Massage is a moment of tenderness and exchange that pleasantly complements grooming and effectively protects the skin from drying out. It’s an essential gesture that helps babies feel secure with their parents. It’s a relaxing treatment that babies love.
The virtues of massage
- Massage benefits the parent-child relationship through contact. It promotes mutual understanding, strengthens communication, and stimulates alertness.
- Before naptime or bedtime, massage can also help children fall asleep.
- For children with minor digestive problems, a belly massage can also have a beneficial effect on digestion.
Tips before massaging
- Massage can be performed from birth.
- Choose a quiet room with a temperature between 22 and 24°C.
- Use a moisturizing body lotion or vegetable oil to massage your baby.
- The massage lasts around 15 minutes, depending on when your baby returns.
- Massage areas that are usually touched on babies, such as the hands, torso and legs, then massage the whole body.
- Your baby may not appreciate these massages right away, but don’t worry. Change the massage area or stop and resume later.
Good to know
Spray dry massage oil 2 or 3 times in the palm of your hand to bring it to body temperature. The oil used to massage baby is not just for gliding your hands over his or her body, but also to help prevent the skin from drying out.
Massage techniques
You don’t need to be a specialist to massage your baby. Just make yourself comfortable and let your baby’s emotions guide you.
- Back massage: place your baby on his or her stomach, place your thumbs on either side of the spine and apply gentle circular pressure.
- Arm massage: wrap your thumbs and forefinger around your baby’s arm, working in a circular motion down to the wrist.
- Leg massage: one hand holds the ankle while the other massages in criss-crossing movements. Pay particular attention to the pressure exerted, to ensure that this is a pleasant moment for your baby.
- Hand and foot massage: wrap the hand (or foot) around your palm, then move down each finger, massaging between thumb and forefinger.
- Belly massage: slide your hands in a circular, clockwise motion around the navel. This will relieve your baby’s gas or constipation.
- Face massage: with your hands on either side of the face, caress the cheeks from the top of the jaw to the chin.
