Massaging your baby can be a calming experience for both you and them. Non-western societies have known this for eons, and infant massage has been part of their culture as a soothing and calming technique.

There are several wonderful books and resources for infant massage, this site gives a lovely demonstration of a massage that is wonderful for stimulating digestion, and relieving the symptoms of colic, and tummy pain. I’ve used this technique on my son – and highly recommend using an edible oil, such as Olive or Almond oil to massage with (We include a drop each of lavender and mandarin essential oils, to a 500ml bottle of carrier oil) 

There is a beautiful article Touch And Grow, detailing how infant massage is so beneficial both for parents and babies. Touch stimulates the release of feel good hormones, and reduces the production of stress hormones such as cortisol. This can translate to a better nights sleep for mom and baby! At the very least, a much calmer baby and mom.

One of the most significant benefits of infant massage is that it can increase your confidence as a parent. When parents regularly massage their babies, they become very aware of the subtle differences in their baby’s communication, they become more respectful of their baby’s cues and this helps the baby feel secure and calm. After a few weeks of massaging their babies, I often have mothers tell me “I am not so affected by advice from other people any more – I know I am the expert about my baby.”

Some of the benefits of infant massage are:

• It stimulates digestion
• It deepens respiration
• It improves muscle tone.
• It assists motor development
• It aids in the bonding process
• It strengthens the immune system
• It increases sensory awareness
• It increases the flow of oxygen to the cells
• It’s a fun and relaxing time to spend with your baby!

If you want to learn how to massage your baby or child, I encourage you to have a look at The IdibidiKids Guide To Children’s Massage.