Infant Massage

The importance of massage:
Though your hugs and cuddles are surely the best ways to comfort your little one, the ‘extra touch’ by means of massage will provide a unique experience for both your baby and you. Massaging, besides helping a baby bond better with his parents also helps him grow better. In fact, massaging is an ideal way of learning how to handle your baby. A regular massage helps you get in touch with your baby and learn his body language. Massaging is known to stimulate growth promoting hormones and increase the enzymes responsible for making the cells of the vital organs more responsive to the effects of these hormones.

Choosing the right oil:
Since a baby’s skin is very sensitive, it is important to choose a light and natural oil, one that is unscented and rich in vitamin E. When buying oil, check for its label as cold compressed. This means that the oil has been extracted by means of pressure, not by heat or chemical solvents which can change the characteristics of the oil. Some of the oils that have been popularly used since ages for massage are olive, almond and sesame (til). Some nut oils may cause a possible skin allergy rash in some babies, so it would be wise to do a skin test before you start using the oil of your choice. For this, apply a little oil on the baby’s elbow and leave on for about 20 minutes. If no reaction occurs on the skin, then you can go ahead and use that oil.

Experts’ advice to massage the right way:

• Choose a dry and warm place, preferably a room well lit with a lot of sunshine.
• Place your baby and yourself in a special position. You can sit with your back leaned against the wall or a couch.
• You can either sit cross-legged or stretch your legs in front of you. Spread a dry and slightly warmed towel over your legs and place the baby on it.
• To begin the massage, pour some oil into your hands, hold the baby’s foot with one hand, and spread the oil over the baby’s legs from ankles to thighs, while looking into his eyes and speaking gently.
• Hold the legs with both hands and with a light pressure of twisting and squeezing motion, move your hands from thigh to foot.Give some light strokes from thigh to feet before you move on to the trunk.
• Follow the same method for the arms and hands, and don’t forget to massage the lymph nodes in the arm-pits.
• To massage the abdomen, slide your whole palm and fingers in a hand-over-hand circular motion, working from the rib-cage downward. Then, slide both your arms around the abdomen in clockwise circular movements. Relax a tense abdomen with the ‘I love you’ stroke. Give a round of light fingertips pressure all over the abdomen.
• To massage the chest, slide both hands along the rib cage from center to sides and back again.
• Give the face special strokes, smoothing it with your whole palm; lightly pressing, pushing, and circling with the thumbs, and finally giving light fingertips strokes from the forehead to cheeks.
• For the back, use your finger-pads to lightly rub small circles all over the back. Then gently come with the fingertips from back over buttocks to legs and ankles.
• Once you learn the art of infant massage, you and your baby together can work out and enjoy many more creative touches.