is safe before anything else
What to expect
The first visit is a consultation, an INSiGHT nervous-system scan, and a hands-on exam with a first adjustment. We will ask you to walk us through a full day and a full night, including the exact moment things fall apart, which side she turns in the crib, and how she is put down. Then we examine her neck, ribs, and pelvis and watch how she tolerates being flat on the table. That last part is often the most informative thing we do. Where we find restriction, we address it that day with sustained light fingertip pressure. At the second visit we review the scan and give you a plan with a real checkpoint, so you know when to expect us to say it is working or it is not. Come at whatever time of day your baby is usually hardest. Seeing her at her worst is more useful to us than seeing her at her best. The initial visit is $200.
Book a first visitSleep Habit vs. Physical Barrier
Newborn sleep is supposed to be broken — short cycles, frequent feeds, and unpredictable nights are normal biology for the first months, and no amount of anything changes that. We are not going to tell you a baby ought to sleep through the night at eight weeks.
- There is a difference between a baby who wakes to feed, feeds, and drifts back down, and a baby who cannot get comfortable enough to go down in the first place
- She will only sleep upright on a chest
- She startles awake within minutes of being set down, every time
- She wakes with a cry rather than a stir
- She fights the transition into sleep for forty-five minutes even when she is clearly exhausted
- She sleeps better in the car seat or the swing than flat on her back
- She always turns her head the same direction in the crib
- That last one is a clue we take seriously, and so is the upright-only pattern. Both suggest lying flat is uncomfortable, not that your baby has a discipline problem. A sleep plan cannot fix a body that will not relax
Why We Start With the Neck and Ribcage
When a baby cannot tolerate being flat, we go looking for the mechanical reason.
- Upper neck — the usual suspect. If the top of the neck is restricted, lying on the back puts the head into a position the baby cannot escape from. She turns to the comfortable side, stays there, and wakes when she cannot get away from the pull. Restricted rotation also shows up as a stubbornly preferred head direction in the crib.
- Base of the skull and jaw, because a baby who is clenching does not drift off easily.
- Mid-back and ribs matter more than people expect. Sleep runs on parasympathetic tone, and parasympathetic tone runs partly on slow, full breathing through a diaphragm that can actually move. A ribcage held in a shallow, braced pattern keeps a baby idling high.
- Pelvis and hips. A baby whose pelvis is torqued tends to keep one leg drawn up and cannot settle into a symmetrical, relaxed shape on her back.
- What we claim, and what we do not. We gently address the restricted areas, which may support a baby who can be comfortable in more positions than one. Parents commonly report longer stretches and easier transitions to the crib. We do not claim chiropractic care treats or fixes infant sleep, because it does not, and anyone telling you otherwise is guessing.
The Nervous-System Side: Gas Pedal and Brake Pedal
Our care is built around the nervous system rather than around symptoms. The sympathetic side is the gas, the parasympathetic side is the brake, and sleep requires the brake.
- Some babies come to us with the gas pedal stuck down — alert past the point of tiredness, hard to bring down, and quick to spike
- The INSiGHT scan measures how much stress and tension is sitting in your baby’s autonomic nervous system, turning a vague impression into something we can track across visits
- Dr. Tori Hartline uses that scan alongside the exam findings to decide how often a particular baby needs care and for how long, rather than starting from a fixed schedule
- Care here is called the Nervous System Reset Method, and the goal with a wired baby is simply more access to the brake
Safe Sleep Comes First, Always
Nothing we find changes the basics.
- Your baby sleeps on her back, on a firm flat surface, in her own space
- No pillows, no bumpers, no blankets, no wedges, no positioners
- If your baby only settles upright, that is a reason to have her checked — not a reason to let her sleep in a swing, a car seat, a bouncer, or on your chest while you doze off
- We would rather lose the appointment than have you leave here with an unsafe workaround
- If lying flat is genuinely intolerable for your baby, tell your pediatrician too; that is worth a medical look as well as a mechanical one
- Your own nervous system counts. Plenty of moms end up on the table right after their baby, and postpartum care is part of what we do
See a medical provider right away if you notice
- Any fever of 100.4°F or higher in a baby under 3 months old — call your pediatrician or go to the ER immediately
- Pauses in breathing, gasping, snoring, or a color change during sleep — this needs prompt medical evaluation
- Difficulty waking your baby, unusual floppiness, or a weak cry — treat as an emergency
- Poor weight gain or falling off the growth curve alongside poor sleep
- A head tilt or strong one-side head preference that comes with vomiting or trouble feeding — see your pediatrician promptly
- Sudden change in a baby who previously slept well, especially with fever, vomiting, or inconsolable crying
- Any head injury or fall, followed by sleepiness or vomiting — go to the emergency room
- Thoughts of harming yourself or your baby, or feeling unable to cope — call or text 988 now, and tell your provider. Exhaustion this deep is a medical issue too
Common questions
Will chiropractic care make my baby sleep through the night?
No, and we will not pretend otherwise. Broken sleep is normal for young babies, and chiropractic care is not a treatment for sleep problems. What we can do is check whether physical restriction or nervous-system tension is making it harder for your baby to be comfortable and to settle. Parents often report longer stretches after we address what we find. That is a report, not a guarantee.
Is this instead of sleep training?
It is neither instead of it nor a substitute for it. Some families come to us first because their baby seems physically uncomfortable, then work on habits later with a sleep consultant. If you are already partway through a sleep plan and it stalled, we are happy to look at the physical side while you keep going.
How gentle is the adjustment on a sleeping baby?
Very. It is sustained light pressure from one fingertip, about what you would use to test a ripe tomato. No twisting, no popping, no quick movements. Babies frequently sleep straight through the visit, and we take that as a good sign rather than a missed opportunity.
My baby only sleeps on me. Is that a problem we can solve?
It is worth investigating. Contact-only sleep is common and often just a phase, but when a baby cannot tolerate being flat at all, we want to check her neck and ribcage. In the meantime, please still follow safe sleep guidance. Falling asleep with her on the couch is the situation we most want you to avoid.
Can you see me too? I am the one who has not slept.
Yes. We see whole families, and plenty of parents get adjusted at the same appointment their baby does. Mention it when you book so we allow the time.
This page is educational and is not medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Chiropractic care does not treat or cure disease; it supports the function of the nervous system and spine. Please speak with your pediatrician or a licensed clinician about your family's specific situation, and seek immediate care for any urgent symptom.