Benefits of Baby Massage

Baby or infant massage is an excellent way to soothe, calm and help baby to be happy and confident and importantly, bond with Mum and Dad.

That's why we've produced an easy to follow instructional guide to carry out a baby massage routine in the comfort of your own home. 

By having the routine to hand you can ensure that your baby gets this wonderful experience when the timing is right for them.

So how can my 'Massage for Happy Babies' routine help?

If you have specific concerns around colic, wind, reflux or calming I would also recommend my 'No Cry Baby – Tips for calming, colic and wind' which is a short collection of specific hints and tips and can also be instantly downloaded.

Please do seek medical advice to rule out any serious conditions and if you are in any way worried about your baby's health.

The following information is my personal opinion and experience and should be taken as such. I am not a medical professional, just speaking from personal experience and from the hundreds of parents and babies I have been in contact with.

Health and Happiness

Babies who receive regular massages are calm and content and suffer less infections and discomfort. This leads to happier and more contented parents.

The key to a parents happiness is alway through the wellbeing of their child and this is one of the biggest benefits of baby massage.

As a parent you always want the best for your child and learning massage together gives opportunities for being together in a positive way. Not to mention the fact that babies who are massage sleep better and for longer – and more sleep equals refreshed parents.

Bonding

Like love in the movies, parent and child bonding is often romanticized and dramatized and an image of perfection is projected out from magazines and television.

Personally I found my small babies fascinating rather than feeling that immediate rush of overwhelming love (I mean, I got a rush of something when they were born, but I could be mistaking it for relief).

They were more like small, beautiful and fascinating aliens who had landed in my pre-baby life of generally doing my own thing to my own schedule, and our bond grew over the early days and weeks.

Babies can be somewhat demanding and exhausting and well, a bit boring at times, as well as amazing and incredible and all the good stuff too. The early days can be quite one way – a lot of giving with very little back – until the first smile of course – suddenly it has all been worth it and the relationship becomes much more balanced.

Following a simple baby massage routine gives you both exclusive one-on-one time and really gets you in tune with your baby as well as giving you more confidence in handling them and reading their signs.

Over time they will come to recognise the signals for the start of the massage and become excited as they associate the good feelings with the rituals of oil, towel, asking their permission to start (verbally or silently is fine) and will be very responsive. The sight of small babies kicking their feet and waving their arms when they see the massage oil coming out is one to behold. Of course massage isn't the only way to strengthen the bond with your child, it is simply and extension of the natural touching, stroking, comforting moves of everyday life.

Post Natal Depression

PND is a medical condition far from the baby blues that many women experience, and obviously I would advise seeking medical help if you haven't already done so.

It affects 1 in 10 women following the birth of their babies and early diagnosis and treatment will result in faster recovery. A study carried out by the Imperial College of London compared mothers with PND who attended a support group to a group that attended a five week infant massage course. At the end of the test period it found that the massage group had significantly reduced feelings of depression and very significantly better interaction with their babies than the control group (www.imperial.ac.uk).

Support from family, peers and even online communities can be very beneficial alongside performing massage on your baby. Even five minutes a day during a nappy change can bring all the benefits to both of you.

Getting dad or another family member involved in massage can give you a break too. I would also advise getting a regular massage or reflexology session for yourself. As a professional therapist I have seen firsthand the power of regular, nurturing touch on the well being of my clients.

For Dads

Dads can be anywhere on the scale from totally hands-on to totally hands-off and most are somewhere in between.

Getting involved in a massage routine with their baby can bring benefits such as increased bonding, improved confidence and generally being in tune together. It creates some special time for them (and let's face it – a guaranteed break for you) which can be especially important if you are feeding, or they work long, stressful hours.

It is also practical and tangible and has 'instructions' to follow – at the risk of being horribly sexist – it ticks the boxes in the male psyche… something they can learn, practice and be the best at!

For Adopted and Fostered Babies

As we have discussed, massage has been proven to increase closeness as well as all the fantastic benefits for carers and babies.

Massage is a great 'getting to know you' tool and enforces the power of positive touch. For babies that may not have experienced loving touch, or have experienced pain or suffering, massage can work wonders and the benefits can be seen very quickly. Trust has to be earned and boundaries respected however gentle massage is a perfect non-verbal way to express your love for them.

Premature babies and special needs babies

Premature babies are always so close to my heart as my nephew was born at 25 weeks in 1996 when I was 15. He is now a strapping teenager but I remember so vividly seeing his tiny, bird like body covered in tubes and wires and a tiny hat in what seemed like the biggest incubator ever. The nurses and doctors worked miracles and he has no health problems and we are blessed.

The benefits of 'kangaroo care' (skin to skin contact) on the growth of prem babies are well documented and I see gentle massage as an extension of this. With all the tubes and needles, and the necessary medical intervention a fragile tiny baby has initially faced a great deal of negative touch so gentle stroking, touching, holding and feather light massaging will help to reverse this experience.

Special needs babies are obviously all different and it is beyond the scope of this piece to cover all conditions and how massage can help individual situations. I would advise talking to your consultant and discussing what is and is not suitable in your particular case. Particularly in the case of sensory deprivation the experience of touch brings great benefits as the other senses are heightened.

In summary I cannot imagine any circumstance where gentle touch and massage would not be beneficial.

To read more about baby massage see our article on Babyworld.co.uk

.