How to Rub Your Baby the Right Way

What can I do to bond with my child, my wife gets to hold her all the time?

Poor little thing-teething and nothing I do seems to help the pain?

Does this sound like the same concerns you've had or heard from someone close to you? Rest assured, you're not alone.

There is a natural, wonderful way to see babies through many of those beginning "snags" and even help them start learning!

Infant massage.

It provides the groundwork for a lifetime of nurturing through something as simple as touch. Among the possible benefits: Parents can help their infant to sleep better; increase their muscle tone and skills; improve digestion (thereby relieving colic, diarrhea and constipation); relieve teething pain; and bond better with their child.

There are classes dedicated to teaching new parents the importance of proper infant massage technique. What should a new parent look for?

Mikki Anderson, vice president/ director of holistic services at StressBusters Body Therapy Center in Laguna Hills, California and a licensed specialist in the field of both pregnancy and infant massage, provides some answers.

Q: What kind of credentials should the teacher/instructor have? How old should the baby?

A: The instructor should be a licensed professional with over 1,000 hours of training and extra specialized training in the area specifically designed in infant massage.

Make sure the teacher has been accredited by the International Association of Infant Massage Trainers. This means they have been through an extensive five-day/40-hour class learning about the various ways to use an educated and loving touch to help your baby in both emotional and physiological ways.

As far as when to start - while you can and should start cuddling and bonding with your infant from the moment of birth - waiting until after the first week (to begin infant massage class) is best.

Q: Is infant massage good for all babies?

A: High-needs babies are a bit trickier to include in this process because of the overstimulation factor. But we will teach the parents how to do a "touch" rather than "rubbing" method, so the same bonding and nurturing occurs.

Q: Is this a good way to get dads involved in the bonding experience?

A: This is an excellent way to get the daddies involved. Women who breast feed get to have this closeness by the very nature of the act. Dads don't have this amount of time (even if they feed a bottle).

So by them using the massage they not only help their baby, they get to have a good period of time to enjoy a similar closeness.

Q: How long can parents continue the massages?

A: Most babies are easy to massage until about 6 months of age, then they start getting quite wiggly. But that doesn't mean the experience has to stop. It just means that you have to look for ways to distract your baby and do it in shorter bursts.

As an example, a baby or toddler who's sitting can be handed a favorite toy and while they're looking at it or playing with it, you can massage a foot or shoulder. A couple of minutes and then you move on.

Q: How does it help our baby and us develop?

A: The baby gets the much needed nurturing and bonding, as do the parents. But it helps the parents to become more confident in their parenting skills by teaching them to pick up on the physical cues about what their child is in need of.