A Day with Thomson Parentcraft on Baby Massage Class
Baby massages have a variety of benefits. With each gentle stroke, your baby will feel nurtured and loved, strengthening the bond between the two of you.
Massages will also allow your baby to feel more relaxed, which may improve their sleep.
We are always very amazed at how baby massages are properly done.
But what is it really like to do it properly?
Today, we dropped by Thomson ParentCraft to go through a professional Baby Massage Class, with a couple and their 5.5-month-old baby.
It was very helpful to learn more about baby massage and to see a massage class in progress.
Here’s a summary of all the useful information we gathered.
What do you need for massaging the baby?
You will need to bring with you a massage oil of your choice such as cold pressed coconut oil or vegetable oil.
You will also need towels and swaddles to lay the baby on during the massage and for wrapping her up after the massage.
Apart from this, keep communicating with the baby throughout the massage to help her feel more comfortable and relaxed.
You can watch the video below to understand better:
After witnessing the baby massage class, we had a conversation with Fonnie, Assistant Director and Senior Lactation Consultant.
We had a few questions for her which we thought might also help you as you start massaging your babies.
So, here’s an excerpt of our conversation:
Hi Fonnie, when is a good age to massage our baby?
You can start as early as you wish and can continue even after the baby is 12 months old.
When will the infant massage start to be ineffective?
It still benefits your child regardless of age as long as you wish and your child agrees to continue. However, your child might prefer certain strokes more than others as they grow.
When can we massage our baby?
The ideal time to massage babies is when they are calm and happy. They are more receptive to interaction in this quiet alert state.
During this state, the baby is paying attention to what is going on around her. Her mind is active, even though her body is relatively quiet.
Try not to massage the tummy immediately after a full feed which might cause the baby to spit up.
When not to massage our baby?
It’s best to avoid massaging when a baby is hungry, drowsy, restless, fussy, crying, shows withdrawal, pushes, or crawls away.
Basically, you need to take cues from the baby to know whether the baby is comfortable with the massage or not.
Does baby massage help with colic?
Yes. Baby massage can help with a baby’s digestion, and expel trapped wind and poo through the system that makes a baby feel more comfortable.
By deepening the bond with your baby through infant massage, you can also calm a colicky baby by releasing oxytocin (the feel-good hormone) and reducing cortisol (the stress hormone) in both yourself and the baby.
Thank you Fonnie for helping us with these questions.
Bringing it all together:
As you start massaging your baby, in a few tries, you and your baby will find the techniques of massage that work the best for you both.
With every massage session, you develop a deeper, loving bond with your baby. Keep at it, even if you don’t get the hang of baby massages at first. Your baby will thank you for it.
Baby massages are a wonderful, soothing therapy that calms your baby and promotes bonding time. However, massaging doesn’t come naturally to all parents.
Don’t be discouraged if massaging your baby doesn’t work out at first. You may consider signing up for classes to learn from professional nurses.
Thank you Thomson ParentCraft for helping with this video and article.
To find out more about Thomson ParentCraft Centre Baby Massage Course, you can visit their website or email them for enquiries. For other courses please visit https://www.thomsonmedical.com/services/courses/
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