Benefits of Baby Massage
Tue 14th Feb 2023
Tue 14th Feb 2023
Blog / Benefits of Baby Massage
Baby massage is a gentle form of touch therapy that involves using different massage techniques to stimulate a baby's muscles, promote relaxation, and support their overall development. Parents or carers use their hands to stroke, knead, and rub their baby's skin, concentrating on various areas of the body such as the legs, arms, and back during a baby massage session.
Baby massage is a safe and effective way to help a baby's growth and development, and it can be learned in classes or with the assistance of a qualified teacher.
Baby massage is a great way to bond with your little one and offer them both physical and emotional comfort. It has many benefits for babies, including aiding in relaxation, improving sleep patterns, reducing colic and relieving teething pain. In this article we will explore some of the advantages of baby massage for babies.
- Improved muscle tone: Regular massaging can help develop strong muscles by stimulating blood circulation which helps build strength in their arms, legs and back.
- Improved overall health: Simple strokes or touches on infant’s skin increases sensory awareness as well as helping release hormones that promote good health such as oxytocin, “the happy hormone”, creating an environment ideal for healthy development
- Pain relief: Infant massage effectively reduces discomfort caused during teething or constipation and colic symptoms.
- Enhanced bonding between parent and baby: Touch is at its core is naturally calming. It provides opportunity for baby to feel closer and safer with the caregiver, which in turn helps to create a secure relationship through feeling understood when routine messages are offered.
- Reduce infant crying: Allowing time to quietly relax tense muscles brings great levels calmness. Through regular massage, babies’ cries are often better understood, and both baby & parent are more relaxed.
- Improved body awareness: When babies are born, they have no sense of where their body stops, and the caregiver’s body starts. They do not know that they have two hands and two feet. This concept of body awareness is learned over the first few years. Massage helps to bring that awareness. The stimulation to the baby’s body helps them to learn the parameters of their body.
Although baby massage can begin at any age, many experts advise waiting until the baby is at least six weeks old before starting regular massage sessions. A baby's nervous system is more developed at this age, and they can handle touch and other forms of sensory stimulation better. Every infant is unique, and some may be ready for massage sooner or later than others.
It's critical to pay attention to your baby's cues and preferences, and to discuss any concerns or questions with your paediatrician or a qualified baby massage teacher. Once you begin, baby massage can be a lovely way to bond with your child while also supporting their physical and emotional development.
Here at LullaBaby, we are founded on over 20 years' of research and experience, enabling you to enjoy this precious time with your baby, safe in the knowledge that you are giving them the best start.
Our babies love their weekly classes. Every week is different, and with over 80+ different lesson plans, you can be sure your baby will always have something new and exciting to look forward to.
Lullababy offer 3 different classes all offering different activities depending on your babies age:
These classes are designed to stimulate your baby and introduce them to new things. These activities include: