Infant Massage

Pre-Natal Massage | Infant Massage | Hot Stone Massage

Infant massage is a mutually enjoyable way for parents to learn to be more sensitive to their infant’s needs through skillful touch. Through touch and stimulation of the other senses during infant massage, the bond between parent and infant is enhanced as mutual respect, trust, and affection are developed. A strong infant/parent bond serves as the foundation for positive and healthy relationships throughout life.

As the infant responds to the parent’s attempts to interact during the massage, the parent responds back to the infant. This two-way communication empowers parents as they gain confidence in their ability to take care of their infant in a nurturing and supportive manner.

As the infant learns it can communicate with the parent during massage, it tends to make the infant more sociable. Massage provides a means for relaxed communication, which can be invaluable when the infant is older and other means of communication between the parent and child or teenager may become more difficult.

In addition to increased bonding and communication between the infant and parent, infant massage has many demonstrated benefits:

• Promotes central nervous system development
• Increases the ability of the infant to handle external stimuli and thus teaches him how to relax
• Deepens and lengthens sleep
• Aids in digestion to help food absorption and weight gain, especially in premature infants
• Reduction in, or relief from, colic
• Helps the infant learn how his body relates spatially to other things and stimulates use of both sides of his body
• Helps build trust and self-esteem
• Beneficial for infants with a variety of developmental delays
• Provides baby-focused time
• Boosts parents’ confidence in their parenting skills as they learn to interpret their infant’s non-verbal cues
• Provides the father a special way to bond with his infant
• Can lessen post-partum depression

More information regarding the benefits of infant massage can be found at the website for the Touch Research Institutes: http://www.miami.edu/touch-research/

Infant Massage Instruction

Infant massage instruction is done with babies up to one year old, although it is more conducive with infants who are not yet crawling. Group instruction is done in four 90-minute sessions and private instruction is done in three 90-minute sessions.

The parent performs different massage techniques on the infant under the guidance of the massage therapist. The massage therapist does not touch the infant, but uses a doll for demonstration purposes. Instruction includes a colic relief routine and suggestions for adapting the massage as the child grows older. Parents are encouraged to address the needs of the infant throughout the massage sessions.

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