Search for a baby osteopath in Aberdeen and you will find plenty of promises, and some of them break the UK's advertising rules for osteopaths. This guide sticks to what the regulator's own guidance says a clinic may tell you: who paediatric osteopathy is for, how treating a baby differs from treating an adult, how osteopathy may help children and teenagers, what we will not claim, and what a first visit at our clinic in Bridge of Don involves and costs.

Who paediatric osteopathy is for

Osteopaths treat people of all ages. Osteopathic patients range from newborns and children to pregnant women and older people, and undergraduate training for osteopaths includes paediatrics. Osteopaths are statutorily regulated primary healthcare professionals: every practising osteopath in the UK must be on the General Osteopathic Council register, and the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) sets what a clinic may claim.

At our clinic, babies, children and teenagers are seen by Iveta Hanzelova, known as Iva. She graduated from the British College of Osteopathic Medicine with a Master's in Osteopathy in 2020 and completed postgraduate study in Specialist Paediatric Osteopathic Practice in 2025, the kind of specialist paediatric qualification many osteopaths go on to hold. She also offers perinatal and postnatal support for parents. You can check her entry on the register yourself; our guide to choosing an osteopath shows how.

How treatment differs for a baby or child

A baby's skeleton is softer than an adult's, so osteopaths use gentler techniques when treating babies, including cranial techniques. Cranial techniques are safe, gentle and non-manipulative, and they are often used when treating young children and newborn infants. There is no forceful manipulation, nothing that clicks or cracks, and your child stays with you throughout.

Osteopathy is a gentle treatment suitable for children and babies, and gentle treatment could help soothe and relax your baby. Many children find a session calming, and some fall asleep on the table. Osteopathic techniques are suitable for children at all stages of development; Iva will assess your child to see what might help, and she will say so plainly if she thinks osteopathy is not the right route.

How osteopathy may help children and teenagers

The ASA publishes a list of conditions it accepts osteopathy can help with, and its guidance for osteopaths says that list may be referred to for children and babies too. In a growing body the ones we see most are generalised aches and pains, back pain and uncomplicated mechanical neck pain, headaches arising from the neck, joint pains, muscle spasms and minor sports injuries, and, at any age, tension and an inability to relax.

In practice that means the teenager with a sore back after long days at a desk or on a phone, the young footballer or gymnast with a minor sports injury, and the child with a tense neck and headaches that start there. Osteopathy could help in each of those cases, and the assessment always comes first: Iva looks at how your child moves and at the areas around the one that hurts, because a sore back in a growing body often has more than one contributing factor.

Support for parents during and after pregnancy

Iva also sees parents. A woman's body changes during pregnancy: ligaments soften, weight increases and posture shifts, which can put extra pressure on joints in various parts of the body, including the spine and pelvis. Pregnancy can cause general aches and pains, including joint and back pain, and osteopathy could help. Osteopathy may also help relieve the stresses and strains on your body during pregnancy and after birth, when hours of holding, lifting and bending catch many new parents in the back, neck and shoulders. Iva can give postural advice for feeding and carrying a newborn as part of that. Pregnancy massage is available at the clinic as well.

What we do not claim, and when to see your GP

The same rules say an osteopath may not claim to treat conditions specific to babies, because the evidence for those is limited or negative, and the ASA has upheld complaints against clinics that advertised osteopathy for colic, reflux, feeding difficulties, glue ear and flat head syndrome. So, plainly: we do not claim to treat any of those, and we will not describe a baby who cries a lot as something osteopathy fixes.

Osteopaths are trained to screen for medical conditions and will tell you if you need to see another health professional. If your baby has a fever or a rash, is not feeding, or anything about them worries you, your GP or health visitor is the right first call, and NHS 24 on 111 outside surgery hours. Osteopathy is not a substitute for medical care, and we are happy to see children alongside their NHS care.

Your first appointment, prices and booking

The first visit for a baby or child is around 60 minutes. It starts with a conversation with you about your child's health, birth and development, and the reason you have come. The examination is gentle and unhurried: Iva watches how your child moves and uses light hands-on assessment of the areas of concern, then explains what she has found and whether she thinks osteopathy can help. Treatment, if it goes ahead, uses very light touch. Follow-up sessions are around 40 minutes. Bring a favourite toy or comforter, and if you can, feed or change a baby before you come so they are settled. Older children can wear something comfortable they can move in, and you can ask questions or stop at any point.

The first visit, including the consultation, is £80, and continuing treatment is £65. No referral is needed. You can read more on our osteopathy for babies and children page, meet Iva and the rest of the team on the team page, and book an appointment online or by calling 01224 707877. The clinic is at 24 Ellon Road in Bridge of Don, on the ground floor, with free parking at the door.