toddler complains of back pain

[sarah2032]

I have an almost 2 1/2 year old son who began complaining of back pain in mid-October.  We had just had another baby, so I didn't really think much of it at first.  Then in early November he wouldn't walk, after x-rays and blood work all came back normal our pediatrician diagnosed him with toxic synovitis.  He began walking and was back to normal in a couple days.  However, the occasional complaint of back paincontinued, most of the time when he was laying down.  We took him back in to the Dr. and had more x-rays done.  Then in the beginning of December he began to complain of back pain when he was in his car seat.  Again, i just took it as he wanted out, nothing too alarming.  It has gotten worse that now he will scream like he is in enormous pain whenever he's in the car seat.  I have since paid close attention to what it is that hurts.  He always grabs for the middle of his lower back with his right hand and says that's where it hurts.  We had a Britax Boulevard carseat since April and were praying that it was the carseat that we went and got a new one.  Same thing in the new one.  I then began watching him sit.  When he sits he will not sit with weight equally distributed on both hips, he'll immediately shift his weight to one side or the other, or need to sit sideways with a leg up, then he's fine.  Since a 5 point harness prevents him from doing so, he can't figure out how to fix whatever it is that hurts.  This week he also started it in the stroller.  He will not sit on my lap without shifting to one side or the other.  Even if I distract him with TV or a snack or anything he's all over the place.  If I try to make him sit straight he will immediately begin kicking his legs and squirming his back all over the place, and then scream.  Our pediatrician ordered more x-rays but I don't know what else to do or who else to see for a consult.

[LACM]

I also have a 2 year old son who has been complaining of back pain and it bothers him more when he is lying down so at night he wakes up frequently and cries, he also would complain in his car seat trying to push up from sitting. I have noticed that he doesn't like to sit with his weight on both hips he moves around and won't sit for long. He also has had many x-rays which come back normal.  He does have some abnormal blood work results which show some inflammation, but they don't know where? I was sondering if you had made any progress on a diagnosis or treatment.  Right now my son takes NSAID (anti inflammtory) and sometimes codiene for pain. does your son have consitpation too???

[SnCMom]

I also have a 34 month old dauther who's been complaining of back pain for over two months now.  At first I ignored it thingking she was just mimmicking what her dad says (he often has pain on his back).  But she kept bringing it up and I noticed that she fidgets in her high chair, the carseat and the bed before going to sleep.  She often just mumbles "my back hurts" in a soft voice and I know she's telling the truth.  The pediatrician recomended giving her Motrin, which I did every day, 2x per day, for a week.  Though it seemed to help relieve her pain, the pain didn't go away.  I have continued to sporadically give her either Motrin or Tylenol when I think her pain is really bad but it's still there.  We saw an pediatric orthopaedist who took x-rays and said that everything seemed well and that the only thing they saw was a curvature of about 12 degrees that didn't warrant any pain or treatment at the time.  We are to repeat the x-rays in six months to see if the curvature is still there, has improved or stayed the same.
Recently my daughter has started to complain about her diaper being too tight (though I know it is not because I can see how loose it is around her waist) and I'm wondering if it's related to the back pain.
I'm not sure what to do at this time.  I wish the pediatrician would recomend having an MRI or something so I may suggest it to the pediatrician.  Let us know if there has been anything new that has come up or if you've been able to find out the cause of the pain.

[Teck]

Have you thought the pain may not be the back at all but maybe their kidneys?  The reason I say this is because I have a daughter that at the age of 18 months, was diagnosed with kidney problems that caused a lot of discomfort, especially when sitting or lying.  The pain is usually just under the rib cage in the mid part of the back.  

I am not trying to diagnose your child, but it is definitely worth checking into.  Hopefully your Doctor will take some suggestions like this one.  I truly hope you find some help for your child.  The one thing for sure, don't let your Dr. brush it off, there is something definitely wrong and needs attention.  This goes for all the other people that has responded to your entry.  Good luck to all of you.

[madisonsmommy]

I was wondering if you ever found anything out?  My daughter has been complaining of the same things......  So far x-rays, urine screens, and blood work have all came back normal.  We had an MRI late last week but I'm still waiting on the results from the dr.  Just curious in the meantime.

Thanks!

[vignette7]

Yes, I need to know if any of you came up with a diagnosis. My son at the age of 3 started complaing of back pain only in the car seat.  We had switched to a booster to see if that helps, it doesn't.  We have had x-rays only.  It has been 7 months since he started complaing .  It;s only in the car seat though, so I don't know how serious I should take it.

[maddieturk]

Hello. I am not sure how much this can help... I was around 1-2 when I started complaining about back pain. I would have to crawl and scream in pain. I was sent everywhere to all kinds of cancer doctors and no one could find anything. Eventually the doctors diagnosed it as meningitis. Then, I guess the medicine helped because to this day I am a very athletic and healthy child. You might want to check this with your doctors.

[DrTanase]

Sarah, I would suggest you look into finding a pediatric chiropractor... Someone who's specialized in pediatrics, not just any old chiropractor though... A good source for finding a referral is here:  http://www.icpa4kids.org/locator/index.php

Pediatric chiropractic adjusting is VERY gentle, involves no pain, and is completely safe. It could be all that's needed for your toddler's problem.

[evygrace]

Hello,

  My son will be 3 in August and has been complaining of back pain when he is in the car for 6 months. At first it was infrequent and I thought it was discomfort from car sickness, and now much more frequent and now he tells me that it is his back. We have tried changing the seat, adding a pillow, changing cars, and it is always the same thing.
I took him to a pediatric orthopedic, and he took an xray and said that everything was normal (although did not show me the xray) I was dissatisifed with his service and will be getting a second opinion.
After readining everyone's experiences, something must be going on, and I notice that all of our children are close in age.

[PortlandMom3]

I am desperate also. My daughter is 32 mo. and wakes up in terrible screams at night. The Dr. thought it might be night terrors but she does say that her back hurts and it is usually were the kidneys are. The dr. did a tap test on her kidneys and she nearly doubled over yet all urinalysis came back with no growth. She also screams in the car seat arching her back and pulling at the harness, but honestly I never put two and two together until reading your comments. I thought it was just two year old stuff. I am very concerned. She has had this problem off and on since she turned 1. The suggestion about the pediatric chiro. is a good one. We are also checking her for milk allergies. She was nursed until 11mo. and that is about the time it started (when she was switched to milk). My oldest daughter is casein intolerant. Milk allergies are directly associated with night wakings; so that is our next step. Thought that might help. I will let you all know the results. We go to a holistic pediatrician and she has written medical papers on food allergies and intolerances relation to behavior and sleep patterns. Hopefully this will do the trick.

[sec1176]

This is a popular complaint of toddlers huh? My 24 mo old daughter has been saying her back hurt off and on for a couple of months. She has a history of urinary tract infections. So initially I freaked out and took her to Patient First. They did a blood panel and urinalysis...nothing but a virus detected...stomach they said...The back pain radiated from her stomach. So after that I ignored her saying that and dismissed it as gas. Well I mentioned it at her 2 yr old checkup and her doctor did not like that one bit! She is ordering complete blood work, xray and MRI. I am also going to request another urinalysis. She told me it hurts 2x today and 4x 3 days ago. The pain is real. We have not even mentioned the word "back" in front of her for days and she will touch her back and say softly that it hurts. She has also said her hair hurts and fooled with the bottom of the back of her head (which of course is the top of her spine) She also has a rash called pityriasis right now. Obviously my imagination is running away with itself. Help feedback anyone....waiting stinks!

[happygirls]

I don't want to frighten anyone but its better to error on the side of caution with this matter.  My younger sister complained of back pain around age 3 to 4.  It was much worse when sitting and lying down she had to get up and move around.  After many Dr visits and test over several months an MRI revealed a tumor on her spine.  She had some blood test come back with odd results prior to having the MRI but the Dr just didn't put it together and xrays did not show the cancer.  She even had MRI's of the neck done but the tumor was lower so they did not find it at first.  She then had surgery and radiation to remove the tumor.  The good news is that she is now 29.  My advise would be to get another opinion and an MRI.  Some Dr told my parents that nothing was wrong with her that it was all mental.  Your the parent and you know when something is not right with your child.

[wendy411]

My two year old has been complaining of back pain for 8months mostly in car seat and when sleeping. Doctors ordered mri came back she had lypomitosis just went back for another mri last week because of three uti's, also went to neph doctor that said she may have a neurogenic bladder caused by the lypomitosis. However her second mri results show no lypomitosis. This mri states a vessel but cannot exclude a spinal sinus tract. Now i dont know what to do. Hope this helps someone.

[teegy]

My daughter is 3 and has been complaining of back pain for over a year and a half.  At first it was her lower back and now it is lower back right butt cheek and behind the right knee.  we have had x-rays,  MRIs, bone scans, blood work.  We have seen pediatricians , Orthopedic doctors, Rheumatologists, and even osteo manipulation doctors no one can figure it out.  Her ANA blood work is outrageously high but everything else is normal.  She is now having many more symptoms but my husband and I are very concerned. If any of you come up with anything please write in.  We are desperate!!!

[AAAN]

I can't believe how many entries there are with same age and same problem.  My daughter is 2 1/2 and has been complaining for a couple of weeks that her back hurts when she is in her car seat.  Out of the blue she screams a loud painful screech crying that her back hurts.  She loves watching movies in her super comfy car seat, so I know this is not a behavior issue.  I guess I will go to the doctor, but I will be ticked if they just want her to take motrin.  That is just treating the symptoms not seeking the problem.  The only other health issue we have had is that she woke up last not with a huge nose bleed.  It was not dry in the house, and this has never happened before.  I don't think these things are related though.

[renaebair]

We have the same problem. My daughter who is 2 has started complaining of back pain only while she is in her carseat. She starts complaining only a few minutes into a ride and says "Ouch mommy, my back hurts." She reaches her hand behind her to grab her back and show me where it hurts. Then she shifts back and forth on each side of her hip to try and get comfortable. I cannot figure out what is causing this. I've made an appointment with a pediatric chiropractor for next week though, because it's been atleast a month now that she has been complaining about this pain. At her 2 year checkup her pediatrician just recommended putting a small pillow behind her back for lumbar support, which has not helped at all. I feel so bad for her! She does also wake frequently at night all of a sudden -- 8-9 times a night, and seems to be whining, but isn't saying anything coherently. Wonder if maybe she is also experiencing the back pain at night while she is lying down.

[Alex888]

Hi Sarah, have you found an answer yet for your child? This really is strange. I have a 3yo son who compalins of back pain whilst in his car seat. Often holding right hand on right side lower back leaning to left. This has been going on over a year and I was told by a doctor it must be in his head. We did kidney test, blood test, xrays and visual spine tests and some movement tests that all seemed to come back Ok. Was told if it get worse perhaps we could do MRI/Cat scan (one of these?- but apparently its not nice for kids and they would rather not if there is no dire need). He complains approx 1-2 weekly but not every time he is in the car. I have changed seats and used pillows that have not fixed his whinge. I know the pain is real as the look in his eyes and his actions tell me so.  Lets hope this is a growing thing we have all found, and perhaps they have pinching nerves or something that is common whilst seated at this age but will grow out of??? Lets hope?? Dunno?? I look forward to any more discussion or feedback on ths. Of a side note - my son coughs a lot and just been diagnosed asthmatic and he had a fall with me when he was about 8months old - wondering if anyone else has similar events to go along with childs seated back pain?

[Nic1977]

My daughter has just turned 3 and had been complaining of a sore back recently too.  An awful lot of coincidences with age and car seats. She complains when in her car seat but also at other times.  Should I be making an appointment at doctor?

[jwalterjones]

Just curious.  I have a Britax Marathon.   What seat does everyone else have?  Maybe there is a carseat connection for some of us?

[Alex888]

The car seat I have is 'Safe-n-sound Explorer snakes and ladders'. But I have tried other with similar result. Son also complained of back pain whilst strapped into high chair. I really think its a juvenile spine thing...? Be great to have a doctors response or anyone who has done a CAT/MRI scan.

[worriedmommy1747]

I have a Britax Marathon as well and my son starting complaining of back pain and leg pain about 6 weeks ago.  He is 2 1/2 yrs. old.  All of these entries seem too coincindental.  These kids are all about the same age and all complain of back pain while in their car seats.  My son also broke out in a rash around the same timeframe and it still has not healed.  The doctors believe it to be unrelated and possibly a form of eczema or impetigo.  We're treating with antibiotic ointment, but I'm very concerned.

[Julie36]

Reading your posts I feels like I wrote them myself.  My daughter is now 4 and has been complaining for 2 years.  I've switched out car seats, boosters, etc. all the same things you have all mentioned.  She has gone through many tests including catscan and an MRI.  She is due for a bone scan but I"m waiting.  I found this post about a month ago and I was happy to know that my daughter wasn't the only one going through this.  Back then I had nothing new to add so I didn't post then.... BUT now I do.....

I'd like to pose a question.  Do any of you have a family bed?   Needless to say I do.  A couple of months back I met another mom who was going through the same issue as us.  She took her son to 2 doctors.  First one said the typical try this, try that, everything all you have mentioned already.  HOwever the second one asked the question of the child's sleeping.  Having a child sleep in the same bed as the parents can restrict the child's movement and possibly causing minor aches and pains as our children are encountering.  Children need space to stretch and roll around in their beds and if sharing a bed with others can restrict their mobility.  They're like us, when we sleep in an uncomfortable bed, we start to ache.  It's more critical to toddlers since they're growing.  This is basically what this lady's doctor told her.  Unfortunately, she was just some lady I met on a random occassion so I don't know how her son is now doing.  However, about 3 weeks ago, we had moved into a new home and I had my daughter sleep in her own room by herself.  She does occassionally still crawl into bed with me, but the good news is, she has not yet once complained about her back since she's moved out of our bed.  I'm not sure if this is a coincidence or what, but I'm willing to test this out for awhile longer to see if her backaches return.  Hopefully the problem has been rectified and we can forego the bone scan.  I'm going to be watching her carefully for awhile and hope this was the solution afterall.

I wanted to share this with you all and hope that it's a simple solution as this.  I"ll post back if the problem returns, but I'd love to hear if this is the cause for you all too.

Good luck to you all.

[Julie36]

Oh by the way DrTanase, I took my daughter for massages, physical therapy and to a chiropractor and nothing had worked before.  She also seen an Orthopaedic Surgeon.  

Just for the record, she too had a Britax Marathon.  But I've switched her out to others too.  Now she's in a booster.  Like I said before, we did everything but the bone scan.  

Can't wait to hear all your comments.

[mariasmom]

Just found all of you today. We have a Britax Marathon and an almost 3 year old complaining of back pain!  We are seeing our pediatrician this afternoon (she has been complaining for 3 weeks)..same story, her daddy says that a lot, so we thought she was 'playing'..is now' hunching over' when she sits in her seat. I feel so bad, she commutes and hour with me to and from work 3 days a week... I pray it is this simple.

[mesimeri]

We have seen similar symptoms.  Our daughter, almost three, has complained sporadically of back pain for the last 9 months.  Sometimes we can go one or two weeks without a complaint, then she'll say at bedtime or in her carseat that her back hurts and puts her right hand on her mid to lower back.  No screaming pain, just the complaint.  Urine test normals.  X-rays were normal.  She otherwise plays normally and falls asleep at night.

We have the Britax Marathon and Britx Roundabout car seats.  Our commute to daycare each day is very short - about 1.5 miles.  Nothing about the car seats seems abnormal.  We raised the straps a notch.

[momof2boys]

Wow, these stories sound similar to my life. My son is almost 3 and has complained of back aches only in his car seat and while lying down. He typically screams out in pain within a few minutes into a car ride. However, he also is experiencing constipation and having problems walking. He stumbles around like a "drunken sailor" especially in the morning. He is always asking me to hold him because as he puts it "I have jelly legs and can't walk good". His typically conservative doctor was a little concerned with the symptons, and has requested an MRI. He is wanting to rule out tethered spine syndrome. If anyone else child has experienced these additional symptoms, it may be worth looking into.

[erik]

Our 33 month old bot also complains of back pain in his lower back, right on the spine. He was sick and had terrible constipation, but had complained of back pain even before this. He does sleep with us, I hope that is the issue. It is unnerving.

[erbvet]

Hopefully these are just "growing pains" since all of our children are around the same age. But my 2 1/2 yr. old son just complained for the first time tonight that his back was "squeezing and itching" him. It was quite alarming since he plays rough and is constantly hurting himself in one way or another and doesn't seem to mind. But tonight he truly acted scared and very painful. He has no history of any urinary tract inf. or anything else related to this area. His pain seemed to occur while standing and then he would run to his "soft chair" and fidget around. I hope this is not the start of something! And I'd love to know the outcome of all these other cases reported.

[jenb61483]

does almost everyone on here have a britax? my son always cries when we put him in his carseat. we always have a hard time getting him in the car. we have britax in both cars, but i recently bought a different car seat. now my son (2 1/2) only wants to drive in my car. any connection?

[Pamelael]

Wow... My 2 1/2 year old girl has been complaining of back pain off and on for 2 months. She started vomitting this weekend (at night) and crying because she needed ice for her back. I took her to the doctor to find out she has a strept throat. She is being treated ... we will see if this stops the complaints of back pain. It is interesting to hear some of you say that your little ones acting as if the diaper is too tight. My girl has been taking her diaper off and saying "owwy" since the summer. I never put the back pain and diaper together. She has not had problems with her car seat. I will see if her back pain resolves....

[amdrav]

Hey, joined the forum because my 2 year old son is also complaining of mid-to-lower back pain for the last two-months.  He has a Dr's appointment next week as pain seems to be increasing but thought that it was interesting that we also seat him in the Britax Marathon.  Coincidence?

[bubadac]

Our daughter is 34 months old and has been complaining of back pain (middle to lower back) for a few months.  She mainly complains when she is in the car seat (Britax Marathon - interesting trend...), but has recently started to complain when she is in her bed.  Like many on this forum, my wife and I initially assumed that she was mimicking her mom talking about back pain (even saying that she needs a massage).  Our daughter has a high pain tolerence and does not typically complain.  So, since the issue is continuing we have set up an appointment with our pediatrician for this Thursday and will use all the valuable feedback from you all to guide the discussion.  We will definitely insist on an MRI if other tests are inconclusive.  

Good luck to you all and I will update with any relevant progress along our path.

[Alex888]

Wow guys - I just realised the car seats I have been using are indeed Britex but came in different names like Britax Snakes and Ladders or Britax Safe and Sound....Im starting to think more and more there is something in the seat design that our sensitive kids are feeling...be it the lumbar support/seat belt behind, contouring.. dunno? I know the seat belts are always at best height as described to do in manual. My son is now 3.5yrs old and has almost stopped complaining completely - perhaps his extra growing has made the seat more comfortable???
I think we should all contact the manufactuer on ***@**** and let them know the tears and torment we are have all been going through using a Britex.

[Alex888]

***@****

if the above email address does not show, hopefully below will - dont forget the full stops

custserv  @ britax   com  au

[deadbird]

Take her to a chiropractor and see if he/she can fix the curvature. If it makes a difference then you'll know.

[koverton]

My daughter is recently 2 and has been complaining of back pain for 2 months. She screams in pain in the car seat, and we have a long commute each morning and evening to her daycare and my work. I have been to the doctor numerous times and have been very disappointed. I recently went to someone new and XRays came back normal but the screaming has not stopped. We have an MRI scheduled in three weeks. My daughter also has lots of trouble sleeping at night, and while 2 has rarely slept through the night since she was born. I have found this forum very helpful and will let you know what I find out.

[mesimeri]

Koverton: I watched a show on tv - I think the Today Show - in which a family had a small child who could not sleep at night, only a few hours (3?).  They saw many doctors who told them that their child would grow out of it and basically did nothing.  They finally saw a doctor who diagnosed a brain disorder - i think a portion of the brain was swollen.  The child had surgery and almost immediately began sleeping normally at night.  I'm not sure if back pain was involved with this child.

Now, this is a simple t.v. story and I would not pretend to know a thing about your situation.  But I mention it only as one possibility, something to question and look into.    

[6verners]

My 3 1/2 year old daughter has complained about back pain in her car seat (not Britax) on and off for about 9 months.  She has started complaining about it when she lies down now for maybe 1 or 2 months.  I have no idea what is wrong.  There is no redness, swelling, bruising or other obvious external symptoms.  I just decided to look online for possible diagnosis and found this forum.  Maybe it's just growing pains.  The pain does not last long and does not seem extreme.  She has a bad cough that just won't go away, so I'm calling the dr. monday and I'll mention the back pain to him while I'm there.  I hesitate to get all kinds of test done b/c our insurance does not cover a lot of tests.  It doesn't look like anyone's dr. has given a diagnosis for this problem.  Strange that so many 2-3 year olds have same problem though.

[djmomboys]

If the weather doesn't get bad I am taking my 2 1/2 yr.old son to the dr. because he has been complaining of lower back pain for awhile.  I went by and picked up a cup so they can do a urinalysis. Will update as soon as we know something.

[samk37]

I too have a 2 1/2 year old complaining of back pain.  I do have a Britax Marathon car seat but it is in our secondary car and is not the every day car seat.  She was not complaining in that seat only in mine.  Now we moved that seat (the Britax) into my car and she now complains in that one as well.  She screams out in pain in complete hysterics.  She has also been having horrible trouble sleeping.  We put her to sleep and she stays up to all hours of the night.  When you ask her to go to sleep she cries that she can't.  I thought these were unrelated but now she says her back hurts when she lays down.  She also started saying her pee pee hurts.  I am starting to believe this is all related and will be taking her back to the Doctor tomorrow.  If anyone has any information or has any of the same symptoms, your response would be greatly appreciated.  

[betnmik]

I am amazed that there are so many people on here with the same problem.  My son who is 3 has been complaining about back pain for a few months.  I didnt think anything of it at first but he has been complaining more frequently, at first it was his car seat now he has complained when he is eating and when he sleeps.  Some mornings he wakes and tells me his back hurts and about 3 times in the last month or so he wakes and his legs are like jello and he cant walk for like 20 minutes.  I didnt think anything of it being connected but I think they are.  He was up in the middle of the night last night crying and screaming about the pain in his back and his leg.  We have our first Dr apt on friday but I think we might be better off with a chiropractor. My son is also a tippy toe walker, hmmm  Im just stomped but prayer we can figure out what is going on.

[SoBoMom]

My son is 3 1/2 and has also been complaining of back pain. It does not appear to be at any given time. No one around had been complaining about any back pain. He told my husband about 7 months ago while he was playing with his toys. We did not think mcuh of it at the time. He has never slept well and mainly because of ear infections so we got tubes put in for that. But now he complains intermittently about the pain most of the time out of the blue. Rarely is he in his car seat when he complains. We have taken him  to his pediatrician and to an orthopedic xrays and all test are fine. They do not want to do an MRI because i guess it is traumatic but I think I will ask for one anyway. Better a little trauma now than something worse later. I can deal with the trauma. I  too was feeling alone in this and though  I am sorry for your children I am glad I have others who understand what I am going through especially since the Dr.s don't. I have added this to my favorites so if any one finds anything please post. I will do the same. God Bless and good luck.

[Cazevans]

I have a son who is 2 and a half - he has been mentioning that his back hurts on and off for about 2 months now. We have a Britax car seat but i don't think that is related as he has been in that since he was 9 mths old anyway. He mainly mentions it at night when i put him to bed and likes me to stroke his back (lower back area). He doesn't really mention it at any other time. Maybe it is just growing pains as we all seem to have toddlers around the same age - but i am going to mention it to my Dr or Health Visitor next time i see them just in case - although being in UK i don't hold out much hope in getting any tests done any time soon!!!!

[m0mm1]

Hello, my daughter is ALSO in the same age category. She's 2 1/2 years old. She started complaining about back pain about 2 months ago while in her car seat mostly. She does NOT have a Britax. She has a VERY good convertable carseat made by Cosco. She's had it since she was 8 months old. When we got that carseat it was the best one you could find out there. My daughter is very tough and doesn't complain much about pain...except this! When it hurts her in the carseat she pulls on the harness, arches her back and crys and screams so bad that I start to tear up everytime. She reaches behind her back and says, "Ouch Mommy, my back hurt, help me!" and just crys and crys till we get her out. This happens almost EVERY car ride.
Here's some other info...just in case you all experience the same thing.
She's been having nose bleeds the past couple months.
She sleeps very wildly.
A funny one...she humps her butt up and down while trying to fall asleep.
She wakes up in the middle of the night every night.
My sister, my father and myself have scoliosis.
She's been potty trained since a week before she turned 2 and has been peeing on herself from time to time lately.
Also complained a couple times while walking and several times in shopping carts.

[SoBoMom]

my son has been doing the same thing. They say the nose bleeds are because of allergies and I just thought is was because it was just a family trait. I have a lot of nose bleeeds and so do my older two. I still have to put him to sleep and he kicks his legs a lot and if he is not fully sleep he humps his butt also. He too has started to have accidents more frequently. May be these are just coincidences? He also wants me to rub his back and he tries to get me to make my hand cold when i do it.
Sobomom

[Emmasmommy1125]

My daughter has had the same problems. She is 27 months old. We also have a Britax ( Boulevard). She has been in this seat for over a yr though. I just wondered if your kids are still rear facing or if they are forward facing. We are going to the Dr today at 1:20 so we will see.

[cuddles907]

I just came across this thread as my 19 month old has also been indicating a back pain with her right hand pointing to her lower/mid back. This has been happening for a week or so. She tries to keep getting out of the high chair too and today, for the first time, just didn't want to get into her car seat. Another problem she has, which I am not sure is related, is that she walks with her feet pointing inwards and I am getting her checked by a podiatrist for this next week. I am wondering if her problem is related to her feet muscles not being well developed (which I think is leading to her walking with her feet inwards) and the strain this kind of walk has on her hips/back. I will post next week to see what the podiatrist says. I hope we all find out what is happening and help our poor little ones.

[hwelch135]

My daughter is also 2 and a half and has been complaining of back pain for a couple of months now.  It happens most of the time while she is in her car seat and she arches her back while crying saying that her back hurts.  She was also in a Britax Marathon, but I have since tried changing car seats twice to see if this was the problem.  First tried the Graco Nautilus and she still complained so I then went and bought the new Britax Frontier which also did not help.  I took her to the docter and she just told me to take better notes on when she was complaining and then to get back to her.  She checked her back and no curvature of the spine or anything else that she could see.  She did say though that she would be worried if she started having accidents with her potty training and or having trouble walking since that would be a sign of a pinched nerve in the spine.  She also said it could be constipation.  Has anyone gotten any farther with a diagnosis?  

[mayasmum]

Of course my story is exactly the the same and being the worried mom after about 6 motnhs of this with my now 2 1/2 year old daughter I scheduled a doctor's appointment.  Decided to see if I could find anything online first and stumpled upon all of you.  I hope at least some of you have found answers - personally we share a bed like another mom here so I'll try that first but some other entries are scarey so we'll see the doc this week and hope to have some suggestions or answers for all of us!

[footballmommy2]

I just can't believe this. I was thinking how in the world can I have a THREE year old with back pain? MY first thought was urinary tract infections...since as a child I had them myself. Since I was alarmed, I went to the doc soon after complaints..again in CAR SEAT ..I do not have the one you all have in common..its just a Graco..but mu poor son screams every time he get in there "my back hurts!' It breaks my heart to see him in pain that I can do nothing about. So, when I went to the doc he did the urinanalysis, blood work, throat culture (?), x rays which were terrible for my son he was petrified. The found everything was normal..and the doc said "well maybe he's constipated". This is not the case my son uses the washroom regularly. I don't know what else to do especially since you all are going through even more extensive procedures and finding nothing else wrong. I know it may be the right thing but I hate to put him through all of that. This is so erie finding all these post about it happening in the car seat and also right before bed when he is lying down.

[cwostx]

I am in complete shock that all of these stories are almost identical and my son is no exception! He is 3 1/2 and has been complaining of his back hurting for months now every time he is in his car seat (not a Britax). He seems to have no other symptoms, but he complains occasionally in bed as well and sometimes the other thing he says is that his back is "hot". I am so sad for him and don't know what to do and am hoping all of this is a growing pains thing since we are all so similar. Please keep posting if anyone finds out anything!

[girlymomma]

My daughter is 2 1/2.  We don't have a britax, but a costco.  She complains on and off that her back hurts, and sometimes it wakes her up.  Almost always she is in her carseat.  The only other time she complains is when she is in bed, or asleep on the couch.  We have seen an orthopodist who called for a renal ultra sound and bonescan...

We have a clear CBC, Lyme titer and urinalysis.  We have a bonescan and a renal ultrasound on tuesday.

Please God let it be nothing...I am falling apart.

[girlymomma]

Update:

Just spoke to pediatrician who said that this is a fairly common complaint amongst the toddler crowd.  She feels that it is developmental and includes a muscle soreness/pain.
We are still having the bone scan tomorrow, just to be sure...Hope this gives everyone a much needed boost.

[verucak]

wow!  i'm so amazed to see all these posts!  my son is 2.5 and just started complaining of back pain a few days ago which coincided with complaints about his tummy hurting.  he's not screaming in pain, just mentions it several times per day.  he actually acts totally fine and normal other than mentioning that it hurts.  i think he's only mentioned it once in the car seat though and never at night, so far.  we also have a britax decathalon in my car and a britax roundabout for my husbands car and for travel (we just took a long plane flight with that one).  i'm wondering if the fact that so many of us have britax car seats is just that it's a popular brand right now because it's supposed to be one of the better brands out there, and not because it's the britax seats specifically that are causing any problems.  
my son never complains of pain like this and i know he's not fibbing or pretending.  i am very worried since i think of tummy pain combined with back pain to be some problem with the kidneys or appendix.  we went to the doctor today and the doctor said that he hesitates to do any extensive testing because my son's not acting like his pain is actually causing him problems.  but, we did provide a urine sample for testing which i'm hoping to get the results of tomorrow.  
i really hope it is just developmental as the previous poster, girlymomma, just mentioned.  
if i find out anything from the urinalysis or otherwise, i'll post an update.
thanks for all your comments!  

[valerie70]

My son is 2 1/2 and started having back aches and tummy aches this past month. He has also vomitted a couple of times and has lose stool. I feel so hopeless! He has had an urinalysis done and it came back fine. My husband and I are currently collecting stool samples to be tested. I wanted to know if anyone has anything new to report on this because I am trying to be proactive. Any help or suggestions would be so greatly appreciated!!!!

[camsmom7]

Just this morning I decided to conduct a search on "lower back pain in toddlers" since my 22 month old woke up at 5am this morning saying "oweee, back hurts"...AGAIN!  This has been going on (on and off) for the past 6 months.  I, too, have a Britax Marathon (however, I believe that is just coincidental) and she has complained of lower back pain while sitting in it (as well as in her booster seat at the dinner table)

After about 2 hours of my daughter rolling around on the floor saying her back hurt, she let out a huge grunt and had a bowel movement.  Then she was fine and stopped complaining of back pain. I was suspecting that constipation may have been the catalyst, but wasn't sure.  My daughter was diagnosed within the first couple months of birth with a cow's milk allergy and we avoided any products made with whey or caesin.  Then after 1 1/2 yrs of this I decided to begin introducing small amounts of milk products into her diet.  Unfortunately, I was horrible at keeping track of any symptoms.  If she didn't have a pretty immediate reaction, I assumed she was starting to tolerate the milk products.  Therefore, I started giving her small amounts of cheese and  yogurt (along with butter on toast).  

Putting two and two together, I truly believe that her lower back pain all this time has been due to actually NOT being over this milk allergy and it was creating some constipation and then diahrrea.  For the past 6 months, my daugther had been waking 4-5 times a night on most occassions and sometimes complaining of this lower back pain.  At times she would say her "diaper was too tight".  

So, my suggestion would be to have your child tested for a milk or dairy allergy.  (Or at least keep track of when you're feeding him/her milk products and see if it correlates at all with the back pain).  If there is no milk allergy, then I would suggest to monitor his/her bowl movements as constipation can cause this lower back pain.  A little prune juice or Miralax will do the trick if this is the issue.

I sure hope this helps!  Good luck!  If I didn't truly believe her pain was due to her allergy/constipation, I would then think a kidney infection was on its way.  In any case, THERE IS SOMETHING WRONG and nothing should be dismissed by any doctor that it's  "just in their head".  

[momsrmoms]

I am a mother of 4 and my 2 older ones have never complained of back ache when they were this age, so this is all new to me. By reading these postings, now I am concerned. My 2.5 yr old daughter is also complaining about back ache. she sometimes puts her hand to her lower back. she started just last week after vomiting in the early morning with a slight fever and then complaining of a stomach ache. There is no particular place or time she complains, sometimes she would tell me but other times I'd just see her arch her back backwards while standing up and with her hand behind her back. And her car seat is a Graco not Britax. Some of the suggestions and postings sound scary...but good to know....thanks! please post any results that you might have.

[chloesdad]

I am a father of a 3 year old who started complaining of back pain about 12 weeks ago.  Like most cases, it started in the car seat (not Britax!) but only on and off but has more recently become very frequent.  She now complains whenever she is sitting or lying down for more than a few minutes.  She does not appear to be hindered in her normal daily movement though in any way as she is able to throw herself around as much as ever!  We took her to Accident and Emergency dept. when it got too much for her about 4 weeks ago and bloods and x-ray came back normal.  We had her referred to a orthopaedic paediatrician and have today had a nuclear scan (bone scan).  I am expecting a phone call tomorrow from the consultant with the result although judging from other peoples comments, it seems that it may also be normal.  Our daughter was born by c-section and had to wear a harness when she was 3 months old for 3 months to ensure her hip joint formed correctly so we are wondering if this could be linked.  We are also wondering about the possibility of the problem being muscular as rubbing it helps as well as a hot water bottle making things a bit easier.  It is so very frustrating to not know what is wrong with your child or how to take the pain away but hopefully we will get an answer.  If we do, I will post the info.

[karito76]

My son is 2 years and 4 months and he started complaining of back pain about 1 month ago.  He used a britax marathon for the first year, but he hated that car seat.  We got him an alpha omega (cosco i think), which he used for about 1 year.  When he started complaining a month ago, we thought it was the car seat so we got him a third car seat.  He is still complaining.  I have not taken him to the doctor because i thought it was that the car seat was just uncomfortable.  Reading all the posts, there seems to be a pattern, although X rays are done, they seem to be normal.  

[chloesdad]

Further to my post on May 18th 2009, we have received feedback from our consultant who has confirmed that the bone scan for our daughter was completely normal.  He has now arranged an abdominal scan although he has said that he does not believe that will show up anything.  Clearly having all results back as negative has to be viewed as a positive thing but it is just so frustrating not being able to help our daughter.  He went on to explain that although the professionals know a lot about medicine, they don't know everything (very reassuring!) and that provided there is nothing nasty there, we may have to just get on and deal with our daughters condition as best we can.

[valerie70]

To follow up with our results. Our pedriatrician had us collect a stool sample and also did a CBC- Blood Panel to rule out Leukemia. His blood panel came back normal which was fantastic. He said to make note when my son complains of back pain, but don't draw a lot attention to it. We got the stool sample results back 2 weeks ago and it came back positive for Giardia (parasites in the small intestines). He was put on a compounded antibiotic. The pediatrician did say that his back could hurt from the lose stool and tummy ache too. He has started complaining again when he is in his car seat, but we have movies on an IPod that he sometimes watches and he tends to put it in his lap and watch it then say his back hurts. I tell him to hold it up because I think keeping his head down can put a little strain on his back. Either that or the Giardia wasn't completely taken care of. I will keep observing to make sure. I hope this helps a little or maybe will give some another avenue to look at.

[toadie_too]

I just came across this thread and am not sure if I should feel relieved to know my son isn't the only one going through this or worried for all these babies with back pain. My son is 34 months and recently began complaining of acute pain in his very low back (center). He holds his hand on it and often says it hurts when he walks. He's never complained in his car seat (we have a Graco), but has begun waking at night in tears. Very occasionally, he'll also complain that his toes hurt (usually all of them on one foot). His pain just started a week ago, the same time that he finished taking meds for strep throat. He's had a urinalysis, CBC and xray, which, aside from elevated sed rates (showing inflammation somewhere in him) are all normal. We've been asked to go back for follow up next week and possibly additional blood work to see if the sed rates have changed at all. I will certainly post an update if I find out more.

[Tanyalee321]

Wow - I am in total shock as to how common this complaint is.  My daugher turned 2 last week and started complaining that her back hurts about a week ago.  She would not have heard that from us, so I am concerned about it...it isn't something that a 2 year old would just come up with on her own.  She says it about 2 times a day, but just goes about her regular routine.  She does get constipated, but she is also complaining about this when she is having regular bowel movements.  She too has a Britax Marathon carseat !?!?!?  I have a dr appt tomorrow and will let you know.  I suspected a UTI (urinary tract infection) but I don't think so anymore as she doesn't have a fever (and the last time she had a UTI she had a very high fever with it).  I really hope everything turns out well for all of us.  It is reassuring to hear that all the X-rays and bloodwork is coming back normal for all the kids above.  Maybe it is growing pains?!?

[907dragonfly]

When my son was about 2 1/2 he began complaining about his back hurting mostly while in his carseat.  I worried a lot and tried to find information online, but couldn't find anything that seemed to fit his problem.  He eventually outgrew it and is now 6.  Now, however, my daughter is 2 1/2 and is starting to cry and complain of back pain while in her carseat!  She does get some relief from putting a pillow on her lower back.  

So interesting to read these posts!  I definetly feel like there is a connection with the carseats.  I don't have a Britax but the brand we have (Cosco) is a similar style to the Britax Marathon.  

On a side note from an earlier post, I am now starting to suspect that my son may be asthmatic, though I don't know how these symptoms could be related.  

[mommy2028]

My daughter complains also.  Her first complaint was after doing a somersault.  These are the ages for these gymnastics.  Does anyone else think this could be it?   Dd just started somersaults a few months ago.

[emmar4126]

my 2 1/2 yr old son is constantly complaining of backache as well, im glad i found this forum as i had been putting it down to him exaggerating? he constantly complains that his nappy is too tight even though i can see that its not, he has also started waking in the night crying un-controlably saying "hurt mummy", the past couple of weeks his stool has been really red? not all the time but quite often to think something is wrong... i have made an appointment at his doctors tommorow so hopefully he will have sum answers 4 me.. he always hates getting in his car seat also, even though i have changed it 3 times! im rather worried at the moment especially with the colour of his stools? i really hope the doc will give me some answers tommorow!

[valerie70]

You may want to ask the doctor to have labs run for giardia. My son's back pain subsided after being diagnosed and treated for giardia. This is bacteria in the intestines and a strong antibiotic is used to treat get rid of it. I don't know that this is what you son has but it may be an avenue to explore. My son's doctor said that a child's back may hurt when he/she has a stomach ache and/or lose stool.

[907dragonfly]

I came across another thread on another site that provides a lot of ideas on dealing with back pain in car seats -including keeping the carseat in reverse so the legs don't dangle (which can put pressure on the lower back) or providing some other foot support for them.  I'm going to try it immediately!  Hope this helps some of you!

http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=69190

[emmar4126]

thanks for that. the doctor has asked for stool  samples and urine samples. so hopefully i will hear the results of them soon. fingers crossed. i will definatly speak to the doc regarding what u have said and see wat he has to say. to tell u the truth i have no faith in my doctor as when my son was 4 wks old i took him to see him 4 times as he was unwell, he told me that the only problem was constipation, a week later my son was in hospital with scepticema.. hopefully the results will show something.. thankyou. x

[chloesdad]

I posted last on 20th May 2009 about our 3 year old daughter.  We since had an appointment with a paediatrician who could not identify anything further with our daughter's back pain.  She said we could try physio/osteopath or mri but as we did not want an mri as this would involve general anaesthetic, we opted for an osteopath.  Today we had an appt with a trained physiotherapist (who happens to be a trained osteopath at the same time!) and after explaining our whole history he looked at our daughter's spine and said it looked fine.  He then said that either an mri could be done or he could do some osteo sessions on her back but that it would be more in the hope that it would help as he did not know exactly what's wrong.  We opted for the osteopath sessions so he started the first session there and then.  Our daughter always identifies the same area where it hurts (lower middle back) so he started work there and within 2 minutes he drew my attention to a spot which he had me feel (where our daughter indicated the pain was).  When I applied pressure I felt a small 'gristly patch'.  He said, that the same was on the other side of her spine and that if this was the problem, he could fix it in a few sessions.  He went on to ask if she crawled much as a baby which she didn't.  She used to shuffle around on her bum a lot.  He then asked if we have a wood/laminate floor as usually babies don't crawl on laminate floors, which we have.  He went on to explain that he has heard of cases where children have had back problems very young which was linked to laminate floors as they have not gone through the full developmental cycle.  Anyway, he has said that we need to get our 3 year old crawling on the carpets upstairs for 5 mins a day (play time!) until we see him again on Tuesday as this will help her back.  I don't know if our story fits for anyone else but thought I would post this in case it helps.  It may not be our answer but it's the first thing yet in nearly 6 months of pain that makes some sense.

[cutesydooo]

I'm in shock over how many of our babies are complaining of back pain!!  It makes me so sad to hear my little guy complain on a weekly if not daily basis about his back.  At first I brushed him off, but it's ALL the time.  he turns 3 in a few weeks and plan on telling his Pedi at the 3-year physical.

[benjamie]

My 2 1/2 year old son is experiencing the same symptoms. Has anyone thought possibley IBS, Irritable Bowel Syndrome?

[paula_chua]

My 3.5 years old daughter has been complaining of her lower back ache since last year too. Initially, we thought it could be due to her car seat and we had it changed as she only experienced pain when she is in the car seat.  A month ago, her pains were so constant and her PD ordered for a X-ray and detailed blood test.  She was cleared.  We visited an orthopedic too and he said that he hope to concur that it is growing pains although growing pains seldom existed in lower back pain.  Her PD has ordered for an MRI + Nuclear scan that will be taking place in two weeks time.  I felt very unease because she has to be placed under GA.  Could parents of earlier post do keep us updated on the possible diagnosis after your visits to the doc/hosp please? I am running out of wits end and my heart is totally wrecked when I see her in pain.

[annjim]

My daughter is 3 1/2, same problem.
What about Lyme Disease causing this?

[mommyskids]

My 2 year old daughter started complaining on and off, every other day or less about back back for the past 4 weeks. She shows the middle of her back, asks for booboo ice and then go on playing or else. She developped a rash at about the same time that seems migrating on her body. It started on her hands and arms, then  it got better there but moved to the laps and around the navel. It doesn't seems to itch and it's still not gone. She also had loose stools at the beginnig but not anymore. She's pretty tough and seems complaining without crying when she's settled down. No complains in the car seat. She doesn't wake up at night. The pediatician looked at her back, applying pressure on the middle of the back. It didn't seem to hurt her. Same things: I don't know what to think. I'm taking her for blood test for food allergy and see the pediatrician again.

[heatherranae]

My son had back pain, problems with going to the bathroom or controling it and we found out last year he had a tethered spinal cord and syringomyelia (cyst in spinal cord). The cyst is very rare. The tethered spinal cord part isnt as rare and could be whats going on with some of the children here. We've already went through the surgery for the tethered cord and he improved and eventually regained bladder and bowel control which isnt always the case. He first started complaining around 3 and hes 5 now.

[bubadac]

As an update to my January 5th post, we still don't have any diagnosis for our daughter's back pain.  We had x-rays done and the pediatrician mentioned that she may have spina bifida occulta (not spina bifida) which is a small bone missing from her spine.  However, this condition is very common (10-20% of the population) and should not lead to back pain.  As a follow up, we decided to have an MRI done.  This was not a fun process as our daughter had to be sleep deprived and given an anaesthetic to help her sleep through the procedure.  The results of this procedure were normal.  We have also switched car seats and that seems to have helped some, although she still complains.  She has also started to complain that her tummy hurts and asks for massages of her tummy and back regularly.  

She is very active and none of this has slowed her down at all.  She also has no trouble sleeping.  So, we aren't sure where to go from here and will probably just continue to monitor her condition.  Hopefully she will grow out of whatever is causing her pain.

[epmom]

I came across this forum like many of you searching for information on my toddlers is complaining of back pain.  The symptoms are very similar.  I have a 3yr old boy who is complaining of back pain in the car seat and when he jumps.  I do know what caused his pain and hope it may add insight into for some of you.  It all started when he jumped off a bouncer at a party and landed hard on his butt 2 days ago.  He cried and seemed okay after a few minutes.  Now he complains of pain in the car seat, anytime after jumping and sometimes after he wakes up. He complained at Little Gym yesterday after rolling around.  There are no bruises or appearance of any problems.  This is very similar to several of the posts here.  If we had not seen him get hurt I would be in the same position as many of you wondering what caused it.  We are taking him to the Doctor tomorrow and I will let you know what happens.

[sfcalum]

I have a 2 year, 3 month old who has been complaining of lower back pain in her Britax Car Seat for the past few weeks.  I assumed she was just wanting to get out of the seat.  Now I am really wondering if I should pursue this futher... does anyone have anything conclusive?  I don't want to put her through a bunch of tests if there is nothing to find.... I wonder if supporting her feet would make a difference.

Any advice?

[sjuliao]

I came across this forum looking for answers too. My 2.5 year old son started complaining 2months ago of back pain. There are still so small that they can't really explain were the pain is. He complains of the pain constantly thru the day, walks with his hand in his bck under his pants. I called the dr. and he said this was probably pinworm. He sent some medicine, but the pain never went away. He now suggested benefiber (although my son does not suffer from constipation) as he wants to rule out anything inside. If this does not work he will send me to a gastrointestinal dr.
Another thing that comes up to my mind is that maybe he might have fell down and hirt his coccyx, i really do not know what to think, it really  hirts me seeing him with such discomfort and not even knowing what it could be.......

[nurse1207]

Does anyone have any answers yet to all the back pain. I see that alot of people have not posted in many months. Someone must know something by now......

[mommyceleste]

I'm with nurse1207---does anyone have any definitive answers. I too have a 2 year old son doing exactly the same things everyone else is describing. Has no one gotten a good answer? ANYONE? PLEASE HELP!

[sjuliao]

No answers yet, mine had an xray of the spine, ultrasound of the abdomen, blood and urine analysis and everything came back normal. I wpuld hope some of the people who started with this problem way bck would write to see if they have any answers to this......My son still complains...

[vamom133]

After reading these posts, I am very concerned that my 28 month old daughter has been complaining of back pain for at least three weeks. Her complaints started in the car seat, progressed to the high chair and I just learned that she said it this morning while lying down.
About a week ago I placed a box in the car that allows her to rest her feet more comfortably while in her car seat, but I am not sure how much this has helped.
We have an appointment with her pediatrician today for the back pain and I plan on asking multiple questions.

[vamom133]

The Pediatrician asked numerous questions and had her perform multiple tasks: walking, picking something up, checking reflexes etc. He did not think it would be necessary to take a urine sample as a UIT starts with pain going the bathroom and only escalates to back (kidney) pain after noticeable side effects first.
So, he said we could do multiple tests that would probably be very stressful to both us only to come back with negative results~ no answers. He suggested watching her closely to see if I could pinpoint the exact spot and if it was pain or discomfort. He did notice that she has loose hip joint and her foot compensates to point in slightly. He said that we needed to be careful that she does not sit in the "W" position. The position is when the knees and feet point out. He said this position is terrible for the knees and actually teaches the body (knees/hips) to grow incorrectly. He suggested buying a bean bag that she could sit in. That way she was not sitting in that position flat on the floor. This was helpful but I was not satisfied and made an appointment with a reputable chiropractor that my family has used. The nurse said they see multiple children and she had heard the back complaint before. Yay!
The chiropractor was very caring, listened to all my concerns and felt that if she continually said something hurt at specific times, that there probably was an issue.
He did a full assessment on her and asked me questions about the pregnancy, delivery and any extreme falls or accidents. He felt that x-rays were unnecessary at this time but he did diagnose two conditions. She has a slightly twisted pelvis and something has been hurt with the vertebrae in her lower lumbar. I cannot remember exactly what the description was but I will post further details after our next visit. So he said that the twisted pelvis is common with breach babies which my daughter was and that the position can caused by this. He felt both conditions were probably older and that by sitting in the car seat with her feet dangling it had aggravated the condition. He said that position pulls on the lower lumbar and had probably gotten more painful with time. Anyway he proceeded to massage the lower back while I held her hand and asked how it felt. She said it feels good mommy. He had her lie on her tummy and did an adjustment on her lower back. It is nothing like an adult's adjustment with the twisting and cracking. He had a small instrument that placed against her shirt on her lower lumbar and it made a clicking sound with pressure and he did that about 3-4 times. He also had her lie on her back and did some stretches on her legs. She was thrilled and really seemed to enjoy it. He said with the lower lumbar the body wants to compensate by the shoulders back and tummy out. He asked that we try to make a game of crawling as much as possible to get the body to hunch over with arched back. We made an animal game and have been playing that daily.
We returned 3 days later and he went thru the assessment again~ he said no improvement, but that is normal in small children. He said he does not place children on a plan as they may adjust at any time. They also said the child can be more tender or quick to pain in the beginning of the treatment. We noticed this three days later when she was playing and kicked the ball hard. She started crying and holding her back telling me how much it hurt. Well, I called the chiropractor right away and he was off, but the nurse said to remember the tenderness and to ice it if possible. So, we turned on the TV and had her lie on a pillow case with an ice pack~ no problem. We return to the chiropractor today and I am anxious to see if her results have improved. I will keep you posted.
Oh, most importantly she is still complaining but it has decreased and stopped altogether in the high chair.
One more thing both the pediatrician and the chiropractor liked the idea of her feet resting on something in the car instead of dangling. They both said that could only help her discomfort.