The Therapeutic Benefits of Touch
As more and more parents are discovering, infant massage is one of the best and most effective ways of comforting and bonding with a baby. Not only is touch very important in helping to create the bond of love and trust that exists between a parent and their child, baby massage also can assist with a range of medical conditions and can even improve the mental state of a mother experiencing postnatal depression.
Here we look at five facts pertaining to the therapeutic benefits of touch:
1: Infant massage can help to establish better sleeping and settling habits
A growing body of research shows that of the many benefits of baby massage, the benefit that is often most valued by parents is the improvement that can result in a child’s sleeping habits. By the parent administering particular infant massage techniques, the baby can be settled more effectively and assisted to relax as they approach sleep time.
In fact, many parents successfully build massage into their daily routine and claim that the baby massage experience is relaxing and nurturing for both them and their baby.
2: Infant massage can help to promote the bond between a parent and child
From the earliest moments of a child’s life, the bond that is established with their parent(s) is incredibly significant. All babies need to feel loved and secure and infant massage can certainly help to establish and nurture the connection between parent and child.
A baby can be massaged from any age, so long as the parent feels completely comfortable handling the baby. A good way to begin is to start with short sessions in which just a few simple strokes are used and build on this as the parent and baby get to know each other better and grow in confidence.
For parents, baby massage can be a very useful way to learn more about their baby’s visual cues. These cues are significant and infinitely useful for parents who initially find it difficult to understand what their child needs or wants.
3: Infant massage helps to build parental confidence and decrease levels of stress and anxiety
Unfortunately, parenthood does not come with an instruction manual and it is natural for many parents (particularly first time parents) to feel apprehensive and worried when handling their baby and knowing what to do. Infant massage has been shown to be effective in building parental confidence and reducing the levels of stress and anxiety that new parents so often experience.
However, it is not just the stress and tension levels of the parent that tend to decrease through baby massage. More and more evidence suggests that the stress levels of babies simultaneously decrease in line with those of their parent(s), when baby massage is delivered.
4: Infant massage is enhanced through the use of quality baby massage oils
The effects of baby massage can be enhanced through the use of baby massage oil. Of course it is important to test the oil first, to ensure that the baby does not react to it, but the use of baby massage oil can definitely enhance the experience of baby massage – for parents and their children.
The benefit of using baby massage oil is that strokes are often smoother and parents should also be aware that scented oils are not necessary.
5: Infant massage has medical benefits
Baby massage is renowned for its stimulating effect on the circulatory, immune and digestive systems. As well as this, many people support the use of baby massage to help with the symptoms of colic, wind and constipation.
The therapeutic benefits of baby massage are becoming much better understood. Infant massage is a wonderful way for parents and children to bond and it is increasingly valued as a practice that delivers a variety of positive effects for parents and children.