The Benefit Parents Get From Infant Massage.
Researchers prove that parents benefit from
infant massage as well as the baby. Massage is
a great way to improve trust and strengthen the
bonds between infants and parents.
Relaxing in a chair with soothing music in
the background can help your infant relax and
your body will relax too. It can strengthen
your confidence in parenting skills and you can
learn a great deal about your baby.
You can understand the babys way of
communicating when you are able to see them
relax and respond to the feel of your touch on
their body. Giving your infant a massage can
give you a sense of peace and serenity, find
relaxation, and feel calmer while giving your
infant a massage.
Fathers can be wonderful for this because it
give them quality time with their baby. They
dont have the ability to bond with
breast-feeding so giving your baby an infant
massage can create a bond that could last for
their entire life.
Fathers who give their baby infant massages
can feel a part of the wonderful growth process
both physically and mentally. This is a time
when they normally will feel left out and is a
great way to encourage their sense of
parenthood.
How did infant massage begin? It is new in
the United States but in other cultures it has
been around for centuries. In India, new
mothers regularly massage their infants and
everyone in their households. They pass their
knowledge down to their daughters who continue
the tradition when they have their own
home.
Vimala McClure wrote the first book that
touted the benefits of infant massage in the
early 1970s. She studied the effects of infant
massage and uses Swedish strokes, yoga, and
reflexology.
It includes strokes the Indian mothers used
with their child. McClure encourages the
interest in Infant Massage at her International
Association of Infant Massage. She has trained
infant massage instructors all over the
world.
What is the secret to giving your tiny infant a
massage? Choose a place in your home that is
warm, quiet and comfortable for both you and
your baby.
You have the option of using massage oil
such as light, cold-pressed vegetable oils like
safflower, apricot kernel, or almond. It is not
advisable to use commercially made baby oil or
lotions with a petroleum base.
You should adjust your massage strokes to be
soft, gentle and the same pressure. It should
be just enough to be comfortable but
stimulating at the same time. Your baby will
set the pace if you will watch their
reactions.
Listen to your baby and watch the reactions
they give you. As your baby grows older you
will adapt the massaging process and
sometimes they may be too active or
inquisitive to be still long enough for a
massage.
Dont force the issue, just wait until your
child is ready again and remember that
small children can only stay still for a
short time.
Theraputic Massage Terms and
Facts.
For the
purposes of simplicity, I'm
mostly avoiding the term
'bodywork',
but if you read elsewhere
you'll probably find it
cropping up an awful lot.
Essentially,
you can think of bodywork being
a slightly broader term than
massage.
Massage is
understood by some people in a
limited sense, to include only
techniques similar to the basic
Swedish massage: pressing and
manipulating the skin, and so
on.
Practices such
as 'Rolfing' and 'Reiki', which
are closer to the New Age
movement and further from the
pragmatic, nineteenth-century
origins of Swedish massage,
might not be included.
So we have the
term 'bodywork' to incorporate
this broader context.
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You can give your teens a neck and back rub
to help ease the stress and tension they
feel. If they have been massaged as a baby
and through their children they may even
welcome a massage.
If they are doing homework, it will not
hurt to ask them if they would like their
back and neck massaged. You may be
surprised at the reaction you receive.
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