How to massage your baby


What are the best ways to enhance a baby’s touch experience?
  • Approach baby respectfully and gently.
  • Make sure the room is warm and the surface soft and comfortable.
  • Don’t be in a hurry, spending quality time with your baby is not an item on a checklist.
  • Go slow and firm.
  • Talk in a slow and gentle voice.
  • Make eye contact with baby when he or she is facing you.
  • Follow your instinct but be sure to touch the whole body.
  • Name the body parts as you massage i.e. ‘This is your head, your neck, your shoulders, arms, hands and fingers…’.
  • Use natural oils so the hands glide over baby’s body, dry skin can make massage quit painful.
There are many different ways to massage. BabyGym uses 3 different massage sequences because each massage has a different purpose. So you need to ask ‘What do I want to achieve with this massage, do I want to calm or wake-up my baby?’ Infant Baby Massage uses different massage techniques for different touch experiences and the more traditional families still look towards the gogos and aunties who have their own sequence that works very effectively.

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Regardless of the massage sequence you follow, here are a few basic steps:
  • Talk to the baby and say you are about to touch and massage to relax/stimulate etc.
  • Massage the ears to put the ‘brain’s secretary’ in position so that the brain will not be overwhelmed by all the touch sensations.
  • Firmly trace the outline of the body from head to toe (this creates a map of the body in the brain).
  • Hold the feet – it is comforting.
  • Oil hands and move hands from hips to shoulders then open the arms and hold the hands (3 times).
  • Move hands from hips to legs and straighten the legs, and hold (3 times).
  • Place a rolled up towel under the shoulders and turn baby over.
  • Oil hands and move hands from hips to shoulders then open the arms and hold the hands (3 times).
  • Move hands from hips to legs and straighten the legs, and hold (3 times).
  • Follow your instinct further.

Development of the senses works like a domino effect if the skin is happy and relaxed the senses of smell, taste, hearing and sight follow and develop so much better. Make loving touch and massage part of your daily lives, wash baby with a bit more care and attention, make eye contact, and touch and name the body parts. Fall in love with the wonder of the little miracle in your hands.


View this video for an easy baby massage routine:




Click here to read about how touch builds relationships.