Evidence linking massage to early childhood sleep is mixed: null in a meta-analysis of infants ages 0-6 mo but positive in small studies of older infants, toddlers, and preschoolers¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · review r2 · q2
Currency · newest study 2018 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q2 i? A meta-analytic review of 34 studies of massage in full-term infants ages 0-6 mo found no evidence of positive associations between massage and sleep, while several small-scale studies with older infant, toddler, and preschooler samples showed some positive effects. → Mindell Jodi A. 2018

Evidence¶

Mindell Jodi A. 2018¶

Mindell Jodi A., Williamson Ariel A. (2018). Benefits of a bedtime routine in young children: Sleep, development, and beyond. Sleep medicine reviews. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.smrv.2017.10.007

q2 · i? · review · r2

The review contrasts the Bennett et al. meta-analytic review of "34 studies on massage for full-term infants" with small-scale studies of older children, and hypothesizes massage may help once sleep is more regulated. No effect size is printed.

"Bennett et al. [131] did not find evidence of any positive associations between massage and sleep when examining studies conducted with infants ages 0–6 mo. In contrast, as described earlier (see also Table 1), several small-scale studies with older infant, toddler, and preschooler samples have demonstrated some positive effects of massage on sleep"

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

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