Why dads need to do Infant Massage

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Many new dads are afraid to touch or hold their newborns like they think that the baby will break, drop or that they might hurt the baby. Well let get that out of your head like I say to lots of new dads you will not drop the baby or hurt the baby I know because inside you love the child so much that it will not happen

The dynamic of parent-infant interaction is the most important foundation upon which a child learns about the self, and about trust and respect. It is this first relationship that influences the way relationships are perceived. Infant massage is a natural way that parents can learn about parenting, and that infants can learn about being loved and honored.

Touch is vital for the development of attachment behavior and for early social development of the young child, in that both the infant and parent have the capacity to elicit and respond to behaviors in mutually pleasurable ways. The original infant-parent tie is very important for infants-and society-because it is from this original attachment and bonding that all subsequent attachments will follow.

Two conditions that enhance development of bonding are the ability of the parent to be sensitive in understanding and responding to his or her infant’s cues, and the amount and nature of the interactions between infant and parent. It is through infant massage that bonding may be deepened.

Social interaction is significant for the parents’ well being, essential for the child’s development during the first three years of life, and paramount thereafter. Babies are social creatures who learn from their interactions with others. Expanding children’s repertoire of interactive behaviors can assist them to influence their world, and deepen their quality of life and the lives of their parents. 

Infant Massage is a vital, dynamic interaction that forms the foundation of relationship building that will last a lifetime. Nurturing touch between a parent/caregiver and an infant enriches physiological, social-emotional, and mind/body/spirit connections for the infant being massaged, as well as for the parent. Being touched and caressed, being massaged, is food for the infant, food as necessary as minerals, vitamins and proteins.

The massage technique for infants is much different from massage for adults. It is not as much manipulative as it is communicative. It is a technique that allows parents to engage and relax their child in mutually pleasurable interaction.

It is not the massage therapist or the infant massage instructor who massages the infant/child-it is the parent/caregiver.

In the field of infant massage, the parent is viewed as the primary source of interaction in the context of the infant’s life. The dynamics of infant massage facilitate parenting skills, infant-parent interaction, bonding and attachment, and parents’ ability to read their babies’ cues.

Positive cues may include eye contact, smiling, looking at the parent’s face, making babbling or cooing sounds, and smooth movements of the arms and/or legs. Negative cues may include pulling away, frowning or grimacing, turning the head away, arching the back, crying, squirming, and flailing movements of the arms and/or legs. The focus of infant massage is not solely on the baby, but on the reciprocal interaction between infant and parent. Infant massage is not done to an infant; it is done with an infant.

By using infant massage a parent grasps the art of listening, asking permission, communicating, interpreting and responding to cues. The infant displays engagement/disengagement cues, furthers body awareness, self-esteem, listening and communication. Both infant and parent benefit from eye contact, relaxation, bonding, synchrony, love and trust.

Benefits to the infant of receiving massage:

·  Promotes bonding and attachment

·  Promotes body-mind-spirit connection

·  Increases self-esteem

·  Increases sense of love, acceptance, respect and trust

·  Enhances communication

·  Improves body awareness

·  Improves relaxation and release of accumulated stress

·  Stimulates circulation

·  Strengthens digestive, circulatory and gastrointestinal systems, which can lead to weight gain

·  Reduces discomfort from teething, congestion, gas, colic and emotional stress

·  Improves muscle tone coordination

·  Increases elimination, circulation and respiration

·  Improves sleep patterns

·  Increases hormonal function

Benefits to the parent of giving massage:

·  Improves ability to read infant cues

·  Improves synchrony between caregiver and infant

·  Promotes bonding

·  Increases confidence in parenting

·  Increases communication-verbal and non-verbal

·  Improves relaxation

·  Provides time to share, and quality time

·  Promotes parenting skills

·  Improves sense of well-being

·  Reduces blood pressure

·  Reduces stress

·  Improves overall health

So what to do

Creating a relaxing environment

• Choose a time when your baby is content and alert, not tired or hungry.
• Try sitting on the floor, bed or sofa, with your child safely on a towel in front of you.
• Find a position that’s comfortable, gives you good eye contact with no overhead lights and where your baby is warm.
• It's up to you whether your child is nappy-free, but it can help to at least loosen the nappy when massaging the tummy.
• There are lots of lovely baby massage oils on the market but any plain, vegetable based oil, such as sunflower oil, is perfectly adequate.
• Your child may end up ingesting some oil, so you really want to make sure it is safe (petroleum-based oils or oils containing nuts aren't recommended).
• You may like to introduce a massage after bath and before bed as part of a bedtime wind-down.

How to massage your baby: Getting started

Before beginning, 'ask permission' by rubbing a little oil between your hands over your baby, and saying 'can I give you a massage?' This may sound a little crazy but your child will become familiar with this visual cue and know that massage is about to start.

It's great to massage the whole of your child's body using a range of techniques. To get you started, here are some strokes for the legs and feet. You can repeat each stroke a few times, always responding to what your child seems to enjoy.

• Once you have 'asked permission,' gently hold one of your baby's legs between your palms.
• Then, with one hand, hold your baby's ankle securely. Mould your other hand around the top of your child's thigh, then slide it down the leg towards the ankle. Aim for a 'milking' action – as if you were milking a cow!
• Then swap hands and repeat. Always keep your child's ankle supported and use slow, flowing strokes.
• Next, cradle your child's foot in your hands and use your thumbs to stroke over the sole of the foot from heel to toes, one thumb after another. This can also be done on the top of the foot. Gently squeeze and rub each toe between your thumb and finger.
• Then, holding your child's foot in your hands, press the pads of your thumbs all over the sole of the foot, like a cat padding a cushion.
• Finish by repeating the 'milking' stroke in the opposite direction, i.e. from ankle to thigh.

If your baby doesn't seem to enjoy massage right away, don't be downhearted. It's a new experience for you both and can take a bit of getting used to. Try a few minutes the first time and build up as your child gets more used to it.

There's no reason why you can't continue massaging your child into later childhood. Studies show this can have a positive effect, not just on your child's physical health, but on her emotional wellbeing and relationships with others – including you!

Baby massage - staying safe

• Avoid massage if your baby is unwell, has a temperature, or has just had vaccinations.
• Avoid using oils that are scented, petroleum-based or contain nuts.
• When massaging your child's arms or legs, always support the ankle or wrist with one hand. 
• When massaging your child's tummy with a circular motion, go clockwise rather than anti-clockwise. 
• If your child becomes upset or falls asleep, stop massaging.

 

 

Now if you want to know how to do it I can teach you how you can go on the facebook site daddyhelp.net and send me a PM to find out time and places where you can lean