About

Hi, I’m Dr. Allison Kops! I am a Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT), International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC), and mother of three girls! I live in Alexandria, Virginia with my husband, daughters, and two dogs! When I’m not working to support other families I am usually playing, swimming, managing some sort of chaos, or driving around to various kid activities.

I received my Bachelor of Science in Rehabilitation Science and Doctorate in Physical Therapy degrees from Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts. I have been a PT since 2012 and have spent my entire career in pediatrics. Prior to opening The Baby PT, my professional experience had taken place in both the early intervention home visiting setting, and the outpatient pediatric clinic setting. After grad school I also acquired extensive continuing education and years of practice supporting many infants (and some toddlers) through feeding struggles. I became a Certified Breastfeeding Specialist (CBS) in 2022 and an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) in 2024.

On a personal note, I have been a strong advocate for breastfeeding since PT school, but didn’t become really interested in education specific to lactation until I had my own babies. My first daughter breastfed (relatively) easily from the beginning, so I was unprepared when my second daughter struggled with reflux and “colic” symptoms. Overall, she just wasn’t good at eating and wasn’t a happy baby! I sought support from several different lactation consultants and breastfeeding medicine providers who offered various compensatory strategies but none of them conducted a thorough oral motor assessment or seemed to have any plans to build her skills. I knew I needed some sort of functional therapist for that, but actually locating a PT, OT, or SLP with the skill set to assess and treat my full term, supposedly healthy infant was easier said than done. So thanks to my now 7 year old, I started down the path to learn everything I could about about lip and tongue ties, infant food allergies, and breast and bottle feeding. I love that I am now able to support gross motor, oral motor, and sensory/regulation aspects of feeding, and have a better big picture understanding of the interaction between gross motor skills and feeding skills. I also pride myself on listening, helping families problem-solve, and connecting them with other providers when concerns beyond my scope arise.

I love working with babies and their caregivers, and honestly never planned to own my own practice. After experiencing limitations in various settings I’ve worked in, as well as struggling to find ideal support when my own babies had difficulties, I found myself wanting to find a better way to support babies and families with the individualization and skill they deserve.

So, all this to say that I now am the owner of my own little practice, where I love supporting babies and families in a really personalized way. I look forward to meeting you!