Baby massage
Every infant is very sensitive to the touch of its mother and when it is massaged, it immediately calms down and relaxes. That's why every mother should do it every day, because it toughens up the baby and helps it develop healthily.
The baby reacts joyfully to every touch, muscling, stroking and even gentle pressure. He also quickly gets used to playing with touch.
It is a good idea to introduce massage to your baby as early as the third to fourth week of life. During the day it is best to do this between feeds, when the baby is neither hungry nor too full. However, the best time for massage will be in the evening.
The baby will then be relaxed and will fall asleep more quickly.
First bathe the baby (the warm water will relax his muscles) and then apply a cream or lotion. Then lay him on your lap or on the changing table (a blanket covered with a soft towel is placed under the baby's body).
Remember! Before touching the baby warm up your hands and dip them in baby oil or natural oil (the best will be that from grape seeds, sweet almond or coconut).
It is best to prepare the bowl of oil well in advance and place it close enough to dip the hands into it without any problems. It is also necessary to ensure that the room is constantly in semi-darkness and that the temperature does not drop below 24°C.
It is also a good idea to put on some quiet music and speak to the baby in a gentle, tender voice.
Before starting the massage, it is a good idea to cuddle your baby a little and only when he or she is relaxed, lay him or her comfortably on his or her tummy, with his or her torso slightly elevated on your shoulders. This is the position for a back massage. Then place the baby on his back.
Remember! The first massage should not last longer than 5 minutes.
At the beginning, a few strokes are done (the hands should be massaged like the feet). Then repeat each movement 10 times, so that after a month the massage will have taken about 15 minutes.
Back massage: place your hands with the whole surface just above the baby's buttocks and begin to slowly move your hands along the backbone towards the head. This should always be done in one direction.
The fingers rest on the baby's back on both sides of the spine. First large and then increasingly smaller circles are made (from the centre of the back to the sides). In this way one directs upwards towards the neck.
Place your hands (one on top of the other) on the child's back on the right side of the spine. They should be moved from the bottom upwards, slightly pointing to the sides. Then do the same on the left half of the back.
One spreads the fingers apart, bends them and then rests the pads on the child's shoulders. In a zigzag motion, move the hands along the spine from the shoulders towards the buttocks. All the while, light pressure is applied to the baby's skin.
Leg and arm massage: one hand grasps the heel of your baby's right leg. The other hand rests on the baby's shin and moves upwards, stroking the baby's skin. Do the same with the left leg. Massage both arms in the same way.
Hold the baby's right leg just above the foot. Slowly move your hands from side to side and at the same time move them higher and higher up to the thigh. Do the same with the left leg and both hands.
Massage the tummy: Gently place your hand on the baby's tummy. Then move a few times from side to side and then from the bottom upwards and back again.
Bend baby's legs at the knees. The baby's legs are then brought towards and away from the tummy. The bottom must not be raised at this point.
The edges of the slightly bent hands (one over the other) are rested just below the ribs. Slowly (without applying pressure) point towards the bottom of the tummy.
The fingertips of one hand are placed at the pit of the tummy. Then a circle of about 10 cm in diameter (in a clockwise direction) is drawn around the navel.
Chest massage: put your fingertips together on your baby's breasts and start making small circles around the nipples. From the centre of the body upwards and towards the sides.
Join fingers together. The whole surface of the hands is placed on the chest near the baby's sternum and then starts stroking. The fingers should always travel from the centre of the body to the sides.