Need an easy and sweet way to connect with your BIG kid… how about a Massage!

It’s after dinner and all the demands of the day are almost done. I get comfy on my bed, read stories and give out massages… my kids love them.

The rule is they have to take a bath (if it is bath day) before the massage. They love getting massaged so much, that I get fewer complaints like…

“why do I have to take a shower AGAIN” and

“but I took a shower YESTERDAY”

and sometimes I even hear (with dinner still on his face) “I ALREADY took a shower”

I don’t have the time or energy to do full body massages for all three of my older babies, so I focus. I do foot massages, hand massages and/or face massages. There aren’t many available resources on how to massage big kids, so I practice the massage techniques I learned throughout the years for baby - I have collected a few baby massage books, I took a baby massage class and I watched a lot of YOUTUBE videos (because that’s how you learn new parenting skills in the 21st century).

I believe there are several benefits to massaging your big kids. Here are a few that I have experienced...

Touch - I don’t embrace my big kids as often as I do my baby; but that doesn’t mean they don’t need it. They still love and need to be cuddled.

Focused Attention - With four children, I am sometimes talking to one, holding another, keeping an eye on the third and feeling bad that I am ignoring the forth. So even a few minutes of undivided attention makes us all feel good.

Growing Pains - There are phases in their lives when I see that they can’t sit still, I mean they are cartwheeling in their sleep. I always fault that to growing pains. Massaging helps soothe the urge to move every split second.

Therapeutic - My kids exercise hard. The older ones swim competitively (4.5 hours a week) and the little ones are climbing trees and crawling at light speed. They work their muscles a lot and seem to build tension in them. A relaxing massage helps to release that tension at the end of the day.

Do you want to see some videos/tutorials on how to massage your older kids? - Reply to this newsletter. A friend of mine, a license masseuse, can also give us some pointers. I would love to hear from you.

Happy Massaging!

P.S. We have an amazing post about baby massage, on our blog, that can help you get started - Check it out. https://kisskissgoodnight.com/blogs/bedtime-blog/everything-you-need-to-know-about-baby-massage