The Benefit of Footsoaking for Children

It was in Sahaja Yoga that I first learn about the beneficial influence on the organism of baths for feet. Negative energies that we could “pick up” during the day go into the basin with water and salt. Peace sets within, negative thoughts and emotions leave us, sleep improves. And imagine how surprised I was when I found out that doctors also recommend keeping our feet in the water of comfortable temperature where some sea salt is added. Moreover, they advise to do it both for adults and kids.

Last month, the doctor who came to make a professional massage to our toddler told us something about footosoaking. Our little girl (17 mo) keeps her feet in the basin with water and salt two times a day since she turned 1 year old. She does it at the same time with us (in the morning and evening). The masseur explained to us the benefit of this activity from medical point of view:

• the nervous system relaxes – the child becomes more peaceful;
• the salt clears the body of chemical waste drawing it out from the organism through pores.

In fact, if our daughter is in a gloomy mood it is just enough to do the footsoaking together with her for her state to improve for the better.

And today the neurologist who we attended on a routine basis prescribed our little girl the same method for strengthening her legs. When I asked the doctor what the benefits salty water are, she answered that

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Treatments for a cold (cough and a running nose)

Question:

I wanted to ask our knowledge base about how to treat cold & congestion for a 7 month old. My son got bad cough & cold in our India trip and it is still persisting. I have not taken him to the doctor as yet, as he is not feverish, so didn’t want him to have antibiotics, if could be avoided. He is not able to breathe though his nose, as it’s completely blocked.

Manisha

Answers:

Have you tried ajwain burning? I have found that the smoke can help unblock the most stubborn noses. Of course it may be too strong for the child directly to inhale, but you can just burn it in the room he is in. Also you probably are already using them, but saline nose drops regularly given are good, and the slight elevation of the head of the crib (under the mattress, a few inches of pillow) helps the breathing, once a bit unblocked.

Love, Michelle

***

My son suffered a lot from colds and coughs (croup) last year. He has again developed it yesterday night all of a sudden.

I use

Massaging the baby

Question

We all know that each child should be massaged at least once a day! But sometimes I only get a chance to give my child one oil rub/massage a day instead of two. Is that okay?

Answers

1. There are days when I am too tired to give 2 massages. happens! we just try do the best we can.

Eva

2. I found the first month of life with the baby the most difficult, as everything was so very new and I used to panic a lot, wondering if what was happening was normal or not. So massage wasn’t regular (I don’t remember massaging him more than once ever and skipped the days he or I didn’t feel too well).

Yogita

3. I used to give my both children oil massage only once a day, before bath. I was more regular in doing it with my elder daughter. When the son came I was more busy as they were two now. So I must have massaged her till 3 years old, but with him, I stopped after he became 1-1 and a half. This is the disadvantage of being second child!!!

Christina

Massaging the baby’s head with oil

Question

I myself oil the boys or put cream every night, but to be honest I always hesitate when it comes to oil on the head. I know it is good but in the UK it is so cold all the time and as myself, if I leave it over night, I can be sure I have a runny nose the next day. I have seen it with the kids too. Once I put oil, next morning they have a cold. I guess it is good in summer or maybe I should just leave it for an hour or so?!?

Sia

Answers

1. I guess you are putting some cold oil. Don’t put amla or any cool oils. I guess coconut oil is best for hair massage. You can heat it a little bit…. And for body massage, olive oil has been recommended by Shri Mataji.

Christina

2. In India it is said that if you want your child to prevent from catching cold in winters then put some warm mustard oil in his fontanel bone area, nostrils and navel.

3. I have used homemade butter or olive oil to massage the children’s body. For their head massage I use coconut oil in the summers and almond oil in the winters as coconut oil tends to freeze on their heads in the cold weather.

Shikha

4. For sahasrara you can use just one drop of oil to avoid the cold. And to prevent running nose, use ghee.

Sabina

5. From Shri Mataji’s talk:

“…The other day I also said that I don’t know why you people don’t put any oil whatsoever. Why not put oil in the head, poor head needs the oil always, at least on a Saturday, put so much oil, rub it nicely and have a bath. But people just don’t put any oil in their head. I mean you must oil, gear up your brain, don’t you think so? If you don’t put oil in any machine, it will crack. For this brain which is your special machine after Sahaja Yoga is really a very special one, you must try to put lot of oil in it.

Treatments for a cold (phlegm, running nose)

1) For phlegm, tulsi leaves (basil) boiled in hot water for sometime with rock sugar/etc really helps. You can give this to the child everyday until the phlegm clears. It is always advisable to check vibrations on whether this treatment is suitable for the child 🙂 .

2) Putting both hands on the child’s chest or back, giving vibrations also helps a lot.

3) What is also helping is to sleep through the night with an onion cut
in two and put next to the bed. It clears the air and opens the nose. Can
also be combined with ajwan burning in the room. Or some oil sprinkled on
the sheets. Like T-tree oil or Indian oil against cold. (from Birgitte).

4) I found a Native Indian remedy for stuffed up chests to be extremely
effective when our children were small.

Sage leaf tea: Take a few sage leaves from the garden or grocery store
and simmer them to make a tea. It is somewhat bitter so I add ribena
or juice with honey and make it not too strong. 3 bottles or cups of
this a day for a few days is usually enough to dry up the phlegm and
allow the child to sleep at night. Probably with young babies the
mixture should be mild. I never used a humidifier after we started this
tea. (from Felicity)

5) When her child was little (appr. 6 months – 1,3 yrs), a friend of mine used to burn the lower part of the garlic stem: a garlic clove with a part of the stem was placed near the child’s bed and the upper end of the stem was smouldering for some time. The child’s nose cleared out and she could peacefully fall asleep. (from Anastasia)

Babies with high bilirubin levels

My son had high bilirubin levels after the birth and we were told that children who are born early (elias was born at 36th week)  are at higher risk in getting jaundice. On his 4th day after birth we spent 24h in the hospital and he was put in this see-through cabinet where he had light under and on top of him. I got to stay in the same room with him over the whole period of time and what i did was put Shri Mataji’s picture next to his head in the cabinet and i’d work on his liver for some time every now and then. Levels were extremely high and they were amazed after drawing blood from his heel that he got to go home so early and there was no problem after.

So if you go to hospital with your son, please don’t be afraid, realized kids are very strong from the birth and even though it seems bad for you to put the newborn child in the light cabinet with the biliband and only take him out for the feedings. The cabinet is very warm and it is quite comfortable for the baby. Elias was very comfy there and just slept through the whole time.

With love, Saila (a year after the experience)