Torticollis and Lip/Tongue Tie Resources for Babies

Like many on this journey, I have found limited support for babies and families of babies with torticollis and lip and tongue tie conditions. (Learn more about torticollis here.) It seems like doctors see a general need to answer questions and send in referrals to specialists but many are not too concerned about how the condition affects day-to-day life in the household and what long-term implications there might be.

I haven’t seen negligence from care providers, but I think there is a lack of understanding about how difficult it is to manage and how they can actually help. Also, treatment often requires additional services, meaning time and cost, which aren’t always available or accessible. And there seems to be a general tendency to believe that babies outgrow it and everything will be fine. This may be true, but in the meantime babies and toddlers can continue to emphasize one side of their body, may have limited eating, could exhibit difficulty sleeping or communicating, and face a general difficulty managing environmental sensory inputs and mobility requirements.

TalkTools jiggler

In order to support this community, which I think so greatly needs answers and help (sending air hugs), I have compiled some of the resources given to me early on by the lactation consultant and physical therapist after my son’s torticollis and lip and tongue ties diagnoses.

The guidance my husband and I were given was to encourage children with torticollis to move, even if you have to do it for them through rocking, massage, or gentle vibrations. Vibrations (in the mouth and/or on their whole body) can help the vestibular system, which can help with eating and disrupting the discomfort or painful neural pathways. TalkTools Jiggler was recommended to help with this, but any gentle massager can do the same thing.

YouTube Videos

Doula My Soul Lactation Services: “Rhythmic Movements for Breastfeeding Difficulties”

Benjamin Peterson (parent video): “7 Simple Baby Body Work Movements to Relax Your Baby”

KidCare Canada (Now Owned and Operated by Child Health BC): “Baby Massage: A Practical Approach”

LA Lactation, LLC: “Baby Suck Training Exercises for Tongue Tie”

Once your baby finds a little more movement and release, encourage them look to the opposite side (the side they never like to turn to). You can promote this by putting toys and books (things they like to look at) on the side they avoid and keep encouraging them to turn that way. I would do it several times a day and slowly it became easier.

From my yoga for scoliosis work, I learned to put a little towel or blanket under the side that is more collapsed to find a little more balance between sides. Start very small (maybe a wash cloth or burp cloth) and put it under just the side of their back that sinks into the ground more. Look at the fronts of their hips, ribs, and shoulders. Determine if any of these are higher (toward the ceiling) than the other side. If so, consider adding a little lift/support on the lower side. As babies move more, this hopefully becomes less necessary. 

We were referred to physical and occupational therapists, who helped us make significant progress. We also considered cranial sacral therapy but a recommended therapist was several hours away, so I opted to wait on that. I will touch on those therapies more in other posts.

If you have more resources to share, please send them along: info@360-yoga.com. I will try to curate more lists of things that families have done to help improve our little ones’ situations.

Other posts in the Postpartum Series:
Torticollis and Scoliosis
Torticollis, Scoliosis, and Sensory Disorders