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Bonding and massage

20 Oct 2009

Many parents have hectic lifestyles, juggling a host of responsibilities and activities, and many new mothers have the added stress of having to return to work due to financial commitments. Quality time with children can often be affected because of this; infant massage, an age old tradition, is simple, free, can be administered almost anywhere and has a host of emotional and physical benefits for both parents and their baby.

In her book The Power of Touch, Phyllis K Davies provocatively states that Touch is not a pleasant stimulus, but a biological necessity
Certainly Bernard Brazelton, child psychologist, believes that touch is central to the development of the bonding relationship between mother and infant. Infant massage is a form of positive touch and therefore without doubt, an extremely important form of communication between parent and baby and helps with the attachment and bonding process.

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Infant massage should be a pleasant experience for both the mother and the infant, and whilst it does not always come naturally to mothers/parents, it is not difficult and it can be learned from others practicing or from specially designed infant massage Classes. The aim of such classes is to teach basic, safe strokes to parents whilst building their confidence in touching their babies - thus empowering parents. Through massage parents can learn how their babies communicate with them by understanding their baby's positive and negative cues; promoting understanding and a mutual respect for one another. The classes can also serve to help parents understand about over-stimulation of the baby and why babies cry and use self-calming techniques. Infant-massage also offers an opportunity for positive touch and early play, including music and rhymes in the infant massage classes. Studies have shown that using nursery rhymes can be a wonderful learning tool and can even enhance brain development of the child. In addition, studies have shown that positive touch with infants leads to healthy physical and brain development.

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Strong attachment can develop a sense of security in a child and the child is more likely to grow up more self-assured and self-confident. As attachment is founded in the very early months, by its very definition Infant Massage has a profound effect on the emotional well-being of the infant and can be used to achieve a sense of security for the growing child. The emotional benefits of infant massage, such as quality, one-to-one loving touch, can also be experienced by fathers. It is important to involve older children too. Sibling rivalry can be a real issue when a new baby joins the family; involving the older child in the massage routine can help with feelings of resentment, perhaps massaging their teddy alongside or just holding the oil bottle!

(Extracted from The Benefits of infant massage, an article by Anita Epple, qualified infant massage teacher and Touch-Learn director, for more information visit Touch-Learn).

Tags: Talk To Your Baby