Infant Massage

Infant massage is common in many lands, and it is becoming popular in some Western countries. According to the Spanish Association for Infant Massage, a massage is a subtle, tender, and pleasant technique that enables a parent to communicate physically and emotionally with the baby. It includes a series of gentle yet firm strokes of the baby's feet and legs as well as the back, chest, stomach, arms, and face. Massage is an excellent way to tone up a baby's muscles and make it feel relaxed. While massaging the baby, mommies can sing and talk to the baby, and she will gurgles and smiles back. It is a wonderful experience!

A newborn not only needs to be fed but also needs to receive parental affection. Since the sense of touch develops early in life, gentle massaging by the mother or father communicates love in a tangible way. Much information can be transmitted to a baby through the sense of touch. Massaging can thus cement a bond of affection between parents and their baby right from birth.

Apart from expressing love, massage may teach a baby to relax, which may contribute to longer sound sleep and less stress. Massage may also help to tone muscles as well as regulate the circulatory, digestive, and respiratory systems. Some claim that the infant's immune system benefits too. And because the baby's senses of touch, sight, and sound are stimulated, massage may also encourage memory and learning.