Imagine if just one touch can soothe your baby right away, what else can a loving, intentional touch do? It’s been validated again and again in many clinical studies that massaging your baby, or in other words, providing a loving touch, is beneficial for both you and your child.
Baby massage
Experts believe that a baby, while warm and cozy in a mother’s womb, receives constant massage with every movement. Therefore, out of the womb, a child responds beautifully to the loving, therapeutic and rhythmic touch of a soothing and comforting baby massage.
You can experience so much joy and fulfillment during baby massage, while your infant feels nurtured, secured, and cared for. A regular massage regimen promotes and strengthens a secure attachment between mother and child.
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Baby massage benefits for baby
According to research, if done right, baby massage has various health benefits for your infant. This includes:
- Improving digestion, as it helps babies clear bowels and releases abdominal gas
- Encouraging good blood circulation
- Helping build bone density and firm up soft muscles
- Soothing babies to restful sleep, especially in colicky babies
- Helping clear the lymphatic system of toxins
- Helping you check your child for cleanliness in hidden areas, such as the navel region, below the chin, between fingers and toes, nails, etc.
- Encouraging interaction between you and your baby
Baby massage benefits for mum
Parents also benefit from this soothing touch therapy in babies. Some of the positive effects of baby massage on parents are the following:
- Massaging your baby regularly is known to produce the wellbeing hormone known as oxytocin, as well as reducing the production of cortisol in new mothers. This in turn reduces the chances of developing postnatal blues or depression.
- While massaging babies, mothers become more attentive to nonverbal cues and facial expression. This helps the mother read her child more accurately.
How to do baby massage
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A baby massage should be oil-based because it helps to reduce friction on skin-to-skin touch and rubbing. A massage is nice to do after a warm bath with a lovely fluffy towel for the baby to lie on.
Natural oils, which do not have too much heat or chemicals, are recommended for massaging. These include coconut oil, almond oil, sesame oil, olive oil, or even ghee (clarified butter). Mass-produced baby oils are mineral-based and have little nutritional value.
It is important to remember that what is applied to the skin is absorbed by the body and has the capacity to nourish and strengthen the skin, bones and muscles of a growing infant.
The how-to
Baby massage starts at the feet by gently lifting the legs up and down. You can also make them cycle in the air, and remember to massage around the navel area and downward from the chest.
Make it a point to pull and press along the ears. Then take both arms, crisscross them and wrap them around the child as if hugging them. Babies love this! This self-hug pose also helps to calm colic babies. Fold the baby’s knees at the waist for the “wind release posture”. This is effective in relieving gas in the colon.
For older infants (five months and up), raise the legs and bend them back toward the head. This enhances digestion and spinal flexibility. With babies lying face down on their belly, stroke the back of the head all the way down the spine in a slow, firm zigzag motion.
Watch out for baby’s wee, especially the boys!
Self Hug
The Wind Release Posture
Bend Over Backwards (5+ Months)
Massaging baby’s face
You can also begin with a facial as it is great to work on eye contact first with baby before massaging the rest of the body.
Lay a blanket on the floor where you can perform the massage on your baby. Gently apply some oil to your baby’s navel and the part behind the ears to warm up. Afterwards, rub your palms together to warm them.
Glide your hands gently around your baby’s face, starting from the top of their head going to their chin and neck. Once you have reached the chin, lift your palms and place them back on the top of baby’s scalp and repeat the gliding motion in a downward direction.
Afterwards, you can gauge if the baby is receptive to the massage and you can go on, or if you need to stop and try again another day.
Precautions when doing a baby massage
A massage sounds soothing and therapeutic and is probably a good way to calm a fussy baby. However, if not done properly, you won’t be able to reap all the benefits of a baby massage, and it may even put your baby at risk for accidents and injuries.
Here are some things to take note of to make sure your baby gets a safe and soothing experience:
- “Schedule” the massage when your baby is in a good mood. Look out for cues in her actions if she is receptive to it. Some signs include good eye contact, a relaxed “open” body posture, smiles and some babbling. Meanwhile, being fussy, lack of eye contact and crying indicate may indicate that she’s not in the mood.
- Do not massage a baby if he or she has a fever, mucus congestion, or is in any state of pain or discomfort.
- Give baby a firm rub. According to Sylvie Hetu, a certified trainer from the International Association of Infant Massage (IAIM), research has shown that babies don’t fancy light touches, which tend to be ticklish and rev up the nervous system. Try giving your bub a gentle but firm touch. In applying pressure, look out for signs of discomfort and adjust accordingly.
- Do not get distracted. One of the benefits of baby massage is the connection that you develop with your child through touch. However, the connection could get disrupted if you are always on your phone, watching a tutorial video or just multitasking. Not being attentive to your child while giving them a massage can also put them at risk for injuries or accidents. Focus on the task at hand.
- Choose a safe place where the baby will not fall. Giving your baby a massage may cause them to be too relaxed to be cautious about their surroundings. So do not put your baby on a table or a tall bed when giving a massage. It’s better to put a towel on the floor and do the massage there to prevent accidents.
- Refrain from using strong oils. According to Sylvie, essential oils should not be used on babies below 6 months because some studies suggest it can be dangerous to their nervous system. Besides, since babies have a habit of putting their hands in their mouths, there is the risk of ingesting the oil. Stick to oils that are unscented or have a neutral scent like grapeseed or sunflower oil.
- Practice good hygiene. Make sure you wash your hands before giving your bub a good rub.
ALSO READ:
How to massage your baby to relieve gas and reflux
Benefits Of Massage For Babies Include Reducing Pain And Stress
Helping a Child With Tactile Defensiveness
Baby scrub
After an oil massage, it is a good idea to administer a baby scrub. Baby scrubs are done on feet, legs, hands, arms, belly, and back. Face and head areas should be avoided. A baby scrub helps the infant get rid of dead skin and nourish it to maintain its pH balance.
To make a homemade scrub you can add two to three tablespoons of gram flour and fresh yoghurt or milk, and half a teaspoon of turmeric. Mix the paste and then gently rub the paste on the baby, starting with the legs, moving upwards.
Make sure the baby is on a plastic mat, as the scrub leaves a yellow stain. Keep rubbing until the paste dries and begins to flake off. The baby is then ready for a quick wash and a good night sleep.
Reminder, mums: Before applying the scrub on your baby’s skin, remember to try it on yourself first. Do a patch test by applying a small amount to your skin. If it does not produce some negative reactions, you can dab a little on your bub’s skin. If everything looks fine, then you can proceed with the baby scrub for a complete pampering experience.
