How to Massage your Baby

We all LOVE a nice and soft massage and our Babies do too ! Massaging your Baby is a great way to get that skin to skin connection which helps them to grow and develop better.
My Dad is the one that introduced me to Baby massages (in Iran it is a daily ritual to massage your baby) and I decided to do some research just to gain some knowledge.
Researcher's have found that Touch promotes brain growth, behavior, baby's self-esteem, improves digestion and also helps parent's to get to know their Baby better.

With that said I am going to tell you How I Massage my Baby step by step :

- First you should choose a place that is comfortable, warm and quiet ( you might want to put on some soothing music).

- Choose a massaging oil that would work for you, I found this Organic Baby oil at Target and I Love it ! It has Shea Butter, Argan Oil, Frankincense and Myrrh and some other Natural and Organic ingredients. I use to use Olive oil before getting this one which worked fine but I was tired of the smell.

I know this Organic Raw Shea Butter Baby Oil is new to their collection so you might not find it at every Target yet but it will come soon .

- You also have to make sure that your Baby is responding well to your massage if he becomes upset at any point you should stop and try another time. I like to tell him before I start that I am about to give him a massage and that it is going to relax him and he seems to understand! If you are stressed or in a hurry you should not give him a massage, because Babies feel that through your touch so you might need to wait until you feel relaxed and comfortable as well.

- I usually start with the legs, massaging the leg from foot to thigh and then moving back from the thigh to ankle while gently squeezing. Finally I massage the little feet using my thumbs and gently pressing. Then move on to the other leg. (The pressure you are using on your Baby's body should be very light, you can close your eye and massage your eye ball, this is how soft you should go).

- Next I follow up with the arms, you should do the same movements that you did for the legs.

- I continue with the torso, you can use your whole hands. This can help your Baby to digest and also help him to pass gas easier. I like to go from neck to waist a few times and then massage his belly clockwise.

- After the torso I move on to massaging his face. I use my thumbs to massage his cheeks, lightly pressing and circling. I use my fingertips to massage his forehead and nose just combing through.

- Last but not least, using my finger tips I lightly rub small circles all over his back. It is very important that you do not massage his spine ( you do not want to damage it ).

And this is it ! Hopefully your Baby is feeling very relaxed and happy now. If you want to know more you might want to attend a Baby Massage course. You can ask your Pediatrician or Midwife.

I hope you found this post helpful and leave a comment below if you have any questions !