The doctor said they felt a click — should I panic?

No. Soft clicks are common and usually just ligaments; the finding that matters is a clunk of the ball moving in and out of the socket. If the exam raises a question, the next step is typically an ultrasound, which settles it.

My baby was breech. Do we need anything extra?

Often yes — many pediatricians order a hip ultrasound around 6 weeks for babies who were breech in late pregnancy, even with a normal exam. Ask at your first visit if it hasn't come up.

Do uneven leg creases always mean DDH?

No — asymmetric creases alone are common in perfectly normal babies. They're worth mentioning so the doctor can put them together with the exam, not a diagnosis on their own.

When it happens · 4 min read

The hip check: what they're looking for, every single visit

At every well visit, the same small ritual: diaper open, knees bent, hips rotated outward, a moment of concentration on the doctor's face. Here's what that exam is actually screening for, and why it repeats all year even after a normal newborn check.

Last updated August 9, 2026

What DDH is

Developmental dysplasia of the hip means the ball of the thigh bone sits loosely in a socket that's too shallow — a spectrum from mild looseness to full dislocation. Roughly 1 in 1,000 babies is born with a dislocated hip, with milder instability more common than that. It's usually painless in infancy, which is exactly why it's screened for rather than waited on: an untreated shallow socket can mean a limp, leg-length difference, and early arthritis years later.

Some babies carry higher odds — breech position in the third trimester, family history, and firstborn girls top the list — and those babies often get an ultrasound around 6 weeks even when the exam feels normal.

Why the check repeats all year

A hip can screen normal at birth and become detectable later — the 'developmental' in the name is literal. That's why the AAP has pediatricians examine the hips at every well visit until your child is walking, and why a new finding at 4 or 6 months isn't a sign someone missed it earlier.

If something is found

Early treatment is undramatic: a Pavlik harness — a soft fabric brace that holds the legs bent up and out so the socket deepens around the ball — worn for roughly 6 to 12 weeks, usually full-time at first. It looks medieval and works beautifully; most harness-treated hips develop completely normally. Diagnosed later, treatment escalates (a body cast or surgery), which is the entire argument for the screening rhythm.

What you control day to day

Positioning. Healthy hip development wants the legs free to bend up and spread — the 'M' position — so swaddle with room for the legs to frog outward (never wrapped straight and pinned together), and choose carriers whose seat supports thigh-to-knee rather than letting the legs dangle straight down. This is the same reason tight lower-body swaddling is the one classic swaddle mistake worth actually worrying about.

Common questions

The doctor said they felt a click — should I panic?: No. Soft clicks are common and usually just ligaments; the finding that matters is a clunk of the ball moving in and out of the socket. If the exam raises a question, the next step is typically an ultrasound, which settles it.
My baby was breech. Do we need anything extra?: Often yes — many pediatricians order a hip ultrasound around 6 weeks for babies who were breech in late pregnancy, even with a normal exam. Ask at your first visit if it hasn't come up.
Do uneven leg creases always mean DDH?: No — asymmetric creases alone are common in perfectly normal babies. They're worth mentioning so the doctor can put them together with the exam, not a diagnosis on their own.

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