The Basics of Infant Massage

Infant massage is a great way for developing a bond between parent and child and has many benefits for your little one. Infant massage relaxes your baby, creates a bond of trust between parent and baby, improves your baby's sleep, boosts the immune system, improves blood circulation and skin condition, helps digestion and also provides relief to children suffering from colic and reflux. Several hospitals and birth centers conduct courses on infant massage for the benefit of parents. You should learn some basics of infant massage to get started.

To begin with, you will need baby massage oil, a massage cushion or comforter. Keep a blanket if the baby is cold and also a towel as a safety measure against accidents. Put your baby on the comforter and place some baby massage oil in the palm of your hands and rub them together to warm up your hands. Low light and soft music can add to the comfort of both parent and baby. If the purpose of your massage is not to relieve pain, carry on with the massage only if you are feeling relaxed and your baby is generally settled.

Babies love having their backs massaged as it helps to relieve the aches and pains of their growing muscles. Start by placing your baby on his or her tummy. Place your finger tips at the top of the back and begin sweeping and sliding the palms of your hands from side to side, moving down towards the buttocks. You should be careful so that your fingers remain close together and you apply pressure evenly. As you reach the buttocks, start sweeping back up towards the neck without lifting up your hands.

For doing a circular massage, place your finger tips on either side of the spine and make small circles. You have to move again from the top of the spine down towards the buttocks. Now make circles on the opposite side of the spine. Make sure you stay to one side of the spine or the other. Take care not to apply direct pressure on the baby's spine.

It is time to move to the legs. Again, gently place the baby on his or her back. They love to receive leg massages and it helps them as they learn to crawl. Squeegee is another type of massage that can increase the baby's circulation. To perform this, hold on to the ankle and foot with your left hand. Use your right hand to make the backward letter "C". Then wrap your fingers around his/her leg and stroke upward in long sweeping strokes. Now alternate your hands so that your right hand holds the ankle and your left hand makes the letter "C" and stroke upward. Then move to the other leg. Another type requires you to hold on to your baby's left foot in your hands. Take your thumb and press all over the bottom of his or her feet. Move to the other foot. When you stimulate the nerve endings in the feet, it will increase the baby's circulation and relax the whole body.

Infant massage provides numerous benefits and it will no doubt become a bonding experience between you and your child.