Infant Massage and its Many Health Benefits

A baby massage soothes your baby, calms them down, and promotes bonding between you two. The benefits of body massage go beyond calming the baby, including relieving gas, constipation, and cramps.

Every gentle stroke makes your baby feel nurtured, loved, and relaxed, which improves their sleep. You can apply light strokes and gentle pressure to engage in meaningful touch that can promote the emotional and physical well-being of your infant.

If you aren’t sure where to start or why you need it, we have put together a handy guide on health benefits and techniques. This will help you with all that you need to massage your baby.

When should I start massaging my baby?

As soon as the baby arrives, the first thing that parents do is place their baby on the chest for bare skin-to-skin touch. When you are holding the baby close, gently stroke their back and legs, moving to other areas like their arms.

You can start massaging your baby after a few weeks of birth by following your baby’s mood. Avoid techniques or timings that make your baby feel uneasy with the massages.

How is infant massage beneficial?

• Connection: The power of touch can create a special connection and bond between the parent and the infant. This also promotes feelings of security and trust. It becomes a habit to be involved in the physical and emotional activity of the baby.
• Muscles: Different massage techniques covering the whole body of an infant can encourage flexibility in the arms and legs. It also relaxes the muscles, reducing muscular tension.
• Happy Tummy: There are multiple stomach-related health benefits that a massage can promote. It helps the infant with gas, cramps, and constipation.
• Interaction: While massaging, it's essential to interact with your infant by talking, singing, and playing, which creates empathy and confidence in infants. This also means spending quality time with your baby.
• Growth and Development: Massages stimulate growth in infants' bodies because of all the stretching and moving.
• Stress Hormones: Infant massages help reduce stress because of movement, massage strokes, and a positive attitude. It makes them playful and relaxed. This also brings a calm and relaxed atmosphere to the home.
• Sleep Quality: Soothing massages can regulate your baby’s sleep cycle and promote deep sleep, which in turn makes the infant happy and healthy.

What is the frequency of massages your baby needs?

It depends on the parents and baby as per the mood, schedule, and more. Some parents like to give daily massages, and some like it on alternate days. You can choose a morning or night-time massage routine. Pay attention to the baby’s cues to understand what they want and make the process enjoyable for the baby.

What’s the right way to massage your baby?

You can use multiple massage techniques and learn what works for you from an experienced family member. Here are some tips that you can follow during a massage for a good massage session.

- Massage your baby in a comfortable spot that is warm and quiet. Make sure to make eye contact with your baby while massaging. Keep a similar process going for them to get habitual and more friendly with regular massage.

- Always start slowly by rubbing each of their body parts, starting from their head and moving down gradually to their feet. Massage each part of the body as long as your baby enjoys it, and don’t follow any strict time rules.

- Use an odourless oil so that it doesn’t irritate your baby’s skin. Oil is good for friction but start by patch testing on a small part of the baby’s skin to avoid any allergies.

- Talk or sing for your baby while massaging the body for a better connection.

Infant massage is a beautiful practice, and it can become a regular part of your daily routine as it holds numerous benefits for both baby and parent.