Mix of Lullaby and Massage Could Help Lull Toddlers to Sleep

Written by Cory Chandler

It’s like spa treatment … for 2-year-olds.

A new book that marries the soothing qualities of lullaby and massage could help parents calm their squirming toddlers and remedy much of the fuss and futility of bedtime.

“Lullaby Massage: Rhyme & Touch Massage for Infants and Children,” by Texas Tech University child development researcher Sybil Hart, provides a sequence of massage techniques set to poetry intended to relax young children and ready them for bed.

The 12 techniques developed by Hart target specific parts of the body, including the feet, hands and shoulders.

Movements mimic activities such as painting or answering a telephone call and the corresponding lyrics act as instructions for parents while keeping children engaged in the process long enough to receive the massage.

Research has shown that massages can help ease pain and anxiety in children and improve their cognitive performance – the trick is coaxing a bundle of restless feet and fleeting attention into sitting still long enough to receive one.

“How do you sit an active, rambunctious 2-year-old down and give them a massage?” asked Hart, a professor of human development and family studies. “Children are the people on earth who need massages most and they often get them the least.”

Hart is author of “Handbook of Jealousy: Theory, Research, and Multidisciplinary Approaches.” Her infant research has been featured in Newsweek magazine and on the TODAY show.

Lullaby Massage is published by Hale Publishing. It is available at http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0982337922/sr=1-1/qid=1259960134/ref=olp_product_details?ie=UTF8&me=&qid=1259960134&sr=1-1&seller=

To download broadcast-quality interviews with Hart:

Windows:

1. Go to My Computer
2. At the address bar at the top, copy and paste the ftp address ftp://129.118.56.46
3. Type in username: media, password: matador23
4. The files should show up now and you can drag and drop to your desktop as needed.

Mac:

1. When you are at your desktop, click on Go at the top and then Connect to Server…
2. Copy and paste ftp://129.118.56.46
3. Type in username: media, password: matador23
4. The files should show up now and you can drag and drop to your desktop as needed.

Find Texas Tech news, experts and story ideas at www.media.ttu.edu.

CONTACT: Sybil Hart, professor, Department of Human Development and Family Studies, Texas Tech University, (806) 742-3000 ext. 238, or sybil.hart@ttu.edu.