Importance of Massaging your Baby
Regular massaging your baby is most essential, for various reasons. First of all it gives you the opportunity to interact with your baby during this time. By interacting with your baby, you will gradually learn about his nature and characteristic. Also, your baby will get a chance to recognize your voice, identify your face and feel your touch. This will enhance the bonding between you and your baby, which is very much necessary to groom him up.
Other than this bonding, baby massaging helps your baby in various ways.
1. It improves the sleeping standard of your baby. It is a known fact that babies grow more during their sleep. A good massage will help your baby to have a sound sleep, which will lead to fast growth.
2. Proper massaging technique improves the performance of baby’s digestive system, by relieving him from colic, wind and constipation.
3. Stimulation through massage also develops the circulatory and lymphatic systems. This also helps your baby to grow in high pace.
4. Massaging reduces the stress level of your baby and helps him to unwind.
5. It helps in developing the flexibility and co-ordination of the nervous system.
For all the above reasons you must start massaging your newborn from the very first day you bring him home. You may consider to try the following techniques of massaging, to make your baby more strong and healthy.
a. Start with gentle strokes all over his body parts. If your baby accepts this, then go for massaging the individual body parts.
b. Hold his arms and massage from his shoulder down to the wrist. Use your thumb to massage his palms and fingers.
c. Similarly massage the legs. Use circular motion over the thighs and massage the feet with your thumb.
d. Next massage his chest and tummy, using circular motions by your fingertips. Also, come down from neck to abdomen by giving gentle pressure by your palm.
e. Finally, massage the scalp by using your fingertips, as if you are shampooing. Use your thumb and fingertips to massage the face.
