Bonding with baby can sometimes be something of a learned skill – and there are many different ways to engage in it. One method that has seen increasing popularity over the years is through baby massage. It’s gentle (good to remember we’re not talking sports massage!) and is a great way to care for your baby’s skin at the same time. Today, we’ll have a look at why you might like to start baby massage and what you need to know to get started.
The Benefits of Baby Massage
1. Enhances Bonding: You may already be familiar with skin-to-skin contact – it’s often encouraged in the hours and days immediately after birth – and baby massage is a way to continue this. Gently massaging your baby’s skin helps boost that emotional bond and is a great way to help your baby feel secure and loved.
2. Physical Development: Just as with adults, massage is a great way to stimulate your baby’s muscles and improve their circulation. It even helps the digestive and immune systems (always great!), as well as supporting myelination. This, in turn, is beneficial for developing things such as motor function, their senses, and their general cognition1! Who knew such a simple activity could lead to benefits like that? So how? A soft belly massage can go a good way towards alleviating issues such as colic and gas, leaving bubs more comfortable. The improved blood circulation means nutrients and oxygen may be more effectively sent around the body for all-round health.
3. Neurological Development: Alongside this, touch is a key part of human development, especially neurologically. Studies have found that infant massage can help boost neurologic development, including in preterm babies2. The sense and cognition benefits mentioned above are in large part related to their increased development in this area.
4. Promotes Relaxation: Another one that is very similar to the effects of massage on adults, a good baby massage can be so relaxing for little ones. While this is great for baby, it’s also great for you, as it can help relax fussiness and make it easier for them to drop off to sleep afterwards. For this reason, many parents build a quick massage into their children’s bedtime routines.
How to Get Started with Baby Massage
1. Pick Your Timing: This is possibly the most crucial part when starting out. Trying to give your baby a massage while they’re hungry and upset is unlikely to have the effect you want. This is another reason many like to incorporate it into a bedtime routine. A massage after a feed and a bath is often the optimum time, as each part helps to relax them a bit more before the massage gets them ready for sleepy time.
2. Keep Your Surroundings Calm: Having a match between environment and desired outcomes is crucial – it’s difficult for baby to wind down with bright lights and loud noises such as the TV on. Taking them somewhere quiet, with lights as low as possible is ideal – try turning on a lamp off to the side, rather than having bright overhead lights on. Music on low might be nice – just don’t keep it up too loud, as this can overstimulate bubs. You’ll want to put them down somewhere soft, warm and safe as well, as lying somewhere uncomfortable will make it harder for them to relax properly.
3. Use Natural Oils: Using a product such as Haakaa’s Sweet Dreams Balm is ideal for a post-bath, pre-bed infant massage. Essential oils of lavender and chamomile combine to create a relaxing fragrance, while the carrier of coconut oil, shea butter and beeswax keeps your child’s skin silky smooth. Remember: always do a patch test on your baby first before using any new product (even natural ones!), just to make sure.
4. Seek Advice for the Best Techniques: Try asking your midwife or LMC for their tips on the best ways to massage your little one. Another option is to try local parenting groups – massage workshops are commonly arranged in many groups to help new parents learn the best way to do this. In general, though, you can start by gently massaging their head. It’s essential to remember that you shouldn’t press too hard – baby massage is more of a light touch to their skin rather than working knots out of muscles. Some like to gently run their fingers over their baby’s eyebrows – many babies and children find this incredibly soothing. Start moving down over the rest of their body. Circular motions are ideal, with slow, steady movements.
5. Communication: Even though your baby may not be capable of speaking just yet, that doesn’t mean they aren’t listening. The sound of your voice can prove just as soothing to them as anything else, so talking or singing as you work adds to the whole experience for them. It’s also a key part of helping you bond; mum’s voice is something babies know very well, so maintaining that connection is wonderful. And for dad or other family members who are building up a bond? The same thing – the voices of loved ones are among the most important things, so giving them the opportunity to learn them better is beneficial for all concerned.
Baby massage is a practice that involves only a small effort but with enormous benefits for everyone involved. Including it as part of your daily routine has the potential to provide huge advantages from physical health to emotional well-being – for you and your baby.
1Infant massage. (2022, June 23). New Zealand College of Midwives. https://www.midwife.org.nz/women/postnatal/infant-massage/
2Lai, M., D’Acunto, G., Guzzetta, A., Finnigan, S., Ngenda, N., Ware, R., Boyd, R., & Colditz, P. (2022). Infant massage and brain maturation measured using EEG: A randomised controlled trial. Early Human Development, 172, 105632. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earlhumdev.2022.105632