Ever think about babies activities. The climbing and running and jumping and all the other crazy things they do combined with learning how to navigate a new world!? Well I think about it all the time, its essentially just mental and physical baby workouts and they do it ALL DAY LONG!
Intense right. I can't even imagine what that might feel like. So to help my sweet little boy in all the areas of life I like to give him full body massages before each sleep. You see giving your little one a massage is actually stimulating their central nervous system which of course sets off a whole chain reaction of goodness. This chain reaction is that their brain produces more serotonin, which is a yummy feel good hormone, and to make less cortisol, which is our stress hormone. This all basically means our little ones are going to feel better and become more relaxed.
This whole infant massage is super present in my world right now as we just went on Kai's first big boy hike where he climbed up a mountain all by himself obviously using all those little muscles and most likely leaving him feeling a bit exerted, I know my body was pooped when we were done. So what better way than today to get extra long extra yummy massages!? Massaging can bring immediate relief and actually have long lasting results. So pick a time when you and baby are both relaxed but alert, a fussy baby may be over stimulated by massage and may make him even more unhappy. Trust me on that. Eeeeek! So we do it as part of his sleepy time routine before he goes down for both his afternoon and nighttime sleeps. I put a fresh diaper on him then sit on the bed with my knees up and he sits on my lap, laying chest against my legs hugging my knees. He fits so perfectly there it's like this was always supposed to be his seat. From this position I can massage most of his little body and when he's done with his back side he simply lays back against my chest and allows me to get the rest of him. He absolutely LOVES it!
Let's get more specific about all of the incredible benefits of infant massage and let's start with the emotional benefits. It's obviously great for bonding as it's literally uniting you both for that moment and providing skin to skin contact. More about this bonding, massage uses all the senses which is essential for optimal parent child bonding. That being eye to eye contact, touch, smell, voice, movement and thermal regulation. It also helps develop trust and confidence along with verbal and non verbal communication. I think just off of the emotional benefits it's well worth the effort however we have just skimmed the surface so let's get deeper into things.
With each massage you are stimulating all of the physiological systems. Massage sparks the neurons in their brain to grow and branch out to encompass other neurons. Basically this means that massage enhances neurological development and helps improve sensory and body awareness. Wowzas! Along with enhancing brain function it also improves overall functioning of the circulatory system, digestive systems, hormonal system and the immune systems. It literally boosts babies ability to fight off germs and improves their overall well being! Lets talk about the hormonal systems again for a minute, it helps release and suppress certain hormone production just like I previously mentioned with the stress and feel good hormones, but it also stimulates the growth hormone to be produced more abundantly! All these hormones flowing and the neurological enhancement leaves your child's coordination, balance, learning, concentration, muscular development and growth also enhanced!
Studies have shown that massaging an infant can reduce crying and fussiness and can help them sleep more peacefully. This is because massage, once again, releases feel good hormones and reduces stress hormones thus promoting relaxation which helps babies self regulate calm and all behavioral states, thus reducing crying. This deepened relaxation state helps your child to not only sleep deeper but to sleep more soundly and help regulate sleep cycles! Huge win for all moms everywhere! Along with this wonderful gift of a happier more balanced child it also helps to increase oxygen and nutrient flow to cells. Your child will be healthier with better sleep cycles all from these short lovely massage sessions! All sounds great so far right! Well there's still more!
Some studies have also shown that infant massage can alleviate common wail inducers! There are many different types of massages depending on your child's symptoms though I like to just do his full body to get ALL the benefits from it. I'm sure if he was back in the days of having digestion issues we would be adding extra tummy massage sessions in again because they help sooooo much. A quick Google search can show you many variations of massages to help with many different issues, way too many to get into now. Some of the issues that can be cured or lessened by massage include gas, colic, constipation, growing pains, muscular tension, teething discomforts and cramps. A good rub down helps your child to improve pain management so when it doubt massage it out. You and your little one will thank you later for it!