Infant Massage

I am often asked “why would you massage a baby?” The answer for me would be “why not” Massage is an amazing concept, it heals everything and for me it is the answer to most problems that we have in this world.

We at the International Association of Infant Massage teach parents to ask their babies for permission before starting the massage. This firstly shows respect as we allow the baby to say “yes” or “no”.The baby shows this in various ways, by smiling,babbling,positive body language,eye contact and gurgling that all means “yes”. If a baby makes no eye contact, has negative body language or cries he  means “no”. If the answer is “no” then we stop and maybe try again at a later stage or the next day, obviously if the answer is yes then we go ahead and massage.

The Benefits of massage are numerous but the main ones are: BONDING, RELAXATION, STIMULATION AND RELIEF. Baby massage can relieve winds and tummy pains caused by wind and even sooth those infamous colic and reflux cries. It is wonderful for parents to attend the classes as it is a safe meeting place and a good place to discuss any number of issues. It is a relief from the lonely road that parenting can be. It also helps mums with post natal depression as we slowly guide them into connecting with their babies and in this way help them to overcome the fact that they are only looking after the necessary things of their baby. We have had unbelievable results with “Special Needs” babies and children. We teach the parents with babies with low muscle tone to massage at least twice a day with great results.

This program is so beautiful in its simplicity and the results are so rewarding. The classes are spaced one week apart for a four or five week period. The parents can also have private lessons in their own home if they prefer. Massage taught by a certified International Infant Massage Instructor is the same all over the world.

Babies should all be massaged and the benefits will be experienced by Moms, Dads and babes alike. Life is so fast these days and everyone is so busy and parents are spending less and less time with their babies as everyone has to work. This is such a wonderful time spend together with BOTH Mum and Dad. It can be done after a bath or before bed time when both parents and baby are in a good quite alert state. Amazing Results.