Infant and Child Massage

Touch is an infant's first and primary form of communication. When done in a loving, caring, and appropriate way, this allows your infant to develop a healthy foundation of trust and security. Baby massage has been used to ease digestive problems, irritability, sleep issues, and colic, as well as to spur the development of premature babies. In childhood, massage is used as a way to help children relax and improve focus, balance, coordination, behavior, social skills, and even school work, while reducing impulsivity and hyperactivity.

The technique that I used in this video is modeled after an infant massage practice described in Discovering the Body's Wisdom, by Mirka Knaster:

"To have a fun and intimate time with your baby, place him or her on a pad in front of you as you sit cross-legged or kneel. If you sit leaning against the wall, skip the pad and let the baby lie on your legs, head pointing toward your feet. Make sure the room and your hands are warm.

Slowly and gently spread a little vegetable oil (you don't want lotion or mineral oil to get in the baby's mouth) all over your baby's body, except the face.

Use flat palms or only fingerpads, since there is little surface area to cover and your movements will be small.

With both hands, first glide up the chest, then down around the ribs; repeat three times.

Then begin at the right hip with your right hand and move diagonally to the left shoulder and down the side; with the left hand move up and across to the right shoulder and down the side. Synchronize these movements so that they create a wave motion; repeat three times.

Before proceeding to an abdominal stroke, repeat the first move - glide up the chest and come down aroound the ribs.

To massage the belly, alternate your hands as you gradually circle clockwise, pressing slightly, as though to empty the stomach. If the baby's legs are bent toward the abdomen, that will keep the area soft while you massage. Stroking the torso can help digestion and elimination and also move gas bubbles through the system.

If your baby arches his or her back or otherwise fusses, try again later. Infants may tolerate only the briefest of massages and may want to suckle right away. Once they get a little older and start to move around, make massage a game instead of trying to keep them still."

I obviously did not follow this exactly as prescribed. For instance, I had my legs outstretched, I used baby lotion, and I changed up the sequence of movements a bit, adding a little finger massage at the end. That's okay, because if you're not comfortable, that will only increase stress instead of alleviating it - as is one of the goals. If you use baby lotion instead of vegetable oil, you'll need to reapply more often (as you see in the video) and make sure that you wipe the baby's hands after. Baby Pumpkin seemed okay with my massage technique; otherwise, I would have stopped and tried another time and/or adjusted the movements.

Infants and children can be tempermental (as if you didn't already know), so if your infant is just not in the mood, stop and try again another time. Also keep in mind that infants and children require far less pressure. In fact, focus more on light touch and communication, as opposed to use of pressure. The benefits are from a gentle touch, soothing voice, and eye contact, which result in a bonding experience for both the infant or child and the caregiver. On that note, another benefit is actually to the caregiver. Contact with an infant (I'm assuming a calm, happy, or sleeping baby) can reduce an adult's blood pressure and heart rate. I forgot to measure mine before and after, but I will do this next time. I definitely felt more relaxed and happy just after less than five minutes! However, Baby Pumpkin was extremely cooperative and positively responsive throughout. Phew!!!

Additional web resources:

http://www.babyzone.com/baby/crying-and-soothing/infant-massage-how-to_86321#gallery/massage-benefits-for-you-and-baby

http://www.lovingtouch.com/

http://www.webmd.com/parenting/baby/video/infant-massage

http://www.infantmassageusa.org/

http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-living/infant-and-toddler-health/in-depth/infant-massage/art-20047151

#infants #children #massage #relaxation #health #parenting #wellness