How To Massage Your Baby

* Bonding - massage helps build a bond between parent and child.

* Security - massage helps secure a relationship between parent and child.

* Emotional - a baby who receives massage leads to a more confident, well-balanced and confident adult in later life who will be less inclined to experience emotional and psychological difficulties.

* Skin - as with any massage, the texture and condition of the skin improves, leaving baby with a healthy looking skin; it also improves blood circulation and helps remove waste products from the body's systems.

* Digestive - a massaged baby will suffer from less colic, constipation and diarrhea and will feed better.

* Respiratory - baby massage will lessen coughs, colds and infections of the ear and nasal passages.

* Nervous System - irritability and tantrums are reduced with massage; a calm baby will lead to a calm parent!

* Immune System - massaged babies have stronger immune systems resisting infections and other health problems.

* Joints and Muscles - baby massage leads to more flexible joints and muscles and greater co-ordination of muscular movement.

Read more at Suite101: The Benefits of Baby Massage: The Importance of Touch From Birth Through the Early Years

- Make sure that the room is warm enough. Infants aren't adept yet at regulating their own body temperature, and they will be undressed. If they shiver, or their skin mottles, warm the room or cover the part of their body you're not working on.

- Try to reduce distraction. Make the space as quiet as possible, and away from busy traffic. You may want to choose a piece of mellow music to play; this can help cue to baby to what's coming!

- It is also important to have everything set up ahead of time so that you can focus on your baby. Lay a towel over a soft mat or blanket and place the cream or oil within easy reach.

- Dry your baby thoroughly if just bathed, and lay them down on the towel face up. Place a little cream or oil in your hands and warm it by rubbing the hands together.

-Using the pads of your fingers and extremely light pressure, begin making light strokes on the forehead

-Starting at the brow line and going up to the top of the head.

-Remember that this is supposed to be fun. Talking, singing, and other verbal communication will stimulate your baby's mind and reinforce the developing bonds between you.

-Continue with strokes from the bridge of the nose along the cheekbones towards the ears, and then do circles around the mouth.

-You will then trace the jaw line back from the chin and arrive at the back of the head and neck where you can make gentle strokes down to the shoulders.

- Begin making smooth strokes from the shoulder down to the hands, letting your baby grasp your fingers as they slide off.

- Next hold the arm between the thumb and index finger and gently glide down the arm, using caution at the arm pit and elbow as these are sensitive areas.

- This is a powerful part of the massage as it helps promote good digestion, move gases, and relieve colic. This is often called the "I Love U" stroke, as the movements will be like the letters I, L, and U.



- While facing your baby, use two or three fingers to trace the letter "I" on the right side of his abdomen with firm but gentle movements. Start under his ribs and go straight down to his hip joint, using the oil to smooth your way.

- Next, stroke from left to right across your baby's abdomen, forming the long side of a sideways "L."

- Use a short downward stroke on the right side of his stomach to complete the "L."

- To begin the last letter, the upside-down "U," stroke up from your baby's hipbone, on the left side of his tummy.

- For the middle segment of the "U," move your fingers along the top of your baby's tummy.

- And for the final part of the "U," stroke down your baby's right side.

Source: I Love U Article

- Move down to the legs and make gentle strokes from the thigh to the ankle, and then take the leg between the fingers of both hands and lightly roll the leg back and forth as you move down.

- Repeat this several times on each leg.

- Now take both legs and gently press them against the belly, flexing the hips and knees.

- Stretch the legs out and then repeat several times. Gently lay down one leg and begin lightly squeezing each of the toes, then massage the soles of the foot down to the heel.

- Return to the toes and repeat, then continue with the other foot.

- Carefully roll your baby onto his or her stomach.

- Starting at the head, make long general strokes down the neck, the back, over the legs and down to the feet.

- Alternate hands and repeat. We want to avoid any direct pressure on the spine, simply making light contact.

- Starting near the neck, start massaging the shoulders and upper back with your finger tips, then continue making circular movements over the rest of the back.

- Now with one hand, place a finger on either side of the back bone lightly wiggle back and forth as your hand moves down. Repeat this several times.

- Move the hands down to the legs and make smooth downward strokes to the heels, being especially gentle behind the knee.