Gentle baby massage as support in everyday life

A special way to give your baby warmth, closeness, attention and love

A massage is not only relaxing for adults, your baby can also use it to find peace and escape from everyday life. Baby massage originates from India and has a long tradition there. Massage has always been used to satisfy the infant's basic need for tender touch, warmth and security.
Baby massage is touch with respect and nourishment for the soul.

The importance of touch for your child's physical development

The basis for the development of a healthy body awareness is laid very early. Your baby understands its surroundings through hand-mouth contact and thus expands its sensory perceptions at an early stage.

The sense of touch:

The sense of touch develops in the unborn child in the womb. Massage stimulates this sense of touch and your baby experiences physical limitations through touch.
Where does my body begin and end? How long are my arms and legs?
The realization that I have two upper and two lower extremities.

Note: For your baby's body awareness, it is very important to always stroke both legs or both arms!

The importance of touch for the emotional development of your child

Through the gentle touches, your baby experiences a lot of love, security and affection. Through these caresses, the relationship with your child can grow and the basic trust between child and mother or father can be strengthened.

Touching the skin has a relaxing as well as activating effect on the different parts of the body. If you perform the stroking in a regular, repeated sequence, it gives your baby security and trust. This allows your child to really let go and relax in your presence.

Gentle baby massage as support in everyday life

The child's first year of life is particularly marked by changes and milestones. This can sometimes be very exhausting and tiring for both the child and the parents.
Baby massage supports you and your child in general states of restlessness, such as crying phases in the evening.
An evening massage ritual can help your child to become more relaxed and calm and possibly also to fall asleep more quickly.

A baby massage is particularly effective when a new developmental stage is approaching, such as digestive problems or teething. You can lovingly support and accompany your baby with various effective massage techniques.

To prepare …

Before starting the baby massage, it is advisable to make sure the room is at a good temperature. Your baby should also be awake but not hungry.

Important: Do not massage your baby if he or she has a fever!

You should also be relaxed. Before the massage, breathe in and out deeply three or four times. Take enough time for this wonderful ritual together with your baby. Leave the fast-paced everyday life behind you and immerse yourself in a calm, relaxed atmosphere, because this is the only way your child can relax and enjoy and accept your loving touch.

Tips for high-quality massage oils:

Ideally, only natural, cold-pressed oils should be used for baby massage. In addition to vitamins, these oils also contain unsaturated fatty acids and minerals that support the skin's metabolism and improve blood circulation.
Naturally left oils include apricot kernel oil, jojoba oil, olive oil or sesame oil.
Personally, I like to use almond oil because it has a very strong nourishing effect. However, it is important to ensure that this oil is stored correctly, as it will quickly spoil and become unusable if not stored properly.

Popular massage techniques

My experience as a baby massage instructor has shown me that almost all babies love having their legs stroked as well as having their soles massaged.
These strokes can be practically integrated into everyday life and can be carried out, for example, at the changing table, for example when changing diapers.
These massage techniques lead to a healthy body feeling in the child and can counteract any digestive problems, among other things, through certain acupuncture points on the soles of the feet.

Back massage is also a very popular form of massage. You can lay your baby on its stomach on your thighs and gently massage the lumps next to the spine. Lying on the stomach also strengthens the child's neck muscles.

Note: stroking in the direction of hair growth has a calming effect on your child, whereas massages against the direction of hair growth always have a stimulating effect. It is therefore advisable not to use stimulating massage techniques before going to bed.

Nowadays, you can quickly find a suitable baby massage course in your area. There you can learn certain techniques with other new parents and exchange ideas about everyday life with your baby in the group.

I wish you and your baby a lot of peace and relaxation in your first time together!