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Childs Growth And Development Thrive on Touch

A primary need of every child is to be touched. Like food and water, touch is a basic human need in order to survive and thrive. At birth, the sense of touch is the most developed of all senses – seeing, hearing, tasting and smelling develop later. An infant makes his first connections with the world through touch, and exploring through touching – with mouth, hands and skin – plays a major role until far into childhood.

Touch is as old as mankind. Murals of people touching and massaging each other date back to approximately 2000 BC and the earliest written records originated around 3000 BC. It seems we have always known intuitively that touch and massage are fundamental for our health. Nowadays, scientific research is available to back up that intuition. Studies on the benefits of touch have been conducted widely for the past 40 years. Since the founding of the Touch Research Institute in 1992 – a center solely devoted to the study of touch – research in the field has grown tremendously.

Researchers have documented many benefits of touch for babies and children, in a variety of ways that are vital for intellectual, social and emotional development.

Touch stimulates weight gain in babies and improves their alertness and responsiveness.
One of the earliest studies on the benefits of touch therapy was conducted in 1986 by Dr. Tiffany Field. Premature infants who received touch therapy in the form of short massages gained weight 47 percent faster than infants who were not massaged. They also were more active and alert while awake, and more responsive to faces and voices.

This study was later replicated in other countries and with full-term babies. All studies had similar outcomes. More alertness and responsiveness is crucial in intellectual development and in the process of bonding with caregivers.

Touch improves cognitive performance.
In 1996 and 1998, Dr. Field conducted an interesting study with preschoolers. One group received short massages twice a week while the other group did not. Starting from the first day and continuing through the five weeks of the study, the massaged children received better ratings on cognitive tests, mood state, vocalization, activity and cooperation than those who received no massage. They also fell asleep more quickly at naptime.

Touch increases parent-child interactions.
Touch communicates love and affection while strengthening the bond between parent and child. In a 2000 study, Australian and American fathers bathed their babies regularly and gave them short massages. After three months, the babies greeted their fathers with more eye contact, smiles, vocalization and reaching responses than before.

Touch stimulates brain development.
Touch has a profound impact on how the brain develops. It stimulates the growth of dendrites, which are the connective nerve fibers between brain cells, as well as the growth of myelin sheets, the protective sheets around these fibers.

We can learn a lot about the human brain by studying animal brains. Animals reared as pets are found to have heavier and thicker brains than animals reared in isolation. Also, the brain of pets contain up to 25 percent more connective fibers per brain cell than the brains of isolated animals. This suggests the possibility of similar results in children.

In human beings, brain growth – defined by the size and weight of the brain – is complete by age seven. By that time, your child’s brain is as big and as heavy as an adult brain. Nurturing touch received from birth into childhood may offer a child the extra benefit of enhanced brain development, and therefore optimize the brain for cognitive performance.

Touch reduces aggression.

A study on preschool aggression, performed in 2008 by the Axelsons Institute in Sweden, found that daily touch for five to ten minutes reduced aggression in four- and five-year-old preschool children.

Ten tips to stay in touch with your child.
Connecting with your child through touch has many benefits, but most of all, it’s a lot of fun. Here are ten tips to stay in loving contact with your child.

1. Start and end the day with a hug. Turn it into a game and come up with all kinds of hugs, for example the Bear Hug (very strong), the Caterpillar Hug (with all arms and legs), etc.

2. Draw animals on your child’s back and let her guess what they are. You can do the same for numbers and letters if your child knows these.

3. Give as many kisses during the day as you can. Which of the two of you can give more kisses?

4. Read a book while snuggling together. If your child is allowed to watch television, use this time to cuddle up and watch together.

5. Invest in a comfortable sling for your baby and carry him around instead of using a stroller.

6. Apply sunscreen and take the opportunity to give a 30-second mini massage. You don’t need to be a massage therapist to do this. What matters is the affection and attention you’re giving your child.

7. Snuggle for five minutes in bed together before your child goes to sleep. Take your shoes off and crawl next to her. Or snuggle in the morning when you’re both still sleepy.

8. Take a bath together. If you don’t feel comfortable with nudity in your child’s presence, wear a swimsuit and pretend you’re going to swim in your mini pool.

9. Kiss every tiny toe while you’re taking off or putting on shoes and socks. Those cute feet and tootsies are irresistible. Play “This little piggy went to….” With each toe.

10. Hold hands. It’s not only important in terms of keeping him safe, but it’s a way to feel close and enjoy one another. Chances are, within a few years he’ll feel too embarrassed to hold hands and you’ll miss that little hand in yours.

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