Thursday, May 23, 2019

Teaching Kids Healthy Touch



Have you ever experienced a time when you are lonely or sad and a hug instantly changed your mood? Touch can bring about powerful emotion and is the first sensory system developed in a human being. Even newborn babies have a highly developed sense of touch.

When a baby is crying, the embrace by a caregiver brings instant warmth and comfort to the baby. Unique pathways are developed in the baby’s brain that teaches the baby about the warm touch by a loved caregiver to meet his/her needs. The child feels secure as he/she senses the touch of a caregiver. Massage is a great tool to help a baby relax and to build positive and loving parent-child bonding and communication. And as a child grows older, research shows that massage can still be used to increase confidence, emotional health, and concentration levels.

The children at Dew Drops come to us from state-run orphanages throughout China. They were abandoned at a young age and were born with complex medical needs. So just because they don’t have biological parents, does it mean that they miss out on the much needed comfort and touch every baby deserves? Of course not!



These small babies, no matter what congenital birth defect they have, can all experience the warm touch and massage of loving caregivers at Dew Drops. Even our little “butterfly baby” Ping, enjoys these special interactions with his caregiver. The smiling faces of the children, the raised small hands, or the fact that the baby sleeps well after a massage are all encouraging signs to the caregivers that their contact and interaction with each child is making a difference.
 

 
These older children, born with different medical needs, also enjoy the benefits of massage. The difference here is that the massage is focused on the back, head and arms. There are also different benefits and methods for massage between child and child, adult and child or even group massage sessions. For older children, massage teaches them about respect and encourages positive communication.


At Dew Drops, since 2018, we have been providing Infant & Toddler Massage to all the children receiving care with us. And we have seen plenty of benefits! Dew Drops now invites you and your family to also benefit from massage. Below are further details:







 

No comments:

Post a Comment