Our Baby Massage Class

Last night a neighborhood mom, Kristen, came over to teach me about infant massage. She is just starting out teaching these classes and I am really excited for her in this endeavor. She is amazingly nice and a wonderful teacher. She has a calm and welcoming personality that I am sure will make new parents feel very comfortable.

Infant massage is something I tried early on with Eliza but never followed through with after a few discouraging attempts. I wish I'd had this class sooner because I would have had someone to go to when I needed support. Shame on me for giving up so early! Alas, it isn't too late to give it another go. Since Eliza has trouble relaxing and falling asleep I figure I will give it another shot. I think it is important for me to remember to just relax and have fun with the massage.

At my class i received some Tiny Baby Butter to use during massages. The ingredients are Safflower Oil, Shea Butter and Vitamin E. Kristen said anything you use to make a salad is good to use on a baby. I started out learning with Eliza but she of course wanted to move onto bigger and better things after one leg so i finished up my practice on a doll. I found it so interesting and was happy i remembered some things from when E was little.

We started our with some leg work and then moved onto the stomach and chest. OH! I can't forget you gotta work those cute little baby buns too! After that we took a "pit stop"-yup! the armpits! and moved on to the arms. Then came the face and finally the back. A lot of the strokes have fun names like I Love You. This is done on the stomach to help clear out the large intestine, colon, etc.

There are many benefits to infant massage for both parents and babies. It helps babies to relax, improves sleep and digestion. Infant massage stimulates brain development and improves sensory awareness. Parents learn how to comfort and sooth their babies and learn to respond better to baby's cues. Overall, it helps promote bond between parent and baby. What I like most about massage is that it is a holistic approach to wellness. There is no reason not to try massage because there are no negative side effects.

If you want to learn more about infant massage- or get together with a group of mom's for a class- you can search for an instructor for your area here.