Why I started massaging my son's feet before bed.
I am a highly sensitive person. Big noises and bright lights can sometimes feel overwhelming to me. Deep breathing, prayer, meditation, earthing, stretching, and sound therapy are practices that are intricately interwoven throughout my day to help keep me feeling balanced and at peace.
My son is also a highly sensitive person. At 7 years old, he is learning how to navigate all of his swirling senses and to interpret what his body is communicating to him. I am so proud of Noah. And yet, sometimes his anxiety storms through him, and he is left feeling helpless. Bedtime, with its threat of nightmares and the unknown, the looming angst of a tomorrow full of uncertainty at the other side of waking, and even just darkness can be so burdensome for a little soul.
I have been using Chamomile Baby Balm on Noah after his nightly bath since he was a baby, and now we have found a precious bedtime routine that changed everything for us, adapting some techniques used in reflexology.
By applying light pressure and loving touch to various points on Noah’s feet, we have noticed a great calming and grounding that now defines bedtime for him, instead of the waves of worry that used to be relentless. Here’s a little glimpse into our routine:
+ Set the mood with soft lighting and twinkle lights
+ Turn his bedroom fan on the lowest setting
+ Play quiet relaxing music on the Bluetooth speaker
+ Get Noah all snuggled up and cozy with a blanket and his favourite teddy bear
+ Warm up some Chamomile Baby Balm in my hands, releasing the aromatic oils of lavender and chamomile into the atmosphere
+ Spend a few minutes massaging the balm all over his feet and up his calves
+ Speak loving words, pray, express gratitude together for the day behind us and the night before us
+ Apply light pressure and nurturing touch to each of the toes, the underside of the foot, along the sides of the foot, the heel, the calf, the top of the foot. Repeat on other foot.
+ Noah drifts into peaceful sleep, feeling safe, loved, held.
Chamomile Baby Balm’s consistency and absorption rate make it the ideal massaging balm for our nightly routine. It glides on beautifully, and leaves the room smelling like a spa. And as I kiss his forehead and quietly walk away, I know in my heart that I gave him the best of me for those 15 minutes, and there is no better feeling for a mother.