Have you ever had an ear infection as an adult?
As an adult, ear infections can be unbearable. We can only imagine how painful ear infections can be for a baby or even a toddler. A baby and child cannot adequately express how they feel or where it hurts exactly. Therefore, ear infections may be frequently overlooked or can be missed altogether.
If you suspect your child has an ear infection, seek medical attention immediately.
The frustration of recurring ear infections, sleepless nights, and a cranky baby, can be devastating for the mother, father, baby, and family. Seeing your baby helpless and in pain is no fun at all! That's not to add, the countless trips to the doctor and numerous rounds of antibiotics, as well as, forcing or even begging your child to take the medicine or use the drops.
Reflexology is an amazing tool we as mothers, fathers, caretakers, or grandparents can use to help our little ones.
Reflexology is free of side effects, without pain, and will enhance your bond with your child, sibling, niece or nephew, or grandchild. Whether it may be a recurrent ear infection or fluid accumulation in the ear, reflexology should be your go-to treatment!
Read on to learn exactly what you can do to help your little one that is suffering from an ear infection.
When and where can I do reflexology?
Reflexology treatments can be done at any time of the day and wherever you find most comfortable. There are no rules! You have to find what is the best fit for you and your family. It can be quite tricky to find a good time or place to do reflexology for your baby or toddler. Some children love touch and reflexology while others may be the opposite. Experimenting and trial and error are the best ways to figure out what is best for your child and yourself. Personally, I have found it is easiest for me and my toddler to do reflexology at bedtime. Every night I read a book or two (or a million... Sound familiar??) before bedtime. While I am reading the books I try to sneak in a quick reflexology session.
How long is a reflexology treatment for a child?
Reflexology for children is relatively short. Our innocent and pure babies do not need more than 10-minute reflexology sessions. As they get older the treatment time lengthens. Watch out for cues and let your child take the lead. If they pull their feet away, get up and walk away, or express that they don't want reflexology then do not push it. The more you push, the more they will resist. If we continue to expose our children to reflexology they will eventually enjoy it more and maybe even initiate a session!
Treatment Length According To Age:
You can work on your little one's feet every day, multiple times a day.
Newborn: 5-minute reflexology sessions
Ages 2-5: 10-minute reflexology sessions
Age 5: 15-20 minute reflexology sessions
Age 5-10: 20-minute reflexology sessions
Age 8-10: 30-minute reflexology sessions
Ages 10 & up: Treatment can be 45-minutes, like an adult
It is important to add that the above is just a generalization. Every child is different. Some children may be able to tolerate a longer reflexology session than others. Always let the child take the lead and listen to their cues. If your 10-year-old can only sit or enjoy a reflexology treatment for 20-minutes then that is fine! He will benefit from the session no matter how long it may be.
Now, back to ear infections...
A few weeks ago I worked on a 6-year-old who was suffering from a buildup of fluid in the ear and an ear infection. The next day her mother messaged me saying that I wouldn't believe all the junk that came out of her daughter's ear the next morning!
Well, I definitely do believe that! Try it and see for yourself!
Reflexology maps and points for ear infections
Working the ear reflexology points, urinary system, lymphatic system, and achilles tendon will help relieve pain from an ear infection, decrease pressure in the ear, and help the ear drain properly
Ear: Located on toes 4 & 5. Massage toes 4 & 5 in a circular motion and lightly squeeze the toes and pull upwards or outwards laterally. See map above.
Kidney: Located in the center of the foot, in line with zones 2-3. Massage gently for 30 seconds. See map above.
Ureter: Located below the kidney point and connects the kidney to the bladder. See map above.
Bladder: Located on the medial (inner) side of the foot. It is located at the bottom of the arch. In terms of the elements, the top half of the bladder is found at the bottom of the water element, and the bottom half of the bladder is located at the top of the earth element. The picture below shows the division of the foot according to the elements: air, fire, water, and earth. Complete the urinary system (kidney, ureter, and bladder) by massaging the Achilles tendon, starting from the base of the heel towards the calves. See map above.
Lymphatic System: The lymphatic vessels of the neck and thoracic area are located on the dorsal (top) part of the foot. They begin in between each toe and go down along the dorsal side of the foot.
Achilles Tendon: Gently massage the Achilles tendon. Begin at the heel and gently massage up towards the calves. This is the "general drainage" of the body and will help promote drainage of the body.
Repeat as many times as you can.
If you found this blog helpful please leave a comment or email to let me know!
Looking forward to hearing from you!
If you have any comments, questions, or concerns please feel free to reach out to me at Israelreflexology@gmail.com.
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