Colic and unsettled evenings, reflux, wind, a stubborn nappy rash, skin that will not clear, a toddler whose diet has shrunk to beige. A naturopath supports babies and toddlers gently, alongside the medical care your child already has.
Often it is normal, and it is still worth acting on. Colic usually settles and toddlers are famously fussy, but “it is normal” and “there is nothing to be done” are different statements. Feeding, gut development, nutrient status and the skin-gut relationship can all be looked at gently, alongside your child’s medical care.
Three hours of crying every evening. A baby who arches, gulps and pulls off the breast or bottle. Nappies that are never quite right. Skin that flares no matter what goes on it. A toddler who lived on six foods and is now down to four. And somewhere in the middle of it, a parent who has not slept properly since March.
You do not have to simply wait it out. Our team looks for the drivers we can influence — feeding, gut development, the mother’s health where she is breastfeeding, nutrient status, and the skin-gut relationship — and we do it gently, at an age-appropriate pace, without ever getting in the way of your child’s medical care.
Babies get sick quickly, and small signs matter more in a small person. Some things are for a doctor, urgently, not for a naturopath. Please contact your GP, your maternal and child health nurse, or a hospital emergency department straight away if your baby has any of the following:
None of that is a naturopathic problem. It is a medical one, and it needs a doctor now. We would always rather you rang for medical advice and were reassured than waited for an appointment with us. The Royal Children’s Hospital fact sheet on crying and unsettled babies is a good place to start. We do not diagnose or treat illness in babies and toddlers; that is your doctor’s role, and ours sits alongside it.
Once a doctor has excluded the serious causes, usually a mix of feeding and digestion, the developing microbiome, the gut-skin connection, foods passing through breast milk, the transition to solids, nutrient status, and the mother’s own health. We take a long history — pregnancy and birth, feeding from day one, illnesses, antibiotics, sleep, skin, nappies and growth — before anything is prescribed.
The drivers we most often find behind unsettled babies and struggling toddlers:
Cautiously, and with a very low bar for sending you back to your doctor. Small children are not small adults, and what is appropriate at four months is not what is appropriate at four years. Feeding and settling adjustments come first, then careful age-appropriate nutrition, support for a breastfeeding mother, and food-first work with toddlers. Depending on what we find, our support can include:
We review early with babies — often within two to three weeks — because at this age things change fast in both directions.
We are open 6 days per week, by appointment only. Book an appointment online via our online booking link.
We cannot cure colic, and no one should promise to. What we can do is look at the things that make an unsettled baby more unsettled — feeding and milk transfer, wind, the developing gut, and where relevant the breastfeeding mother’s own health — and support the drivers we can influence. Colic that comes with poor weight gain, blood in the nappy or forceful vomiting is a medical matter first, every time.
With the whole picture rather than the skin alone: feeding, gut symptoms, family history, and what has already been tried. Skin and gut are closely connected in early childhood, and there is reasonable evidence around the microbiome in infant eczema. We work alongside whatever your GP or dermatologist has prescribed, never instead of it.
Only when there is a clear reason, at a form and amount appropriate for a child’s age and weight, and prescribed by a qualified practitioner who knows everything else your child is taking. For many babies the answer is that nothing is needed and the work is in feeding. We will tell you when that is the case.
Yes, and often that is where the useful work is. A mother’s nutrient status, recovery and sleep affect the whole household. We are also happy to work alongside a lactation consultant or your maternal and child health nurse.
Straight away, and before us, if your baby has poor weight gain, blood in the nappy, persistent vomiting, a fever in a young baby, fewer wet nappies, difficulty breathing, or is not feeding or is hard to wake. Those are medical situations and they need urgent medical attention. Our work begins once your child has been properly assessed.
If the evenings are long and nobody in your house is sleeping, it is worth having a naturopath who works with babies look at the whole picture properly. Our naturopaths and nutritionists consult from Geelong CBD and Drysdale, in person or by telehealth, six days a week. Book an initial consultation and we will start by listening.
We are open 6 days per week, by appointment only. Book an appointment online via our online booking link.
