Massage Information

Babies love been touched and infant massge just gives a structure to the way to touch infants, that fulfills their deepest needs for affection and love. Infant massage has existed for centuries in many countries around the world.. Vilma McClure, an Americian lady and founder of International Association of Infant Massage (IAIM) in the late 1970’s was the first person to put together a professional program and stroke series based on research and practical experience. This programme comes from India, where almost all babies are massaged. It includes Sweedish masssage strokes, refloxology and some gentle yoga too. The massage itself is a two way process between parent and child. the parent adjusts the speed, duration and pressure of the massage in response to their babies cues. It becomes a rythm of communication, interaction and ultimately love. As the facilitator in a parent-baby class or private session, I support parents to develop this rythm. I help parents position their baby for successful interaction, to help creat an environment that promotes the development of loving bonds, good communication and a relaxing experience. There are many benefits to learning massage from a person rather than a book, video or website. As your instructor I can simplify the informationfor you and your family. I can help solve struggles you might encounter. As I demonstrate on my doll, it allows you time to focus your attention on your baby rather than trying to interpret and apply information.

When you are ready to start the massage ask permission from your baby, and interpreting their response. This offers the baby respect, recognises that they are a unique being with their own needs, and encourages them to communicate their needs to us in an interactive way. Choose a good time for the baby when she or he is well-rested, alert and interested in a new activity. Often this is will be a few minutes after waking when they are looking around in a quiet way. Prepare the baby for the massage, talking to them about your plans as you set up the environment and remove their clothes. Put a small amount of oil on your hands and rub them together, making a swishing sound. This lets baby know it is time to start the massage. Rub some oil on your hands and let baby hear and enjoy the swishing sound as you warm it between your palms. Show your baby your open, oiled hands, holding them close to your own body. Ask your baby if they would like a massage. Use the language that you usually use with your baby, and use a key word each time, such as “massage” to alert your baby to the plan. Then watch as your baby responds. Does she look at you? Does he reach out for your hands? How does your baby’s facial expressions, body posture, sounds change to indicate readiness or resistance? Is your baby saying “yes”? Or “no”? Again, ask permission by showing baby your oiled hands, verbally asking permission, then “reading” your baby’s response cues. If the baby is saying “yes” with their body, then rest your hands on the area where you are going to start the massage. If the baby seems to be saying “no”, respond to the needs which they are showing. Perhaps baby will be ready in a few minutes, or a bit later in the day. With experience, you will recognise your baby’s cues – how they tell you yes and no, or indicate that they are not interested. Throughout the massage you will want to watch your baby’s cues so that you know when to stop – ideally before your baby bursts into tears to tell you they have had enough. Your massage time with your baby will teach you a lot about how to read your baby. And what you learn during the massage and in your class will make your life easier, and help you and your baby be more in tune with each other.

Want to teach your baby to relax? Infant Massage itself is relaxing – and research has shown a reduction in stress hormones in a baby in the minutes and hours after a massage. Parents who massage their babies have also shown a reduction in stress hormones and an increase in positive mood hormones as they connect with their baby through massage. Touch Relaxation is based on conditioned response: the parent teaches their infant to respond to their touch and voice with relaxation. This is achieved by repeatedly using a positive reinforcement technique each time they do the massage. When the parent finds a place in their baby’s body that is stiff, tense, or that they have difficulty relaxing, this is a way that the parent can help their baby to relax. Parents start by centering themselves, perhaps slowing down their own breathing. Then, gently holding or resting their hands on a tense area of their baby’s body, the parent encompasses and molds their hands to the area. They gently tell their baby to “Relax”, or say “Can you relax your __?” Repeating it in the same soft tone, the parent uses very gentle bouncing, patting and rolling motions to loosen up the tense area. As soon as the parent feels any relaxation in that area on the part of the baby, the parent can praise the baby: “Wonderful! You relaxed your ___ .” Babies often like a high sing-songy voice for this praise. Then offer a hug or a kiss. Repeat this Touch Relaxation process in some tense area of the baby’s body whenever you do the massage (or even at another time when the child needs it), and you will soon see an almost instantaneous relaxation. Not only has the parent taught the baby to respond to their voice and touch with relaxation, they have taught the baby to intentionally relax, an essential life skill.

When is the best time to massage your baby? The simple answer is when your baby is happy and relaxed! Look for a time to massage your baby when your baby is receptive to interaction. A good time is when your baby is in the “quiet alert” phase shortly after waking up. Drowsy: When a baby wakes up, they are often drowsy: eyes partly closed, clingy if they are in your arms, still a bit withdrawn. They are not quite ready for a massage. Quiet Alert: After a few minutes baby’s eyes tend to open wide and they begin to pay attention to what is going on around them. Their mind becomes active, even though their body is relatively quiet. This is a great state to start infant massage! Active Alert: As the massage goes on, your baby will get more active. At first becoming more interactive, wiggling around and making sounds. Depending on the temperament of your baby, baby may last a few more minutes, or these may be signs that it is time to bring the massage to an end. Signs Your Baby is Ready to Stop: When your baby starts to look away and get restless, complains or fusses, pushes or crawls away, it is definitely time to take a break or end the massage. These signs don’t mean the baby did not enjoy the massage, they can mean they have had “enough, already” and what felt good for a few minutes is now too much, or they can indicate the baby has another need – such as hunger or exhaustion or the need for a change. Ending the Massage: You can stop the massage at any time by picking up your baby, giving them a hug and telling them “Thank you” for the special time together. Often baby will be hungry after a massage, or quiet and interested in hanging out. Your baby might be active afterwards or ready to go to sleep. Massaging every day at close to the same time will help your baby and you make massage a routine. Many of the hormonal and physical benefits of massage are enhanced by the regularity of massaging a baby every day.

Choosing a Massage Oil involves many considerations including: Cultural preference Family tradition Availability Cost Oils reduce friction during massage, and that means your baby feels more relaxed by the massage. As your class facilitator I can help you select an oil that you and your baby will be happy with, if you are unsure. The IAIM recommend cold pressed, unscented fruit and vegetable oils such as safflower, sunflower or fractionated coconut oil because: They are non-toxic and safe when baby sucks their fingers or rubs their eyes They can contain beneficial nutrients, such as vitamin E, which are good for the skin These oils absorb into baby’s skin quickly, so baby doesn’t get too slippery after application They have no added scent, so infants can still enjoy their parents’ natural smell, and are not overwhelmed. Lots of parents around the world use olive oil to massage their babies with no problems at all. However, research has revealed that olive oil may not be the best option for massaging your baby. If your baby has dry or broken skin, it may be best not to use olive oil on a regular basis. Olive oil is low in a fatty acid called linoleic acid and high in another fatty acid called oleic acid. Linoleic acid can strengthen your baby's skin barrier. Oleic acid, on the other hand, can make some layers of your baby's skin more permeable. If your baby's skin is more permeable, it means your baby's skin barrier is more open. The oil and water you put on your baby's skin may be lost, instead of trapped in. So the oleic acid could increase moisture loss from your baby's skin if your baby's skin is damaged, say, through patches of eczema. If your baby has eczema, using olive oil on her skin could make her eczema worse. Use an oil to massage your baby that is fresh, natural, pure and unscented. Perhaps you already have an appropriate oil in your kitchen. Put it in a small squeeze bottle, if possible, to prevent spills. Make sure the bottle and top are big enough that baby will not try to swallow them. Put just a bit of oil on the palm of your hand, and rub your hands together to make a swishing sound. Show your hands to your baby, and verbally ask permission from your baby to give him/her a massage. Watch your baby to see how she or he responds. Is she indication “yes” or “no”? *see section on "Asking Permission".

The growth in popularity for baby massage is due to positive research outcomes, our changing lifestyles and a desire by parents to provide better care for their infants. Massaging babies provides an important source of stimulation that promotes development and well-being. In addition, starting touch early in life improves parenting skills and promotes a baby’s overall health. Baby massage encourages bonding through eye-to-eye contact, smiling, soothing vocal sounds, loving touch, caressing and mutual interaction. Studies show that bonding increases a parent’s feeling of attachment as well as their desire to nurture and care for their infant. Massage can also enhance oxygen and nutrient flow to cells and improve breathing patterns and lung health. It can enhance the release of hormones, including growth hormones to help with weight gain, and can spark neurons in the brain to grow and branch out to improve mental processing/skills (cognition). Massage has many other physical and emotional benefits for your baby. These benefits include: - Promoting social, emotional and cognitive development - Helping a baby relax and release tensions of daily stimuli - Decreasing irritability and excessive crying - Reducing gas, colic and intestinal difficulties - Regulating behavioural states and promoting sleep. - Strengthening and regulating primary systems (i.e., respiratory, circulatory, nervous, musculature, digestive and endocrine). There are also benefits for parents and the development of parenting skills. The act of massaging an infant helps: - Promote better understanding of infant cues. - Enhance communication and emotional ties. - Increase confidence and handling skills. - Provide quality one-on-one interaction. - Encourage parents to unwind, relax, and listen to their baby How touch and infant massage can enhance development. Early development is influenced by touch and infant massage can support development in these five areas: 1. Communication skills – promotes emerging speech, direct eye gaze, listening and turn taking. 2. Motor skills – improves muscle tone and coordination, increases body awareness. 3. Social skills – encourages infant and caregiver to engage one another. 4. Self-help skills – stimulates oral motor musculature awareness, lip closure, and relaxation of tension needed for swallowing. 5. Cognition – enhances overall awareness of self and body boundaries, cause and effect, and increase in attention span. That's quite a list of benefits don't you think? And the beautiful thing about baby massage is that once it is practiced in a relaxed happy state for both you and your baby, there is no negative to it. All nurturing touch is positive touch.