Baby Massage: A Great Way to Bond with Your Baby

Baby massage is a skill you must have if you want zen bonding time with your baby.

I just attended a group class where we learned the art of Baby Massage and the benefits for both mom (or dad) and baby. I gave the most amazing massage to the baby doll I had to practice on. LOL. It was really fun and the real babies in the room who got their first massages were literally the most relaxed and happy babies I've ever seen. Maybe they are just perfect babies all the time...but I think it was the massage.

Baby Massage is very beneficial to both parent and child. During the birth process obviously moms go through a lot, but babies go through a lot too! It can be traumatic for both parties involved and while both bodies will naturally recover over time, it is such a benefit to have something you can do to help the healing process. Parents of newborns are told to get as much skin to skin contact as possible with their newborns. Baby massage is like taking it a step further. Not only is it something that will help your baby recover from birth, there are so many other benefits as they grow up.

• It's a positive physical interaction between you two that can become a highly anticipated part of your daily routine

• Can help improve gastrointestinal tract

• Enhance immune system functioning

• Improve sensory and body awareness

• Enhance neurological development

• Help with sleep

• Improve circulation

• SO MANY other benefits!

So, giving someone a massage every day sounds like a lot of work, right? Well, not really when it comes to Baby Massage! You're already going to be holding and squeezing those precious little arms and legs and squishing their little bellies and toes anyway, so being more intentional about how you're touching them really doesn't feel like work. After giving my baby doll that massage I felt so relaxed! It was no work at all and it was actually such a joy to see how much those real babies loved it!

If you're convinced this is something you need in your life, you can find an Infant Massage Instructor here!

Thanks to Angela Sutliff for teaching our group!