The Benefits of
Baby Massage
Many cultures
have used massage as part of baby care for centuries, and research shows it can
have many benefits. Not only does massage enable you to learn about and respond
to your baby's body language. But it is also a wonderful way to make your baby
feel safe and secure by showing that he or she is loved and cared for. There are
no hard and fast rules for baby massage, other than to ensure you are doing it
safely. Your baby and you will discover together what works best for you both.
Please bear in mind that massage is something you do with your infant, not to
your infant. It is strongly suggested you seek guidance and education on
massage techniques from a qualified baby massage therapist, midwife, or other
healthcare professional to ensure you are doing it safely.
A ten minute massage,
two or three times a week assists in strengthening the parent-infant
relationship, babies love it and it can assist in alleviating baby ailments too.
In today’s
society, parents have heavy workloads and both their jobs and at home which can
directly affect quality time spent with children. Infant massage, an age old
tradition, is simple, free, can be administered almost anywhere and has a host
of emotional and physical benefits for both parents and baby. A child with a
strong sense of attachment is more likely to grow up confident, assured and
happy.
The parent-infant attachment is rooted in the very early months of life,
so by its very definition infant massage has a deep effect on the emotional
well-being of the infant and can be used to attain a sense of security for the
growing child. The emotional benefits of infant massage, such as quality,
one-to-one loving touch, can also be experienced by fathers.
