Getting them young – reflexology for babies

Did you know that the theme of this year’s World Reflexology Awareness week was ‘”Working with Children – babies to teens??”

The awareness week, which took place last month, looked at ways of introducing this lovely treatment to a younger audience. Although it’s a good idea to get advice from a doctor or healthcare provider if you’re thinking of booking reflexology for a very young child, there is evidence that reflexology can really benefit babies and small children, especially if they suffer from conditions like colic where they just seem to be crying for no real reason.

Adding a few reflexology moves into your baby’s routine can really help if they are going through excessive crying fits but there’s nothing actually medically wrong with them. Picking baby up, cuddling him and soothing him is the first thing to try, but if that’s not working, you could try this short routine:

Alternatively, try these tips. You can practice this on your baby up to three times a day, for no more than five minutes each time.

• Gently take hold of his or her feet and say ‘relax’ really softly. At the same time, try moving your thumbs to just above the centre of each foot, where you’ll find the ‘solar plexus’ reflex point. Press on this point gently and then circle your thumbs to calm a crying baby.
• Give a few gentle strokes from under the big toe towards the heel to help soothe the nervous system.
• Stroke your baby on inside of the foot, starting from the big toe and moving down to the heel – this move can also help to calm their nervous system.
• Try some clockwise circles with your thumb on the middle of baby’s feet, at the point where they dip or arch). If they are in any discomfort from wind, this move should help to release it.

You only need to use a very gentle pressure when carrying out reflexology on tiny feet. Use soft massage strokes and calm your little one by singing to them or talking softly. If you baby seems to pull away, move their legs up and keep them away, try again later.

If you’re interested in booking your baby in for professional reflexology, make sure that you find a qualified reflexologist who has the right insurance for treating and teaching baby reflexology.