Massaging your baby is a great way to spend some time and strengthen your bond with your baby; it should be soothing and enjoyable for both baby and you. You can start to massage your baby from any age, however begin with short sessions of just a few minutes with a few simple stokes. Over time, if you are both enjoying it, work up to 15-20 minutes.
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The best time for massage is when your baby is alert and happy. Get their attention and their ‘consent’; if they are unwell, unhappy or distracted; or if you are feeling stressed yourself; wait till later.
Choose a time when you won't be disturbed. Take the phone off the hook and remove all jewellery. Pick a warm and draught-free, softly-lit sunny room; where you can massage your baby on a bed or on padded towels or blankets on the floor. Alternatively pick a comfy chair for yourself and massage baby on your knee.
It's important to maintain regular eye contact and keep one hand in contact with their skin at all times throughout the massage, creating a continuous flow of fluid movement. Quietly hum, sing or play soothing music and massage for as little or as long as baby is enjoying it. Baby massage is most beneficial when it is done as part of a daily routine, however whenever the time is right is great.
Begin by adding a small amount of massage oil into your warm hands. Then start by holding your baby's right foot in your left hand and with long, smooth, gentle stokes move up the leg with your right hand, from the outside of the ankle up over the knee to the thigh and then come down the inside of the leg and finish back at the ankle. Repeat a few times. If your baby's okay with this, you can then do a gentle ‘wringing’ action, squeezing up and down the leg finishing at the ankle. Then move over to baby's left leg and repeat. Move to the foot and using firm, gentle, slow movements, stroke from the ankle and heel towards the toes, then, using your thumb to do light circles across the soles of each foot and squeezing up each toe. Repeat actions in smooth rhythmic movements for each foot. Move back up the legs and briefly massage babys’ abdomen using a clockwise movement only; small circles with fingertips. Move to the chest, placing both hands in the centre of baby's chest and sweeping up and out, over the shoulders and down the length of the arms finishing off at the fingertips, then using both hands in alternating sweeps massage one arm gentle squeezing up and down, sweep back across the chest to repeat on the other arm.
Remember you may now have a slippery baby, so be careful turning him over!! Working either side of the spine and using your whole hand, stroke from the shoulders, down to their cute little bum, flowing down the back of the legs and onto the soles of the feet. Continue this gentle, flowing movement, alternating hands to keep continuous contact with you and baby skin.
A baby massage is something to be enjoyed by all. It is a great way for dad to gain confidence with his little one and to get that important skin-to-skin contact that mothers and babies create through breastfeeding. The perfect way to treasure each other and establish a strong bond of love and trust that will continue throughout your lives.
