All About Baby Massage

by Elizabeth Pantley

Baby massage has been practiced since ancient times. It can be as simple as a gentle rub with lotion after a bath or a more practiced infant massage. The benefits are many for both baby and parent.

Benefits for Baby

• Helps your baby relax
• Stimulates circulation, digestion, and neurological development
• Promotes more restful sleep
• Improves the efficiency of your baby's immune system
• Stimulates your baby's developing nervous system
• Helps relieve pain of colic, gas, illness, and teething
• Promotes healthy weight gain
• Enhances sensory awareness
• Stimulates growth-promoting hormones
• Provides baby with much-loved touch and connection
• Increases bonding and attachment between baby and parent
• Provides premature and special-needs babies with immense physiological benefits

Benefits for Parents

• Builds your confidence in baby handling
• Provides you an opportunity to become more competent in reading your baby's cues
• Gives you a special, focused time with your baby
• Deepens the bond between you and your baby
• Provides you with a tool for calming and settling your baby
• Gives parents of premature babies or babies with special needs a way to bond with and help their baby
• Provides parents with an effective way to settle a fussy or colicky baby
• Gives parents a loving way to introduce a sibling to a new baby
• Allows you to enjoy the feel of your baby's miraculous little body

Get Ready for Baby's Massage

You can massage your baby at any time and in any place. Most babies love to be touched -- and most parents love to touch their babies -- so anytime you feel like rubbing your baby, you should. In addition to casual touches, you can also plan for a more organized massage as well. A massage is a wonderful way to end a bathing session, begin or end the bedtime ritual, or start the day. Here are some guidelines to prepare for a peaceful baby massage:

• Choose a time when you won't be interrupted or rushed.
• Make sure that your baby isn't too hungry (or too full).
• If your baby is colicky, choose the time just before crying usually begins.
• Choose a warm room (at least 75ºF/ 23.9ºC) without any drafts. Depending on how warm the room is, you may want to keep Baby covered with a small blanket during the massage, leaving out the body parts that you are massaging.
• Leave your baby in as little clothing as conditions permit -- a diaper or nothing at all. (Just keep something handy to cover up that diaper area fast, just in case!)
• If you and your baby would enjoy it, play some soft music, or use the time to talk to and sing to your baby.
• Lay your baby on a soft towel or blanket on the floor or on a bed. A small baby can lie skin-to-skin on your stomach or across your legs.
• Have warm baby lotion or oil ready, if you wish to use one of these. Choose oils made especially for babies, when possible. Avoid nut-based oils, like peanut and almond, to avoid the risk of allergic reactions. And avoid having oils on or next to your baby's face and hands (since they may likely find their way to Baby’s mouth!)

Make the Massage a Pleasant Experience

Tell your baby what you are doing and ask for permission, "Would you like Mommy to give you a massage?" This sends a message right from a young age that your baby's body belongs to her.

Respect your baby's signals. Always watch your little one for signs of enjoyment (smiles, coos, relaxed posture) or dissatisfaction (turning away, fussing, closing arms, crawling away), and stop if she seems uncomfortable or restless. If your baby is having a colic episode, then attempt to calm him with massage before judging his response to the massage. Sometimes babies take a few minutes to adjust, or they may like the massage at first, but then have had enough and would like to stop.