6 Facts About Touch and Bonding
Babies are adorable, lovable and sweet not only by nature but because they need to be touched in order to thrive and achieve an optimal state of well-being. An ever-increasing body of evidence illuminates the importance of parents touching their baby and this is especially pertinent to the bonding that occurs between a mother and her newborn baby in the baby’s very first moments of life.
The bonding that occurs between a parent and their child is a process that should continue and grow in the days, weeks, months and years that see the child grow from an infant to a toddler, child, adolescent and beyond. Touch is widely understood to be fundamentally beneficial to the development and strengthening of this bond and the development of the child’s confidence and self-esteem; baby massage (taught by professionals) is one of the most significant ways for this touch to be delivered.
What do we know about touch and bonding?
1: So long as an infant is healthy, when placed and left undisturbed on their mother’s chest immediately after birth it will begin a series of predictable movements that include: smacking their lips, turning their head and salivating. The newborn will eventually find its mother’s nipple and start to feed. When these infants are given the time to locate the breast on their own, they will usually develop a more correct sucking technique just one hour after birth than infants who have been separated from their mother to be assessed or dressed.
2: The way that a mother touches her baby when handed her newborn is also quite predictable and meaningful. Some research studies show that mothers typically touch their babies softly, using the extremities of their fingertips and then progress to using palm strokes that are firmer and broader. The patterns that can be observed even in these earliest forms of infant massage demonstrate the power and significance of parental and infant touch.
3: The attachment bond that is so vital in its existence between a parent and their baby is not only beneficial for the parent. The attachment that forms encourages you to devote close attention to your baby’s needs and to learn about their different needs expressed through different cries.
4: Although processes of bonding and attachment usually occur naturally as a parent cares for and nurtures their baby, these processes do not always occur without stress or difficulty. In order to build and maintain a secure bond with your baby, it can be incredibly useful to do an infant massage course to learn correct infant massage techniques and those that babies typically respond to most well. By taking classes with a trained and skilled instructor, you will grow in confidence and learn new skills that can be readily applied when massaging your baby.
5: Infant massage training will provide you with extensive knowledge and appreciation of why and how touch strengthens bonds and fosters a child’s positive development. At baby massage classes you will also learn about baby massage oil and how it can enhance the effects and experience of baby massage.
6: When a secure attachment bond exists, your child is provided with the best foundations possible to: be eager to learn, a healthy level of self-awareness as well as the ability to trust and consider others. Conversely, an attachment bond that is insecure does not sufficiently address an infant’s need to feel safe and be understood; in later life this can transpire to personal uncertainty and problems with learning and interacting with others.
There is no denying that touch is a crucial factor in the development of the bonds that exist between parents and their children. Baby massage offers a great way to apply this touch in a way that will nurture and enhance the relationship between parent and child and promote the child’s positive psychosocial and emotional development.