Clinical Reference Systems: Pediatric Advisor 10.0
Infant Massage
There is no question that touch, and massage in particular,
provides the opportunity for parents to spend some close,
relaxing time with their baby. Here are some tips on how to
give your baby a massage.
- After a bath and right before sleep is a good time to
gently stroke your baby.
- Use the pads of your fingers and apply pressure to avoid
tickling. (Tickling is unpleasant to the very young
infant.)
- Begin the massage with your baby lying on her back with
you positioned in front of her.
- Start with gentle strokes to the face and head, being
careful to avoid the fontanel (the two soft spots on the
top of your baby's head).
- Move down the torso and rub the arms and legs.
- You can also turn your baby on his stomach to give a
back massage. Move from broad, sweeping strokes to fine
finger movements. End with an easy rocking motion.
- About 10 minutes of massage, two to three times each day
is enough.
- Continue giving your infant massages for at least 2 or
3 weeks. There's no reason why you can't continue to
massage your baby for a year or two.
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