Guide to Newborn, Baby & Toddler Massage Routine
Communicate with touch. Bring baby and you closer together with baby massage. Your connection with baby will help nurture your bond and provide sensory stimulation and healthy development.
The Benefits of Baby Massage
Studies show that a routine touch and massage by a parent or caregiver to baby is vital to their growth, communication and learning.
Touch: Our First Language
A relaxing and gentle touch helps soothe babies by lessening their anxiety. In fact, infants who experience routine touch show 50% more eye contact and are 3 times more likely to have an overall positive expression than infants who do not.
You might have noticed that at hospitals and birth centers, newborns are placed on the mother’s chest or abdomen to give as much skin-to-skin contact as possible. The closeness of the contact between you and baby calms their breathing and builds your connection.
Not only does regular touch and skin-to-skin contact help nurture your connection to baby, regular infant massage also helps soothe baby in a plethora of ways:
Reduce crying
Aid with digestion
Help relieve colic, gas and constipation
Increase daily weight gain
Enhance baby’s adjustment to nighttime sleep
Help baby sleep more deeply
Relieve nasal congestion and teething discomfort
Help develop good muscle tone, coordination and suppleness
Enhance body awareness
Boost their immune system
Improve skin texture
Help calm and relax you and baby
Boosts your confidence in handling baby
Did you know?
Researchers feel that a positive maternal child bond helps to form the basis for future relationships.
How To: Massage a Baby
Infants communicate during massage. Pay close attention for ideas, right from your baby, on how you can support them.
Baby Massage: 8 Tips & Tricks
Choose a time when your baby is awake and alert, not too hungry or too full.
Ensure the room is warm and lighting not too bright.
Have what you need ready: baby massage oil, towel, clean diapers and clothes.
Wash your hands and remove jewelry.
Find a comfortable place to massage so they can see your face clearly.
Before starting, relax with a few full breaths — this can help your baby relax too.
Babies are always changing. Some may feel more secure if they’re close to their parents.
Use baby oil or lotion and glide comfortably over baby’s skin.
WARNING: Keep all products out of reach of children. Keep any baby oil out of children’s reach to avoid drinking and accidental inhalation, which can cause serious injury. Should breathing problems occur, consult a doctor immediately.
Massage Guides
Newborn Massage Techniques
Remember, massage is something you do WITH baby and not TO baby. That small adjustment of thinking will help ease you into giving baby a regular massage routine that’ll grow your bond and lead to baby’s happy and healthy development. Through newborn massage, you’ll get a greater awareness of how your baby communicates, and it’ll help foster ideas on ways to support baby in their first few months. Start easing into a routine with these newborn massage techniques.
Massage Resting Hands
The resting hands technique is a good way for your baby to feel secure and enjoy touch.
Massage Feet
Softly squeeze and roll each toe between your thumb and index finger and use alternate thumb to stroke the top of the foot.
Massage Legs
Begin on the legs with a newborn because it is an area which is usually accepted by babies.
Massage Tummy
Newborn tummy massage can help with digestion and tummy troubles.
Legs - Milking
Gently hold your baby’s ankle with one hand and place your other hand at the top of your baby’s thigh, then slide it to the ankle.
Massage Back
Hold your baby close to your chest and massage their back beginning at the neck, ending at their bottom.
Baby Massage Techniques (6 weeks +)
Once baby hits six weeks, you’ll notice they become more engaging with you. Baby massage is integral to help baby’s development – here are a few techniques to help get you started.
Tummy
Gently make paddling strokes on the tummy with one hand following the other. The baby tummy massage will help them feel safe, secure and help them with any tummy troubles.
Touch Relaxation
Mold your hands around baby’s arm or leg to ask them to relax. Say and repeat the word ‘relax’ with a calm voice. This technique will help baby lose some of the tension they’re holding in their bodies and allow them to relax.
Face
Make small circles along the jaw with your fingertips. A baby face massage can help relax tension caused by sucking, crying and provide relief from the discomfort of teething.
Hands
Using the pads of your thumbs gently open their hand, roll each tiny finger between your index finger and thumb and finally stroke the top of their hand from the wrist to the fingertips.
Chest
With both of your hands at the center of baby’s chest, stroke out to the sides like you’re flattening the pages of a book. Sustain contact with baby and glide your hands down and around and meet them in the center again to repeat. A gentle massage here will help baby relieve congestion problems.
Back
With baby on their front, start with both your hands together at the top of their back, at right angles to the spine. Move your hands back and forth, going down the back to the buttocks, then up to the shoulders. This back massage technique will help encourage and strengthen baby’s neck, shoulders and arms as they lift their head.
Toddler Massage Techniques (6 months +)
At the toddler stage, baby will be much more active, wriggling, sitting up, crawling and trying to stand.
These toddler massage techniques are a bit more active to help your little one develop their self-confidence and their ability to relate to others. By singing songs, rhyming and playing games you’ll help them build their coordination, strength, and even help prepare them for walking!
Legs Rolling
With your hand, roll the leg from thigh to ankle to help toddler increase their body awareness.
Back
Swoop one hand after the other from neck down the back and up again to soothe and relax toddler if they’re sitting upright.
Gentle Movements
Gentle movements help to develop baby’s coordination, align the spine and keep your baby flexible.
Cross-Cross-Cross-Open
Start by crossing baby’s arms at the chest three times. Alternate between which arm goes over and under. Gently stretch baby’s arms out to the side and follow the rhythm: cross-cross-cross-open. Repeat. Finish the massage with a cuddle and a kiss.