How to Massage
Your Baby
by: Grant Carroll
Massaging your infant is easy and enjoyable for both you
and baby. The first step is to choose the right place and
time for your little one. Any warm, quiet, draft-free place
will do nicely, and it’s best to do it at a time when
you’re not hurried and baby needs relaxing. Soft music
is helpful to relax and set the mood for both of you. It’s
also very important to have the right oil. Oils that work
best are coconut, almond, apricot, safflower, and avocado,
and you should watch for allergic reactions within an hour.
Once your set, start with the legs by holding baby’s
ankle with one hand and rubbing from thigh to ankle with the
other. You can also rub with both hands as if you were holding
a baseball bat moving from top to bottom. Next, go to the
arms and rub with both hands from shoulder to wrist with a
gentle twisting motion. Don’t forget to massage the
lymph nodes in the arm pit. Now move to the chest and rub
in a heart-shaped motion starting from the center. Next move
to the stomach and use your fingertips to “walk”
across the tummy from left to right. Move up to the face and
rub small circles on and around your baby’s jawbone
to relieve tension they accumulate from sucking. Lastly, flip
your infant over to rub the back. Put one hand on the bottom
and make a sweeping motion from shoulders to the bottom with
the other.
Baby massage is wonderful, but there are precautions you should
take. Avoid massaging if:
1) Baby has had an immunization in the last 72 hours
2) He/she has a skin infection
3) He/she is feverish or sick
4) If your hands or the room are cold
5) He/she is asleep
6) If your baby gets upset.
It’s important to make this experience as enjoyable
as possible for both to reap the maximum benefit.
About The Author:
Grant Carroll is the co-owner of http://www.littlepamperedbabies.com
and an extremely proud father. This article may be reproduced
as long as a Live link back to http://www.littlepamperedbabies.com
is is present on the web page.
©Little Pampered Babies 2005. All rights
reserved
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