All About Baby Massage Oil
With ever-increasing interest in the benefits and advantages of infant massage, many parents realise the importance of learning proper baby massage techniques. When people learn about baby massage and become better educated in how to provide nurturing touch most effectively, the use of baby massage oil quickly becomes a factor to consider.
The fact is that there are many advantages of using an oil when massaging your baby. Understandably, parents want to ensure that the oil they use is suitable and will not cause an adverse reaction for their baby. Because parents want to know that the products they use are safe and nurturing for their baby, here we have compiled a list of eight things to know about baby massage oils:
1: The use of an oil to massage your baby can be so effective because it helps your hands to smoothly deliver massage strokes and results in less friction against your baby’s soft and very precious skin. On this point, the use of infant massage oil can allow you to use a little more ‘depth’ as you massage, without hurting or causing discomfort to the baby.
2: It is very important to select and use a good quality massage oil. The oil should in no way be sticky and it should always facilitate smooth and even movement; in this way the massage action will be free flowing and gentle.
3: Light oils are recommended for massage because they are readily absorbed by the baby’s skin and tend not to leave layers of oil that need to be washed off following the massage. It is possible to use pure, cold-pressed oils (such as olive oil) or oils derived from a fruit or seed so long as it is pesticide free – examples of this include: sunflower seed, grape seed and sweet almond.
4: You should seek a baby massage oil that is organic as this helps to guarantee that the ingredients are as natural as possible and untainted by pesticides and other harmful chemicals. Vitamin E is an important and beneficial ingredient of the highest quality and most highly recommended massage oils.
5: It is essential that you are mindful of any oils that stimulate an allergy in your baby. You should always test a little of the oil on a small and inconspicuous part of a baby’s skin (and keep an eye on it for at least twenty four hours). Also be aware that particular oils should not be used on baby’s with known allergies. For example, peanut oil should never be used on an infant with a peanut allergy, just as wheat germ oils should be avoided for children with allergies to wheat or gluten.
6: It really is not necessary for the oils that you use to be scented. In fact, heavily perfumed oils should be avoided as these oils, in particular, can irritate a baby’s skin. Also, the use of a heavily perfumed oil can be annoying and unpleasant for the baby and the person delivering the massage.
7: It is vital to read the labels on the baby massage oil that you use. Unfortunately, a number of these oils are mineral based by virtue of the fact that they are created with the use of petro-chemicals. Such oils can cause the baby’s skin to become dry and leave a layer of oil which can only be washed off with soapy water; if this is not done, the baby’s pores can become blocked.
8: When massaging your baby, it is recommended that you pour a small amount of oil into a bowl or container as this makes it easier to access and use. If you do not use all of this oil, do not attempt to pour the remnants back into the bottle as this can cause the oil to be contaminated.
Baby massage oil can certainly enhance the experience of massage for both baby and parent. Baby massage is known to have many powerful and beneficial qualities which are made all the more significant and important through the use of infant massage oil.