There’s nothing quite like the sound of your newborn crying for hours, you’ve tried everything — rocking, feeding, walking the floors, swaddling — and you’re still left wondering why your baby seems so uncomfortable.

If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone. Many babies go through a colic phase, and it can feel endless. One gentle method that’s been helping a lot of families is Craniosacral Therapy, or CST.

What Colic Really Feels Like

Colic isn’t just “a fussy baby.” It’s intense crying that can last for hours, often in the late afternoon and evening. Even when the baby has been fed, changed, and held, the crying continues. Many parents suspect something deeper is going on — and often, it has to do with tension in the baby’s nervous system or body from birth.

How Craniosacral Therapy Helps

Craniosacral Therapy is an extremely gentle, hands-on approach. The therapist uses a touch as light as the weight of a nickel to help release subtle restrictions in the baby’s head, neck, and spine. These restrictions can come from pregnancy or the birth process and may contribute to discomfort, fussiness, and poor sleep.

After working with many babies, I’ve seen how CST often brings noticeable relief. Parents commonly share that their babies:

• Cry less and for shorter periods
• Settle down and fall asleep more easily
• Seem more comfortable overall
• Have fewer episodes of arching and restlessness

Beyond colic, many families also notice improvements in reflux, feeding difficulties, torticollis (tight neck), and general sleep struggles.

What You Can Do at Home

While nothing replaces hands-on professional care, there are a few things you can do at home that can help:

• Hold your baby upright for 10–15 minutes after every feeding
• Try slow, rhythmic rocking or swaying
• Keep a calm, consistent bedtime routine
• Offer short, supervised tummy time during the day

These small steps can be soothing, but they work best alongside proper support when needed.

If your baby has been struggling with colic or just seems uncomfortable in their body, there is help available.

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Rachel Stein, OTR/L, CST

Experienced Pediatric Occupational Therapist and Craniosacral Therapist in Jackson, NJ, specializing in babies.

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