Benefits of Baby Massage & How to do it correctly
Massaging your baby is an integral part of establishing a close emotional and physical bond with your baby. It is also an essential form of fostering a number of positive attributes such as helping them relax and sleep well, promoting their physical strength, improved circulation and much more.
Babies are of course adorable tiny versions of full-grown adults and often enjoy a lot of things that all of us do, and massages are just one of them. Baby massages can be soothing, allowing the baby and their parent to forge a strong connection with each other by understanding one another with every gentle stroke.
If you wish to learn and understand everything that deals with newborn baby massage – how to do it, when to start and what are the benefits, let us guide you with all the information in detail below.
What are the benefits of massaging your baby?
There are virtually innumerable benefits of massaging your baby that go beyond just forming a healthy emotional and physical bond between the baby and the parent. In addition to helping your baby relax and enjoy an undisturbed good night’s sleep, these are the valuable benefits of baby massage;
• Aids digestion:
Massaging your baby has a number of gastrointestinal benefits such as improved digestion, and relief from constipation, gas and more.
• Helps colic:
Massaging has been observed to be quite helpful when it comes to babies with colic, affording a tremendous relief to the baby and the parents. A number of studies online have supported the positive effects of a gentle massage for babies with colic.
• Relieves cramps:
Baby massage can be helpful when it comes to relieving and even preventing muscular cramps, boosting an overall sense of well-being for your baby by preserving their cheerful demeanour.
• Promotes physical growth:
Massaging your baby has been observed to promote a healthy physical development and growth, and has also been known for leading to improved strength. You can always track you baby’s growth with our Baby Growth chart tracker specially designed for Indian Babies.
• Stimulates blood circulation:
A key benefit of newborn baby massage is the stimulation of blood circulation to their limbs and organs, which aids their physical development. Babies are mostly sedentary until they begin crawling and walking, and massaging provides a healthy alternative for it.
When to start massaging your baby?
The ideal time to start practicing a regular massage for your baby can be said to be right after birth, although the degree and type of baby massage must evolve as the baby grows.
As soon as the baby is brought home, it is advisable for parents to begin practicing a gentle touch with the baby. Practice softly stroking their limbs and other parts of their body such as their back and chest with your fingertips. Avoid touching or massaging the region near their bellies in order to not interfere with the umbilical stump. Also, learn how to change diapers while taking care of the umbilical stump.
You can begin massaging them once they are a few weeks old since by then their skin will have developed resistance and shall not be hampered by stroking or massaging it.
When it comes to the right time for their daily massage, it is advisable to tailor the time of the baby’s daily massage according to their mood. The baby must be calm and comfortable during their massage, and initially it will be a small challenge to pick the right for the baby massage according to their good mood.
To avoid inducing vomiting, always make sure you wait at least 45-60 minutes after a feeding to massage the baby. It has mostly been observed that pre-bedtime is one of the best times for a baby massage since it can help promote a healthy, relaxed sleep. Get few baby sleep. Another good time for a baby massage is both before and after a bath. In order to wash away the baby oil, a pre-bath baby massage is well suited. A post-bath baby massage helps calm the baby down, helping them be less irritable and even moisturize their sensitive skin if the baby has dry skin.
How to massage the baby?
Newborn baby massage must always be practiced carefully and with the utmost level of gentleness. It is important to know and understand the right technique, use the right products, positions and pressure during a newborn baby massage.
These quick and easy baby massage steps will help guide you through the process, allowing you to establish a priceless emotional and physical bond with your newborn and become a baby massage expert!
First, sit on a clean, carpeted surface or your bed with a clean towel laid out in front of you. Ensure that there aren’t any bright lights in the room since they can be jarring for your baby and make them feel uncomfortable. Try to make the surroundings as soft and cosy as you possibly can. Then, lay the baby gently in front of you on the towel, and gently undress them.
Always begin slowly since the first few attempts at massaging your newborn might be met with their disapproval. They are not accustomed to human contact, and thus it is advisable to practice ‘touch’ after they are brought home. This opens them up to the process, making them more receptive and accepting towards a massage.
Begin massaging them with one fixed gentle move that can communicate to your baby that it is time for a massage. You can either begin by taking a drop of oil and softly cupping and massaging the bottom of their feet, or gently rubbing their ears to see how they respond.
If the baby does not resist, maintaining eye contact and appears not to fuss or recoil, it means they have ‘granted their permission’, and you can proceed with the massage. You can ask your paediatrician for a recommendation when it comes to baby oil. One can always choose to massage the baby without oil but keep in mind the various baby oil massage benefits that make an argument in its favour.
It is a good move to always begin the massage at their feet, gently applying some pressure on their heel and their little toes. It is of the utmost importance to be as gentle as you can.
Now, you can proceed to the next part in the baby massage steps by gently stroking upwards and then downwards from the baby’s ankles, towards their knee and then slowly moving towards their thighs and back to the ankles again.
You can move on to the baby’s arms, repeating the same short gentle strokes earlier, moving to longer strokes later. Much like their feet, you can draw small circles and gently massage their palms and wrists, and later their fingers.
This movement can be replicated on all parts of the baby’s body, from their shoulders to their chest and back again.
You can indulge in any sort of hand movement that your baby enjoys, although you must always keep in mind to never apply any grownup massage techniques such as tugging at toes and fingers or applying increased pressure any body parts.
Massaging a baby’s tummy can be tricky, and it should not be massaged until the umbilical stump has fallen off. Once it has, you can begin massaging it but keep in mind that although a baby’s body is sensitive overall, the belly is a region that is even more so.
Take both your hands and begin at the bottom of the chest, drawing a semi-circular shape with your palms without applying any pressure. Simply let the inside your hand gently caress the baby’s belly, and keep off the belly button region.
You have to be even more cautious and gentle when massaging your baby’s face and head. Gently massage their cheeks with your thumbs by creating a circular motion, starting from their chin and coming back around to it. You can then move on to their forehead, beginning at the centre of the forehead and moving towards gently stroking the outline of the baby’s face with your index finger.
Massage your infant’s head with your fingertips, applying the faintest pressure since their skulls are particularly delicate and must always be massaged softly.
Slowly turn the baby on its stomach, place their hands stretched out front and then place your fingers on their back to massage it. Slowly make bigger circles, moving towards the baby’s lower back and continue for a couple of minutes. Then place two fingers, the index and the middle finger, on either side of the baby’s spine, slowly allowing your fingers to make their way downwards towards the baby’s buttocks. Please make sure you do not place your fingers directly on the spine.
Repeat similar small circular strokes on the baby’s buttocks for a while, and that’s it. Your baby will have thoroughly enjoyed their massage and must be completely relaxed and ready for a peaceful nap.
