Try reflexology to help your colicky baby. Start by simply holding your baby’s feet, England recommends. Then lightly press and circle your thumbs just below the toes on both feet (starting from the big toe), then massage the bottoms of her feet from heel to ankle.
If you’re able to, hold your colicky baby’s feet in your hands and lightly press and circle your thumbs just above his ankles, says England. This will activate trigger points on the feet that help stimulate digestive functions. If you’d like to try reflexology, start by simply holding your baby’s feet.”
If you’re looking for a natural remedy to soothe your colic baby, try foot massage. Reflexology is an alternative medicine that involves placing pressure on certain parts of the foot in order to relieve stress and promote healing. It has been used successfully by many parents with colicky babies. England recommends simply holding your baby’s feet, then lightly pressing and circling your thumbs on the bottom of each foot while rubbing in slow circles.
You can try simple reflexology by lightly kneading the bottoms of your baby’s feet with your thumbs. Or, you can massage anywhere on the bottom of your baby’s foot, including the arch and heels. Whether you have a colicky child or not, this is a great way to help relax your baby and even promote better sleep.
If the baby is asleep, or even if they are awake and relaxed, gently take a foot in your hand. You can hold the foot by the bottom joints of the baby’s toes, or support it underneath with your palm facing up. From this position apply light pressure with your thumb knuckle and circle around at least three times, while moving just slightly up and down as well.
Baby Tummy Massage For Gas Relief
What is Reflexology
Reflexology is based on the principle that all our body parts and bodily systems are reflected on the feet and the hands. Applying gentle massage and therapeutic touch to specific areas will have an effect in the corresponding body part or to the whole child.
???? How will it help my baby with colic?
- Your touch will stimulate pain relieving hormones and feel good endorphins
- Massaging specific points will bring about relief in the corresponding body areas
- Promotes calm, is soothing and relaxing
- Assists the Immune system
- Aids deeper and more restful sleep
- Will help your baby to feel safe, secure, understood and comforted
???? Specific points on the feet to help with colic
- Solar plexus point is found underneath the ball of the foot in the centre. This point helps with inducing calm and relaxation.
- Points for the head and the brain on the toes. To soothe baby from crying and pain.
- Points for the Temporomandibular Joint (TMJ) are found either side of the joint on the big toe. This area can get tight from lots of crying – the hollow in your cheeks where you find your jaw hinge
- Points for the stomach to ease up a sore tummy and help to relax.
- Lovely technique called a ‘Bowel Sweep’ encouraging flow into the large intestine.
???? How do I give my baby reflexology?
Qualified Reflexologists are trained in very specific techniques and spend years studying, practising and seeing clients in order to qualify. Adult reflexology is completely different from treating a baby or child. The main and very important difference is that you barely use any pressure at all and are aiming just to give some therapeutic touch to your childs feet in the form of gentle massage. Let your hands and fingers make small circles, slides and and strokes with super gentle and soft hands.
???? When is the best time to give my baby reflexology?
- If your baby is in pain, unsettled and needs comforting you can try the techniques in this video whilst they are being held or whilst they are lying down elevated with a pillow.
- As a preventative you can try this routine at a time when they are happy and settled and see if it helps lessen the symptoms.
- Before going down for sleep may help for a more restful night.
???? Are there times when I should not give my baby refelxology?
- If your baby is sick, they may not want to be touched, but just held and comforted. Babies who cry and pull their feet away may be telling you that your touch is unwanted and to try again another time.
- Premature babies or unwell newborns may have had blood drawn from their heels regularly and may develop an association of pain to anyone touching their feet. It would be lovely to help them overcome this association by persevering with therapeutic touch to their feet but great care and mindfulness must be taken on your part. You may want to start with gentle massage over socks or clothing at first and gradually graduate to skin to skin. If your touch is unwelcome, try again another time.
???? Where can I give my baby a treatment?
It is lovely to find a space that is warm and comfortable for both of you but having said that, the wonderful thing about Reflexology is that it is so accessible, versatile and flexible. A treatment can be given anywhere, inside, outside, on the bus, in the park, at home. Your baby does not need to be undressed, you only need their little feet. Treatments can even be given over socks and clothing if necessary.
???? What do I need?
Very little! If you are at home, it might be nice to use some oil, balm or lotion to allow your fingers and thumbs to glide more easily over their skin. Please read my short blog about suitable oils for baby here: http://lucysangels.co.uk/baby-massage-baby-yoga-videos/preparing-to-massage-baby-with-massage-oil
????Last word before you try!
Reflexology must not be given in place of medical treatment. These videos are wonderful to try for babies and children with mild conditions that you feel comfortable to try and help with at home. They can also be fantastic to try in the time between being able to see a GP, Health Practitioner or a Qualified Reflexologist or Qualified Alternative Practitioner.
I really hope this helps. Please leave a comment if this video has helped you and if you have had any success. Thank you so much and good luck!
How To Massage, Baby Tummy To Poop
This is a piece written by Sally Earlam FMAR. BSc. PGCE Association of Reflexologists – Maternity Specialist
It was given to me after I attended her Maternity Course.
HOW CAN REFLEXOLOGY HELP AND WHAT CAN YOU DO AT HOME?
Does your baby cry for long periods and does this leave you sometimes feeling helpless and upset? Well, there might be something you can do at home that may just help to soothe your crying baby! A study from Denmark (currently unpublished) suggests that some simple reflexology moves on the feet of your baby may help reduce screaming fits.
All babies cry, and some cry a lot; this can be distressing and on occasions frustrating for all concerned. Sometimes it is easy to work out why babies are crying e.g. hunger, dirty nappy, wind or they are tired – but sometimes there appears to be no apparent reason and nothing seems to soothe them.
There may be certain times of the day when a baby may seem to cry a lot and can’t be comforted. Early evening is the most common time for this to happen and this can be hard as it’s often the time when parents and carers are most tired and least able to cope (1). Excessive crying in an otherwise healthy baby is traditionally called colic, which is relatively common in the first few months of a baby’s life. However, it is important that if a baby is crying for long periods, the parents or carers should mention this to a doctor or health visitor to rule out any health problems such as milk intolerance or allergies.
If a baby suffers from periods of unexplained crying, the evidence now suggests that the sooner a parent or carer responds to the crying baby the sooner it will stop (2). Picking a baby up and placing it on your shoulder may be enough to comfort the baby, but sometimes it’s not.
In Denmark, a study has been carried out looking at the effects of reflexology on screaming fits for babies aged between 4 and 13 weeks. Each baby received four reflexology sessions over 2 weeks, and reflexology proved to be significantly superior to traditional medical treatments such as colic drops. Nearly half of the babies having reflexology reduced their crying.
REFLEXOLOGY TO SOOTHE CRYING BABIES – ADVICE TO PARENTS
There are a few simple moves that you can try on your baby; try and do these moves for 5 minutes every day when your baby is calm. Reflexology for baby uses massage strokes over areas of the feet and only requires a very gentle pressure; lie the baby down either on a mat or on your knee and make this a fun time with lots of smiles – or you could even sing rhymes to your baby as you work on their feet.
Before you work with your baby, it is essential that you are feeling calm and relaxed yourself as babies will pick up on any anxiety or stress you have. Spend a couple of minutes calming yourself:
1. Take three long deep breaths, in through your nose and out through your mouth – as you breathe out make sure that your shoulders relax down
2. Say a positive affirmation to yourself such as ‘I am calm and relaxed and I am here to support my baby.’
3. Make eye contact with your baby and tell them you will work through this together and you are there for them.
Now you can start. You will find that your baby may move their legs about in a playful manner and you can just work with this. However, if at any time your baby pulls their legs away and keeps them drawn up, this is them telling you that they don’t want reflexology at this time, so you should stop and try later.
4. Connect with your baby – place the palms of your hands on the soles of the baby’s feet.
5. Cradling – support both feet at the heels in the palms of your hands. Hold them loosely for about 10 seconds whilst you tell your baby how much you love them
6. Calming hold – place both thumbs gently in the centre of each foot and let them press against you. Rest there for about 10 seconds. This is great for calming.
7. Calming the nervous system – Gently stroke down on the inside of the foot from the big toe down to the heel. This relates to the spine reflex and is great for calming the nervous system.
8. Head reflex – slide upwards from the base of each toe up to the tip – work across all 10 toes
9. Digestive reflex – work gentle clockwise circles with the thumb on the middle of foot (where they dip/arch). This area relates to the parts of the digestive system helpful in release of wind and gas. Repeat on the other foot.
10.Repeat the move over the heel area
11.Repeat the calming hold (number 3)
