INFINFANT MASSAGE: Healthy Babies Benefit too!!
Infant massage is usually thought of in connection to specifi c problems, like teething or colic. I’m often asked if a perfectly healthy, happy baby would benefi t from massage. The answer is, of course, yes! Massage may be well known for being a form of treatment for various issues, but it can still play a big role in healthy baby care.
Regular baby massage is an amazing, effective teaching tool. In very young babies it teaches them about their boundaries - where their body ends and the rest of the world begins. It also helps to develop their concept of body wholeness, a precursor to developing their body image.
Communicating with baby during massage is one of the best ways to learn body parts and functions, plus work on their rudimentary conversation skills. Naming all the body parts as you go along and adding a function or two is a great way to teach your little one about their body. “This is your tummy, that’s where your food goes so your body can use it to help
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you grow big,” or “These are your toes, they help you balance when you stand up!” may seem a little silly if they can’t talk yet but it’s all part of their immediate world. You’ll be astounded how well they know their body parts (ankle, knee, hip, calf being different than “leg”) when they start talking. Remember when you’re chattering away to pause and give baby time to “answer” you. Babbles, smiles, and other cute noises are totally acceptable!
One of the things I didn’t realize I was teaching my child until long after I’d been down the infant massage path was a defi nite lack of dependence on medication. My little girl is two and a half now, and every time she gets a bump or bruise, she tells me she needs a massage! What a way to look at things, when you know someone else’s hands can make you feel better than something out of the medicine cabinet. Caring for your body naturally is a step towards creating and modeling a healthy lifestyle.
Physiologically, infant massage promotes and maintains health in all areas of the body.
fl exibility, encourage muscle balance, sets them up for proper posture, and improves ease of movement.
Stretching and increasing circulation helps to maintain Along with helping to tone and
strengthen the skeletal musculature it also helps to tone the digestive tract, making it more effi cient for both digestion and moving along gas or stool.
The hormonal shifts that occur when an infant receives massage (bonus for parents: they happen when we give massage, too!) are that the stress hormones are lowered and the happy hormones are increased. This lowers blood pressure and slows the heart and breathing rates back to their optimal levels, leaving baby happy and relaxed.
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403.878.WEST (9378) Alli Baumgarten RMT & Certifi ed baby within 14 Infant Massage
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Another hormone increased through massage is oxytocin. This hormonal release during massage is what makes it such an important tool for bonding. There are many reasons parents and babies sometimes need a little extra help in this area; Postpartum depression (in either parent), adoption, or separation due to a hospital stay for mom or baby, can all set things back a little bit. Infant massage is wonderful for strengthening the bond and speeding up the process a little bit.
Have you thought about your little one developing their body image yet? Body wholeness, mentioned earlier, is the precursor for what will one day become their body image. Nurturing touch develops confi dence and allows infants to enjoy the benefi ts of touch. By showing respect for your little one’s body, they too, will learn to respect it. What a great way for small children to learn about safe touch and to recognize and appreciate their body’s strengths!
Learning infant massage is a great way to take advantage of all these benefi ts for your little one, and to learn so many more ways that massage can help.
ANT MASSAGE:
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ALEXANDRA BAUMGARTEN
Touch of the West Massage Therapy
41073662•02/28/12
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