Ahhh, a massage. It’s so nice and relaxing to pamper yourself, right? But did you know you can also give your baby a massage?
It’s true!
Baby massage is a great way to bond with your infant and it is something you can incorporate into your daily routine: Before naps or bedtime.
If you aren’t giving your baby a massage, you should! Want to know more? Read on:
Benefits
Giving your baby a massage can help with pain from teething and tummy problems. It is also very relaxing and can help you bond with baby and get your little nugget to sleep better! It also can benefit YOU by making you calmer and more centered.
How to start
Giving your baby a massage doesn’t have to be intimidating. Start slowly by using massage oil (unscented and edible) or lotion. Make it a part of your routine and try to do it daily. Keep the room warm because you’ll need to undress baby to her diaper.
And watch your little one for cues she is liking or disliking your technique!
You can even add music and sing to baby.
Technique
Be gentle. Don’t use too much pressure. You can massage baby’s legs and feet, her little head or her face. She might also like her chest or tummy massaged, or even her back (benefit: it’s tummy time!).
There are YouTube videos on techniques here.
Get dad involved
Baby massage is a great way for dad to bond with baby too, so don’t forget to get him in on it! Little ones love the skin to skin with dad and it can be very rewarding for both baby and dad.
Everything Birth
At Everything Birth, we hope you and your baby have a wonderful and relaxing day that includes baby massage!