Baby Massage At Mamma's Finger Tips!

Baby

oi-Shruti Roy

By Shruti Roy

Friday, June 24, 2011, 18:28

The bond between the mother and the child is formed since its growth in the womb of the mother. Both science and rituals also advice to keep the mother and the new born isolated in a room for 11 days. It is for both the baby and the mother to keep them safe from any kind of infection, as then they are the most vulnerable.
From after 7 days of the birth, baby massage is what it deserves everyday. Mustard and coconut oil are the oils used for baby massage since time immemorial. It would be safer if the oil is prepared at home or else baby oils from Ayurvedic practitioners are advisable.

Here are simple baby massage techniques:

1. Baby massage must always start from or the head, as all the body nerves have their terminals respectively.

2.While massaging the head, the motion should be circular and slow, so as to improve the blood circulation. This baby massage technique will also make the baby feel at ease.

3.Mother must be very careful while massaging the infant's neck and shoulder. The bones there are very soft at that time and might get sprained very easily. The infant massage hand's motion for neck and shoulder should be downwards. It will help the child have a longer neck, while growing up.

4.Coming down to the hands, the infant massage must be done in strokes, at the joints. It strengthens the joints as well as the bones.

5.The chest has to be massaged without exerting any pressure on it. The motion of hands has to be both horizontal and vertical downwards. Thus strengthening the rib bones.

6.The stomach and lower abdominal massage has to be in circular and horizontal at the sides, towards the waist.

7.The baby then has to be laid chest down, so as to gradually massage the back. Backbone being very vital, the back massage has to be very uniform. The baby massage technique for both chest and the back is similar. The motion of the massaging hands being both horizontal and vertical.

8.Then the legs of the baby has to be massaged turning it over. The leg massage must be downward stroked. Some pressure must be exerted while doing the gentle downward massage to the legs of the infant so that the birth bending at the knees of the child is taken care off.

9.Finally the feet has to be massaged again vertically downward. The joint of the feet and the leg must be slowly rotated. This will make the joint more flexible.

10.The toes and fingers must be massaged again at the end separately. The fingers must be massaged by gradually pulling them outwards and also the finger and toe gaps must also be massaged.

The mother must be in good and joyful mood while giving the baby massage. At this age the child can sense the tension in the mother's body just by the touch of the mother's hand and the heart beatings while abreast. The mother's are advised to keep their nails trimmed all through the years when she has to give infant massage. It is also advised that the mother should not wear any metal accessories while massaging the baby. Baby body massage also imparts a joyful feeling the baby.

Make sure that the baby is not sleeping while you massage him/her. You can slightly tickle your child on its belly and below the feet for preventing it from sleep. Keep talking, smiling and laughing to your child and also attend to his response. Make it conversational. It is very good for both mother and the infant, if the mother is sitting on a bed or a mattress with her legs stretched and the baby is laid on it for the baby body massage. The legs and hands are expected to be massaged for a longer time duration.