Massage is a tool many people use as a way to help relax, unwind, and soothe tired and sore muscles. Little ones can also benefit from the practice, as infant massage has been shown to have many positive benefits for both babies and parents.
Infant massage focuses on different parts of the body, like the legs, arms, chest, back, belly, and face.
It has been shown to help with relaxation, better circulation, and even muscle tone coordination.
“All the studies say that it helps with digestion, it also helps with improving sleep,” says infant massage instructor Amy MacAulay.
A specific routine involving the belly and chest can help with colic.
“If you notice that your baby is getting fussy at a certain time at night, then what they would suggest to do is to do this routine about 15 to 20 minutes before that fussiness starts,” says MacAulay.
Erin Woodbury is a graduate of one of MacAulay’s classes. She now practices what she learned on her nine-month-old daughter Sylvia.
“Usually I do it before bedtime, especially on days when she’s overtired and I need to do something to wind her down.”
Woodbury says aside from relaxation and improved sleep, she feels the rhymes and songs that go along with the massage are a great way to promote language development.
“You’re saying the same rhymes over and over again and you’re labelling body parts and you’re really face to face with her as well,” says Woodbury.
Like Woodbury, MacAulay says many of her clients enjoy the special bonding time massage allows them to spend with their babies.
“A lot of parents say that when they are able to focus on just their baby, without distractions, they’re able to learn the subtle cues that their baby shows them and they’re able to respond to those,” says MacAulay.
MacAulay says it is important to listen to those cues and advises never to massage a sleeping or crying baby.
The best age for infant massage ranges from six to eight weeks and up until pre-crawling.
When it comes to pressure, MacAulay tells class participants not to be too gentle.
“The biggest thing is we don’t want to tickle, because a lot of us don’t have fun memories of being tickled,” says MacAulay. “We want to make sure, for it to be effective, that we want to apply a firm pressure, similar to the massages that you would get at a massage therapist.”
MacAulay says it is important to always use cold compress vegetable oils for infant massage, as babies tend to put their hands in their mouth a lot, so you want to make sure the oil is edible, such as vegetable, canola, or olive oil.
