Experienced Southend Chiropractor Backs Baby Led Weaning

southend chiropractor backs baby led weaningAs a Fellow of the International Chiropractic Paediatric Association and has been a Certified Chiropractic Paediatric Practitioner for fourteen years, Arif Soomro, one of our team of award winning Southend chiropractors is often asked about Baby Led Weaning. One of the reasons that Arif is such an advocate for the process is that it helps jaw and cranial development and is likely to reduce the need for orthodontics treatment as the child grows.

Baby Led Weaning provides babies with the chance to explore a variety of foods by themselves and has been shown to help them adapt to different textures from the very start of the weaning process.

Having spoken to many parents who have tried Baby Led Weaning, most have been extremely passionate about its benefits. Many parents have said that weaning in this way has helped their babies develop a healthy appetite for a variety of food groups and has encouraged them to join in with family mealtimes.

If you are interested in trying Baby Led Weaning, a good way to start is to offer your baby a selection of healthy finger foods that are suitable for his/ her age. Arif suggests starting this when you and your family are eating a meal together as this will be a good chance to introduce your baby to family mealtimes (plus you all get to see your baby start this wonderful new adventure!). Chip-shaped or foods with a natural handle (such as cooked broccoli spears) are perhaps the easiest of foods for your young baby to hold. (Bear in mind that when your baby first tries solid food, he/ she will only be able to clasp foods with his/ her fists. Once your baby has developed the pincer grip, he/ she will be able to pick up small food between the forefinger and the thumb.)

It’s important not to be disheartened if your baby just plays with the food you offer at first; this is a natural part of curiosity and discovery and it certainly doesn’t mean that they are not ready or not suited to Baby Led Weaning. Continue to give your baby breast or formula milk in between mealtimes, then as your baby gradually moves on to solids, you should see a natural decline in the amount of milk feeds required.

Are there any downsides?

Weaning is a messy time and you should be prepared for even more mess (and waste!) when you decide to start Baby Led Weaning. Dietitians recommend that your baby gets used to a variety of food textures early on (even the sloppy ones!) which means you will probably need to add carpet cleaner to your weekly shopping list! Bear in mind that if most of your baby’s food does end up on the floor, his/ her nutrient intake may be restricted.

You may also find that your baby find it difficult to chew certain finger foods such as well-cooked meat, but your baby will still need iron from solid food from six months of age.

Our experienced Southend chiropractor, Arif, recommends that you speak to your GP before starting Baby Led Weaning if any of the following apply to you:

• You or any members of your family have allergies, digestive problems, or food intolerances
• Your baby has special needs, can’t chew very well or has difficulty picking up food
• Your baby was born prematurely

For more advice or to book an appointment with Arif or another member of our award winning and dedicated team of chiropractors, contact Cliffs Chiropractor Southend on 01702 430430.

Holidays are Coming! Holidays are Coming! Top Tips on Getting Your Little One to Sleep on Christmas Eve from Our Southend Chiropractor

It’s pretty hard to forget that magical feeling we all had as children on Christmas Eve. With every flicker of light that crept through our curtains we’d be peeping through our bedroom windows trying to catch a glimpse of Santa aboard his midnight journey.

With all the wonder and excitement that comes with Christmas Eve, it’s hardly surprising that most parents find it a challenge to get their children to sleep. As leading chiropractors in Southend, we promote a good sleep routine in children for a wide variety of health reasons, but even we haven’t got a sure-fire solution for the night before Christmas. However, there are ways that you can give your excited little ones the best chance of a good night’s rest:

1: Keep Them Busy In the Day

Even if the day before Christmas sees you busy playing “Super Santa”, take time out of your schedule to do some physical activities with your children. This will help them to get sleepy in the night.

2:Don’t Overwhelm Them

Bear in mind that your children are probably already full of excitement and anticipation so try not to overdo the stimuli on Christmas Eve (they have plenty of that to come!). Focus on doing one enjoyable activity at a time, such as reading a story together or watching a Christmas film.

3: Arrange a Time to Open Presents

Not many parents want their children leaping out of bed at 4am to see if “Santa has been”. When you tuck your little ones into bed on Christmas Eve, arrange a time to get up and open presents. Remind your children that the sooner they go to sleep, the sooner (your arranged time) will come. Doing this will also increase the chances of them sticking to your arrangement next year too.

And for all you grown up kids out there who can’t sleep on Christmas Eve? We’ll leave that down to you…

To book an appointment with our dedicated team of chiropractors, contact Cliffs Chiropractor Southend on 01702 430430.

Even Super Heroes need the occasional help of a chiropractor at Cliffs Chiropractor Southend

zackery being treated at cliffs chiropractor southendThis photo just goes to prove that even Super Heroes need the occasional help of a chiropractor at Cliffs Chiropractor Southend!

It comes as a surprise to many people that children and babies can suffer with the same problems of the spines and joints as adults. In addition babies and children have their own range of problems.

A specialised approach at Cliffs

Many patients who visit Cliffs for the first time are often surprised to find our waiting room is packed with young children and mums with prams. The reason being for this is that parents and their families travel from a wide area to visit Arif Soomro. Arif is our resident chiropractic paediatric specialist and co-founder of Cliffs.

To diagnose and treat new babies and young children additional chiropractic skills are required. Arif is one of the UK’s more established paediatric practitioners and is Southend’s only Certified Chiropractic Paediatric Practitioner.

Don’t assume your child will ‘grow out of it’

Unfortunately, it is all too common to find that a child’s pain may be put down to growing pains. It is not uncommon in these instances that further treatment is not sought.

“Don’t assume your child will ‘grow out of it’.” Arif says. “I encourage any parent to seek advice from a qualified chiropractor as chiropractic care could provide fast effective relief.”

Cliffs Clinic is fully equipped with equipment and techniques to ensure that even the most nervous child and anxious parent can gain confidence in our approach and treatment.

You can find out more about our approach to treating children and babies on our website.

If you have any questions regarding your baby, child or teenager’s complaint then we encourage you to contact the clinic to discuss your concerns with one of our team of clinicians. You can contact us at Cliffs Chiropractor Southend on 01702 430430.

Arif treats Children – See Leo’s visit to Cliffs Chiropractor Southend

Chiropractic treatment for children is safe, effective and enjoyable. If you’re considering chiropractic for your child watch Leo’s experience with Southend chiropractor Arif Soomro.

Leo’s Visit to Cliffs Chiropractor Southend

As you can see by all the giggling and smiling, Leo had an enjoyable time!

As well as adults we also treat children here at Cliffs Chiropractic clinic Southend. It is often little recognised that children and youngsters can suffer with the same problems with the spine and joints as adults. These problems can in turn result in muscles in their neck, back and extremities to tighten. This tightening can cause the bones of the spine or other joints to lose their normal motion or move out of position.

At Cliffs Chiropractic Clinic Southend one of our highly experienced team of chiropractors, Dr Arif Soomro, is one of the country’s more established paediatric practitioners and the areas only Certified Chiropractic Paediatric Practitioner. The clinic also has the equipment and techniques that allow anxious patients or nervous children to gain confidence and achieve results.

If you have concerns over a back injury for your child then please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us as we offer a lot of help and advice in this area. Contact us on 01702 430430 or email us at info@CliffsChiro.co.uk to get in touch.