Infant Massage

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What are the benefits of infant massage?
Touch is a very powerful element in human bonding, as are communication, both verbal and non-verbal, and prolonged eye contact. Infant massage encompasses and supports all these vital aspects of bonding. Delayed bonding may occur due to situations such as premature birth, recovery from cesarean, medical complications, adoption, lack of physical and emotional support and post natal depression. In these cases Infant Massage can begin to recreate the elements of bonding.

Massaging your baby can have many powerful benefits for both baby & caregiver:

Promotes bonding
Encourages relaxation
Makes baby feel loved
Promotes better sleep
Facilitates body awareness
Boosts immune system
Promotes sensory stimulation
Improves skin condition
Improves blood circulation
Aids digestion and waste elimination
Balances respiration
Helps parents learn to read baby's cues and better respond to their needs
Helps build parents' and baby's self-esteem

Q: What kind of oil should I use to massage my baby?

As with any new product we use with out little ones, it is recommended that a healthcare practitioner be consulted.

For infants without any special needs, the International Association of Infant Massage-Sweden recommends the use of natural, edible and food-grade fruit or vegetable oil. Organic and cold-pressed are recommended, but by no means the only choice. This means we look in the baking/cooking aisle of the grocery store. You probably are already stocked with a suitable oil in your pantry.

Babies will tend to chew, suck and gnaw on their hands, feet and the hands of their caregivers. They end up eating the oil. If it is an oil that you would cook or bake with and be comfortable feeding to your child, then it is an oil that can be used to massage your baby.

Generally, a patch test is advised. Rub a small amount on an area that your baby cannot further irritate (if irritation occurs). If no redness and/or bumps appear after about 30 minutes and/or if your baby does not seem to be having any systemic reaction (check respiration and skin & muscle tone), then you're probably doing fine with the chosen oil.

Oils generally considered safe are:

Grapeseed
Apricot Kernal
Safflower
Coconut
Almond - botanically, almond is a fruit related to the plum & peach family. It is a tree nut, so do take care.

Beware of oils produced for cosmetic purposes. Typical "massage oils" are not food grade. Consider buying a bottle of 'Oil For Baby Massage" - it's all natural, it's organic, it's all that a baby needs!...it was found at a most exclusive store or site for the worlds most all- natural beauty and skin care products. Would you pop the top open and use it to bake a biscuit that your child can chew on?

If the answer is "no", then go back to the food aisle.

Q: What kind of oil should I NOT use to massage my baby?

Mineral Oil - also known as 'Baby Oil' should not be used to massage your baby. It's made from petroleum, it's the cheap run-off of making gasoline and it's flammable. If aspirated (breathed in), it can cause chemical pneumonia and even result in death.

Would you cook or bake with it? Is it something that we would feed our children because it's good and nutritive?

Also, the molecules of mineral oil are too large to be absorbed into the skin; hence, when rubbed on our body, it forms a clear synthetic coating over the largest breathing organ of the human body: Skin.

Q: Is a quick massage better than no massage at all?

In general, yes. The more detailed answer to this question is that it’s really up to the baby. The baby determines when the massage will begin, pause, resume and end. Remember, infant massage does not have to be about the strokes that are diagrammed in books, it’s about nurturing and compassionate touch – so just a loving stroke on the foot while feeding is ‘infant massage’.

Anecdote: A mother and father, attending the student teaching hour of my class felt ‘left out’ because her 3-month old baby started to feed just as the hour began. When our student instructor explained that massage is about nurturing and compassionate touch and that it can happen anytime, the parents instantly relaxed – their baby relaxed and they spent the hour listening, foot stroking, watching and left with a very sleep-induced baby. Come to find out, the baby normally cried & screamed after feeding - until all her burping was finished. She hadn’t burped at all this time – she went right into sleep state.

Information from Infant Massage USA Website