How does Massage help?
The actions and rhyme in the video aren’t just cute but do provide relief! As you massage with your fingers from the cheek down to the chin you are helping to bring endorphins to the area which is really going to help if they have hot, itchy and painful gums. The one to one attention you are giving will bring great comfort and understanding that you love and care for them and are trying to help. The little rhyme is great fun and provides a great distraction even if just for a couple of minutes. One mum after attending a ‘teething’ class told me recently that she remembered to massage and gently massage her babies cheeks when he was in pain and actually managed to stroke him to sleep.
Before you start
♡ Please make sure you have clean hands and short trimmed fingernails.
♡ Find a comfortable space on the floor, turn off the TV, your phone and feel free from any distractions.
♡ Feel confident that your baby is happy, well enough and ready to participate.
Practicing the massage stroke
♡ Make sure that you also feel happy and not stressed! Take a few deep breaths before you start. Shake out your arms and hands. Ask your baby if they would like to receive a massage.
♡ Bring them close to you so they can see you and feel safe.
♡ Avoid covering babies ears at any time during the massage and introduce your hands gently, they can be intimidating if suddenly they appear over babies face!
♡ Use a sing-song voice with lots of encouragement and praise.
Essential oil use
If you feel you would like to and feel confident using Essential Oils, they can be very relieving for teething symptoms and wonderfully supportive emotionally as well as physically. Essential oils must be used with caution, sparingly and never ingested.. Safe oils for babies are Lavender, Roman Chamomile and Mandarin. Lavender in particular is amazing for relieving sinus congestion and pain and promoting sleep. Roman Chamomile for relieving pain, soothing and Mandarin for ‘fractious babies’. Oils must always be very high quality and organic if possible. Here in the UK, I recommend Neals Yard to ensure safety and quality. One or two drops max in your babies bath* will help so much. Electric steam diffusers are also a fantastic way to diffuse the oils into a room safely. If you would like advice on essential oil use please consult a qualified aromatherapist.
Research from the Touch Institute Miami into Lavender Oil for Babies:
Lavender bath oil reduces stress and crying and enhances sleep in very young infants.
Very young infants were given a bath with or without lavender-scented bath oil. The mothers in the lavender bath oil group were more relaxed, smiled and touched their infants more during the bath. Their infants looked at them a greater percentage of the bath time and cried less and spent more time in deep sleep after the bath. The cortisol levels of this group of mothers and infants significantly decreased, confirming the behavioral data showing increased relaxation of the mothers and their infants. These findings support a body of research showing the relaxing and sleep-inducing properties of lavender aroma.
Field, T., Cullen, C., Largie, S., Diego, M., Schanberg, S. & Kuhn, C. (2008). Early Human Development, 84, 399-401.
*Drop one or two drops of Lavender EO into a tablespoon of Milk before putting into the bath. The fat in the milk disperses the oil so that the Lavender oil doesn’t ‘sit’ on the top of the bath water.
I really hope this helps. Please leave a comment if this video has helped and you have had any success. Thank you so much and good luck!
Love Lucy ♡
