It’s not enough that a day goes by when kids complain that something hurts – a surprise paper cut, an arm bruise from a waylaid soccer ball, an elbow scrape from a bike spill, or that weird soreness from growing pains.
Massage Therapy for children isn’t a new concept. Touch is one of the first senses that humans develop, and it has a close association with comfort, security, and trust. Bayview Sheppard RMTs are not only well trained to provide the right therapy for each child but are incredibly patient with kids of all ages.
Starting Young
For parents with infants, we provide classes and private lessons for you and your baby. Infant massage helps babies relax and sleep better, but also promotes good circulation and digestion by helping to relieve gas and colic. Best of all, massaging your baby is a wonderfully enjoyable way to build the loving connection between the two of you. This healing touch creates the building blocks of that long-lasting relationship – this is one of the reasons why we are big supporters of starting Massage Therapy even at an early age.
Staying Involved
To aid in getting children used to what massage is like in a comfortable environment, we offer children the option of a side-by-side massage with one of their parents in our couples room. As they grow older and get more comfortable, our RMTs will shift their techniques from gentle strokes to more specialized work, concentrating on specific areas. These massages are often shorter, starting at 15 minutes or more depending on your child’s comfort and attention span.
As adults, our bodies give us a lot of information and feedback. But kids can often find it tough to decipher what exactly it all means. Massage bridges that gap, and offers kids the ability to gain a much better understanding of their bodies and specific muscles. Through massage, kids are better be able to recognize those cues our bodies give us when something should be avoided versus when something should be absorbed. Keep in mind that this isn’t just limited to muscle aches and pains but extends to cues that our bodies may be stressed, tired, or uncomfortable and need greater self-care.
Massage has many different benefits at each stage of development, but overall, it promotes relaxation and reduces anxiety for children and adults. For our kids, this can help them deal with social and academic stresses they might have.
We invite you to chat with our RMTs to determine how best to introduce Massage Therapy to your children. Together we’ll find the right therapy that’s comfortable for both you and your kids.
Bayview Sheppard RMT is a massage therapy clinic located in North York, Toronto, open 7 days a week. We offer treatments specifically based around children’s health, pregnancy and prenatal massage, sports massage, deep tissue massage, Thai massage, couples massage, and much more. Email or call us today to book.