I have been teaching Infant Massage for a while now and I still get so many people who come to me and ask, what exactly is Infant Massage?
My favorite term for Infant Massage is that it is “The Art of Touch.” It is a beautiful form of bonding between a parent and their child and quite simply put it is a form of expressing love.
When we as adults want a massage we go and see a massage therapist, but when our babies need a massage, it is us the caregivers who perform it. Therefore, with Infant Massage, the caregivers will need to attend a class to learn how to massage their babies correctly.
Infant Massage provides benefits not only for your child, but for yourself as well. This is because for a
baby regular massage encourages a healthier and more regular sleeping pattern, which in turn helps you get a better night’s sleep too.
Regular massage promotes relaxation and helps babies self regulate calm, which reduces crying, these techniques are also a way to improve sensory and body awareness and is a way to enhance neurological development.
You will improve your baby’s circulatory system as well as improving skin condition and digestion.
For a parent massaging your baby includes all of the essential indicators of bonding – sight (eye to eye contact), touch, voice, smell and movement.
Through Infant Massage parents will feel more confident in caring for their children and working parents find that it eases their stress after a long day away from their children.
The Massage techniques for children are much different than the techniques used on an adult, for instance when you have a massage as an adult it is more a manipulation of the muscles, when you massage your baby it is more a form of communication.
During a class or private lesson the instructor will not touch your baby, but instead will
show you how to correctly administer the strokes yourself, and if you have trouble with a particular stroke, then the instructor may (with your permission) lay their hands over your hands and direct you through the massage movement.
Infant Massage doesn’t only focus on the baby, it is based on the communication between the parent and the child. Infant Massage isn’t just preformed ON your baby; it is performed WITH your baby.
These classes are also not just for the mother and child as many fathers, grandparents, and caregivers alike enjoy learning these techniques. You will often find fathers or fathers-to-be who are the ones dragging their spouses to a class to learn Infant Massage together.
For the western world Infant Massage is relatively new, but for other cultures it has been around for thousands of years – we are only beginning to catch up.
So lets get up to speed and learn these important techniques and how to develop them for our growing children. Lets create this special bonding moment that will last a lifetime.
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