How Infant Massage Benefits Your Baby (And You Too)

Lisa Burfitt - Calm Reflex Indian Head Massage, Reflexology and Baby Massage Classes in Birmingham July 17, 2015

For babies, touch matters. The minute you put your baby down, you probably know what’s going to happen next – she’ll cry. And the only way to subside her? Pick her up again. Motherly touch is so powerful. Just a single touch has a soothing and calming effect to the baby. So just imagine how learning to give your baby a massage can do!

There has been plenty of studies carried out to measure the benefits of massage in babies. It was shown that massaging an infant can alleviate crying and fussiness, and promote longer and better sleep. Some studies suggest it may even promote the child’s immunity.

Benefits of Massage to You and Your Baby

More and more parents are opting to learn baby massage. And that is because of the incredible benefits it provides. Below are some of the great wonders of baby massage:

Your baby gets more relaxed.

When you give your baby a massage, you are stimulating her central nervous system. This in turn, makes her brain produce more serotonin – the ‘feel good’ chemical that promotes positive feelings and overpower the effects of cortisol – the stress hormone in the body. As a result, your baby’s heart rate slows down and she becomes more relaxed.

Massage is good for your baby’s emotional health.

Giving your baby regular massage is also good for her emotional well-being. Affectionate touch is one of the most powerful forms of communication between parents and their babies. Even though your baby can’t understand a single word you say, just your touch is enough to make her feel secure and loved. It is easy to feel helpless once your newborn starts crying. But giving her a gentle rubdown can do wonders.

Your baby gets to sleep better and deeper.

Sleepless nights for you and your partner are often inevitable, especially if you have a newborn. Infants sleep so erratically, so it is hard to identify a pattern. Surely, you have experienced the sleep-inducing benefits of massage. Your baby will surely do as well.

You get to bond with your baby more.

Baby massage is a great way to bond with your baby as well. As you massage your baby, you naturally get to chat to her, make eye contact, play with her, and have quality time together. Massaging your baby also helps you learn to read your baby’s cues.

Other Benefits:

· It helps boost your baby’s digestive system, body awareness, co-ordination, flexibility and suppleness.

· Baby massage may help protect your baby against heart disease by boosting blood flow.

· Massage has been shown to boost the endocrine system.

· Since it helps boost blood flow, baby massage makes the release of toxin and carbon dioxide easier.

Giving massage to infants require great care and gentleness. To learn a massage routine, you can ask your health visitor whether there is a clinic or children’s centre near you that offers baby massage courses.