Massage the babies too

In my nine-plus years as a massage therapist I have had the pleasure of helping countless people through the journey towards relaxation, recovery, self-care, what have you. I have truly enjoyed my career and look forward to the rest of it. I do have to say, however, that my favorite clients to help have been my own son and my baby niece. Before these two little people, and before the continuing education course I have just completed, I didn’t believe babies, or children could receive many benefits from massage therapy.


I knew the basics from my training, which feels like ages ago. I remember that massaging our children creates a healthy bond between the caregiver and the child and that massaging a child can aid in digestion and help with colic. While both of these still hold true there is so much more to massaging children and I am eager to share these benefits with you. 


Most babies crave touch, in fact, as I learned in the course I took, newborns could pass away if not touched. Also, the sense of touch starts to develop within the uterus at 20 weeks. Touch is our primary method of learning from then up to 12 years old and is a vital part of their sensory integration.


Sensory integration is the “neural organization of the senses of sight, hearing, touch, and balance.” These senses actually develop one on top of the other, without a good structure of balance and tactile senses, speech, understanding language, and hand-eye connections may not fully develop. 


Individuals have also found benefits in regards to premature babies being able to gain weight faster due to massage therapy. Self-regulation and self-soothing can be a benefit as well, helping a child understand what it feels like to be calm may give them a goal when they are allowed to self-soothe. Also, some babies have been able to sleep longer at night when massage is given before bedtime. 


There are so many other points to discuss when it comes to infant and child massage. Let me know how I can best support you and your child. Together we will find a solution.


You can call or text me at (760)486-8750, email me at lizzross@massagetherapy.com, or PM me on Facebook, @elisabethsmassage. 


If you would like to do your own research there are some videos on infant massage on YouTube. 


Resource

Allen, T. (n.d.). Infant Massage: Is It More Than Just Super Cuddling? [Webinar]. ABMP. www.abmp.com/learn/course/infant-massage-it-more-just-super-cuddling

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