There is nothing more soothing than a good body massage. As adults, we love getting massages for various reasons, either to relieve stress or to calm our nerves; either way, a good massage can greatly affect our physical and emotional health.
Just like adults, babies love to be massaged. That soothing feeling you get from massage babies gets them, too.
Infant massage is a therapeutical way of rubbing or massaging an infant in a specifically designed way.
Infant massage has many benefits for both the infant and the massage givers.
It is often advisable for parents and relatives to partake in this act as it helps create an emotional bond between them.
Everyone needs a caring and assuring touch to reaffirm that someone is there for us at any time, likewise for infants.
A calm massage helps support your child’s sensory abilities and engages them to recognize non-verbal communication mindfully.
Giving your infant a massage has various benefits, from feeling loved, having a good sleep, and healthy growth to an increasing emotional bond between parents and infants.
Babies are used to the comfort of the womb, where they get everything easily.
A good massage will help them adapt to the outside world quickly.
Different Types of Infant Massage
- Belly Massage: Rub your fingertips gently over your infant’s tummy from her navel angle in a clockwise motion repeatedly
- Leg Massage: Repeatedly glide your arms from the infant’s thigh to her ankle while firmly wrapping your hands around her legs. Do this repeatedly with both legs.
- Arm Massage: From your baby’s shoulder to her wrist, gently roll her arms between your hands. Do this repeatedly for both arms.
- Neck Massage: Place your thumb on one side of your infant’s neck with two fingertips on the other. While supporting the infant’s head with your other hand in a circular motion, gently rub the infant’s neck repeatedly.
- Hold Me Close: In the late 1970s, this method of infant massage was introduced in South America. It was used for infants born prematurely in areas with poor neonatal care. This technique is also called kangaroo care. Using this massage technique, the premature infant’s mother holds him with her tummy and his on the same level. This method of infant massage has proven to aid infant growth and reduce infection and breathing problems in babies born prematurely. This type of infant massage has become Popularly known and used worldwide by mothers as it creates a special bond between mothers and infants.
Benefits of Infant Massage
- It Improves Sleep: A good massage will make your baby sleep soundly and longer. Most infants find it difficult to sleep on time but fall asleep immediately after being massaged by their parents.
- It Creates a Bond: Infant massage promotes good bonding and communication between parents and infants, encouraging good interaction. Giving your baby a massage helps you understand the baby, creates an emotional bond between you two, and enables you to understand your infant’s non-verbal cues.
- Improves Gastrointestinal Tract Functioning: Babies are always distressed when there is excess gas in their stomach, leading to discomfort, which also affects the parents. A good massage helps the baby pass out those gases and relieves him from distress.
- Relieves the Pain of Teething: Babies go through a lot of pain when teething. Learning to give your baby a face massage helps reduce the stress of teething and releases the natural pain reliever in the body called endorphins.
- Stimulate Growth: Research has shown that massaged babies often grow faster and gain weight if they are lightweight.
Infant Massage Tips
Below are some things you should keep in mind before giving your infant a massage:
Make It a Daily Routine
Include in your schedule every day a spare time for your infant massage.
Ensure the time you set aside for the massage won’t be occupied with any other activity.
When you make massage a daily routine for your infant, they tend to expect and enjoy it.
Choose a Calm Atmosphere
Make sure you massage your baby in a warm and cozy environment to make them comfortable and avoid catching colds since they will probably be naked when you massage them.
Maintain eye contact while you undress her and place her on her back so she can look you in the eyes while you massage.
You can play soft music in the background or sing for your infant while you massage them.
Be Gentle With Your Touch
The baby’s skin is delicate, and you may not want them injured while massaging.
Slowly and gently massage each body part from their head to their feet.
Use Oil
Using oil for infant massage is optional. Get oils that don’t clog their skin pores and can be easily absorbed by your infant’s skin.
Place your infant on a towel to avoid the oil running over the place.
Ensure you use unscented oil, mainly vegetable or fruit oil. Oil makes gliding your hands smoothly around your infant’s body easier.
Follow Your Baby’s Cue
Just like adults, babies have moods and would not like to be massaged when they don’t feel like it.
If you notice your infant experiencing some discomfort while you give them their massage, stop and do it later when they feel like it.
Talk
While giving your infant a massage, you can talk or sing for them.
Repeatedly call their names to get their attention while slowly gliding your hands around their body.
It is not compulsory to give your infant a full body massage daily.
Sometimes, you can massage some parts of their body and leave the rest.
If you notice your baby is enjoying the exercise, you can continue by repeatedly massaging from their head to their feet.
