Follow our simple steps to start incorporating baby massage into your routine
There are so many benefits of baby massage. One of them being bonding. Skin to skin touch is especially important for mummies and new born babies but has excellent binding benefits for all ages.
Baby massage is also very relaxing and calming for your baby and excellent for their health and wellbeing. It can also be good for helping with cholic.
1. Choose a safe and secure place, on the floor or changing mat works great! A bright, warm room is important too.
2. Remove your jewelly and watch and wash your hands.
3. Prepare the oil, and make sure you have baby wipes and nappies and anything else you might need close by.
2. Choosing a time when your baby is awake and alert is a good place to start. Just before a feed and nap would work best. Or incorporate into their bedtime routine after a bath.
3. Take a few deep breadths, remove your babies clothes if they are comfortable like this. Start by warming your hands and the oil.
4. Using gentle and slow touch massage your babies feet and work up the legs. Place hands on the chest and massage out to the arms and down to the hands.
5. Open the palm and massage the babies hands. Carefully and softly massage each finger one by one.
6. Massage clockwise on the tummy and if the baby is happy turn them over and massage their back.
7. For their back use slow and long strokes from top to toe and gently lift each heal towards the bottom and stretch them out carefully.
8. Then if your baby is comfortable you can turn them round and massage their face. Using soft an light stories massage up the forhead and round the eyes down to the cheeks.
9. Massage the crown of the head using a soft circular motion.
10. Massage can last for around 15-20 minutes. If your baby seems uncomfortable at any point you can just have cuddle time instead.
We at Oakleaf love the different oil blends available but you can literally use their ecsma cream or even petroleum jelly as these work fine too! One of our favourites is Cowsheds baby massage oil which you can buy here or Motherlove baby oil which is lavender flowers and Apricot oil which can buy here