Making physical contact with your child is very important and one of the most beneficial ways to do this is through baby massage . This act is one of the greatest displays of affection your baby can feel.
Creating a baby massage routine is a great way to create a bond, improve your baby’s sleep , and bring other benefits to your little one, who can receive this stimulation from the first month of life. Continue reading to find out more.
Shantala
If you want to calm your baby, there is the Shantala massage , an Indian technique with movements that generate a feeling of relaxation. It is recommended to perform it after bathing every day, while the baby is still undressed and comfortable.
Place yourself comfortably. Position the baby face forward on your legs. Put vegetable oil in your hands. Rub them against each other thoroughly as you warm them up.
Shantala can be applied from the first month of life, and this cream has some advantages. Increases baby’s tactile, cerebral, and motor skills. Helps promote baby’s digestive, respiratory, and circulatory health. See instructions to apply it step by step.
1st step
Baby massage: initially, do the movements with the same rhythm from start to finish. Go through the center of the chest, sliding down to the armpits, then repeat towards the shoulders. After that, slide your left hand making an X on the baby’s body from the right hip to the left shoulder and vice versa.
2nd step
Turn the baby on his side and, with one of your hands, hold his little hand, making a kind of bracelet. Then, form another “bracelet” near the baby’s shoulder and slide it until it meets your other hand. Repeat the movement several times.
After that, it is necessary to perform curling movements holding the arm with each of your hands, moving it to one side, delicately, without applying force, from the shoulder to the hand.
3rd step
At this stage, you should massage the baby’s hand. Use your thumbs and move from the palm to the fingers. Then, slide the palm of your hand over your baby’s. With the baby back on his back, you can begin to massage this area.
Slide your hands alternately over your belly, starting from your chest and moving down to your lower belly, pressing gently. Using your forearm, massage your belly from top to bottom.
4th step
The second and equally important part is massage on the legs. On the legs, similar movements are done as in the arms. For the feet, use your thumbs and massage from the heel up to the toes. You then do it using the palm of your hand. On the tip of every finger, you must use light pressure.
5th step
One of the largest areas is the back region, which is common to both infants and adults. It’s perfectly fine to take a little extra time over this region. Turn the baby over so that he or she is on his or her stomach. Using your palms, stroke your little one by sliding up and down this small region.
Then massage your back from the nape of your neck to your lower back in movements from right to left. Finish this by holding your heels as your left hand extends the movement from the nape of your neck to your feet.
6th step
In this part of the baby massage, the focus is on the face. Use your index and middle fingers in a half-moon shape, starting at the forehead and going around the eyebrows, circling the eyes and returning to the middle. Move further and further away from the eyes, sliding down to the cheeks and then to the chin.
Gently run your thumbs along the sides of your nose, from top to bottom and bottom to top, from your forehead to the corners of your mouth. Do the same from your forehead to your chin, passing along the outer lines of your nose and your eyes, gently and carefully.
7th step
When you reach the end, it’s time to do some exercises. Make a movement of crossing and uncrossing your baby’s arms over his tummy. Do the stretch with his legs over his abdomen and stretch them out. That’s it, your baby will be relaxed.
Massage to relieve colic
Do you know that moment when your baby is irritable and crying a lot, feeling discomfort? It could be colic. For this, you have the option of performing a massage to relieve baby’s colic .
Using almond oil, after a relaxing bath for your baby, gently massage his tummy in a clockwise direction. This can help eliminate gas and aid in proper bowel function. This massage doesn’t need to last very long! Another way is to follow the 7th step of the massage detailed above, with movements on the baby’s leg.
Main advantages of massaging your baby
Baby massage is an act of love. Your little one will be calmer, have better quality sleep, develop healthier and faster, acquire more body awareness and keep their skin hydrated.
Another important factor is the help in reducing crying, anxiety and increasing oxytocin (the well-being hormone). Do you also know that night when it is difficult for your child to fall asleep? This is a massage for the baby to sleep , as it relaxes him.