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Massage Therapy
Infant and Child Massage
The Art of Infant and Child Massage
People have been massaging babies and children for centuries. It is considered
one of the most effective healing arts of traditional culture through out the
world. Although infant and child massage has not been accepted worldwide, it is
an instinctive act from a parent to his or her child.
In the last decade, the popularity of child massage exploded in the USA and
other parts of the world. Many fathers, mothers, guardians, friends and
grandparents today are seeking instructors to educate and guide them through the
art of infant and child massage.
Massage is helpful for all babies, but it is particularly beneficial to infants.
According to a particular infant massage research; massage helps in increasing
weight gain in premature infants of up to 45%. In addition, touching the infant
and Kangaroo care – the practice of holding the baby on the adult’s chest – is
now proven to shorten the hospital stay of the baby.
Benefits of Infant and Child Massage
Infant and child massage is important to develop and improve emotional, physical
and psychological characteristics of your child.
1) Relaxation – Although you may think that your infant’s life only involves a
routine of changing diapers, eating and sleeping, they are actually caught up in
a state of constant changes. Meaning, from the mother’s warm and comfortable
womb, they are now in a world where everything else is new.
Even infants and children are prone to stress. Since the fast-paced world causes
adults to forget about relaxation, their infant or child notice this and they
themselves cannot learn to relax.
Massage eases the muscles, which leads to relaxation. When you practice
massaging your child on a regular basis, he or she will learn the fundamentals
of relaxation and eventually learn how to relax on their own.
2) Parent Awareness – Since the adult will be regularly involved in helping the
infant to relax, he or she will be able to understand the child’s needs. In
addition, it is a great way to develop bonding with the infant at an early age.
3) Relief – It is normal for your child or infant to experience pain. The most
common discomforts of babies are spasm, gas and teething pain. Certain massage
techniques can help relieve the pain, ease muscle spasms, disperse gas, relieve
pains associated with teething, tone the digestive system and ease emotional
stress. In massaging the infant, you can also purchase soothing oils, which have
aroma that could calm the child.
4) Stimulation – A child’s muscles can become tensed and may need to be massaged
for relaxation. On the other hand, these muscles can also be loose, which can be
stimulated by means of massage.
Child massage not only helps in stimulating the muscles, it can also stimulate
other systems of the body. For instance, massage helps aid digestion, which in
turn, could ease the symptoms of constipation.
Infants usually have cold hands or feet. When this happens, it means that the
child has poor circulation. To counter this, massage the hands or feet until it
becomes warm. Infant massage helps in stimulating blood flow.
5) Parent-child Bonding – The bonding of a parent and child is a continuous
process from the infant’s early age until he or she becomes older. Infant or
child massage encourages a unique and strong interaction between the parent and
child.
When you make it a habit to massage your child daily, he or she will expect the
schedule for the massage. You could either massage them once they wake up, after
a bath or before going to sleep.
Make sure that the room where you will be massaging your infant is warm and
comfortable for you both. Remember that premature infants cannot regulate their
body temperate, it is important to set the room temperature at a comfortable
level.
Several studies have shown that infants prefer massages with oil. Most massage
therapists recommend aromatherapy, plant or vegetable oil, which can provide a
gentle scent. Make sure not to use any other mineral-based oils, which are not
easily absorbed.
The first few weeks of the baby’s life may seem all about breastfeeding and
mother-infant interaction. Since most fathers may feel left out, infant massage
can be a great way to bond with the new child as well as alleviate certain body
pains of the baby.
Although infant massage can only eases pain temporarily, it is the most natural
and loving act a parent could give their child at an early age.
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