Introducing a child to the nurturing and life enhancing benefits of healthy touch and massage at a young age is enormously supportive to their overall health and development.
There has been a huge surge of interest in massage for children as studies reveal the undeniable benefits it has to the developing child. Yet children are not just smaller versions of adults, children have unique physical and developmental needs that must be considered.
Both Jane and Peter are internationally certified in pediatric massage therapy through the Liddle Kidz Foundation, the premiere organization for infant and pediatric massage professionals worldwide.
How can massage help your child?
Massage can be helpful for children and teenagers who:
- have difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep
- are experiencing a lot of change or upheaval in their lives, such as adjusting to a new home or country, divorce of parents, death of a loved one, new baby in the family.
- have trouble focusing or sitting still – from mildly distracted to ADHD
- have sensory integration issues
- are young athletes and dancers wanting to optimize their training or reduce the wear and tear on their growing bodies
- are young musicians prone to repetitive stress injuries
- are struggling academically or would like to improve their ability to focus
- with a variety of special health care needs including: Asthma, Autism, Cerebral Palsy among others.
Pediatric massage has been shown to improve long term physical, emotional and cognitive development.
How Massage helps:
- increases body awareness
- improves muscle tone and relaxation
- promotes more restful sleep
- improves immune function
- improves digestion
- promotes production of optimal hormone levels
- reduces pain and aid in injury recovery
- decreases anxiety
- improves focus and attention span
- reduces aggressive behaviour
- reduces hypersensitivity of tactile input
- enhances body image and self esteem
- increases healthy sense of boundaries
- improves parent-child interaction
For more on pediatric massage check out our FAQ and the following articles:
“Peter, you’ve got a new fan – my son (age 10) absolutely loved your massage, slept well, woke up very relaxed. He said he felt both unusually calm and tired in the morning but he enjoyed it so much, he wants to come back weekly 🙂 thanks!”