Child and Parent Occupational Wellness

Infant Massage and its Benefits

To all you new parents out there, be sure to consider the benefits for both you and your baby with infant massage.  To find a certified infant massage instructor (CIMI) near you, check out www.lovingtouch.com.  Infant massage presents an opportunity to bond with your baby in a special way while enhancing their sensory, emotional, and physical development.  Research also has shown benefits for parents such as stress reduction and improved ability to read your infant's cues.  These classes are calming, fun, and social.  I encourage you to find one in your area.

Infant Massage @ Yahoo! Video

Your Baby's Brain Map

Zero to Three (www.zerotothree.org) is a great website for parents and professionals about infant and toddler development.  After registering for free on the website, one can download articles and receive emails with new information and cutting edge research on infant development.  One of the most interesting things they offer is something called the Baby Brain Map.  On this, you can click on a certain developmental age group and see a picture of the brain.  Different areas are highlighted -- for example -- language, cognition, social-emotional, motor skills, etc.  After clicking on one of these, you can read a short description of exactly what is going on in your child's brain at that age, as well as read tips for what you can do to facilitate development.

The Positive Power of Touch - Research Studies & Videos about Infant Massage

      

The art of infant massage provides special ways to bond with your baby/child.  It is never too late to begin massaging your child.  Touch is our most powerful sense.  It is the first sense to develop in utero and it is used for the rest of our lives.  The calming power of touch cannot be underestimated when soothing a colicky baby, relieving teething pains, or just as part of a daily routine with your child that provides you both with connection, stress reduction, and a myriad of physical benefits. Tiffany Field, Ph.D. is the director at the Touch Research Institute at University of Miami School of Medicine.  She has been the leading researcher on the benefits of touch therapy.  She has conducted all kinds of studies that report the benefits of touch/massage in all types of individuals, from premature infants, to drug-exposed babies, to children with autism, and senior citizens.  For an easy-to-read list of the results of each study, click here: Massage Therapy Studies- Touch Research Institute

To learn more about the art of infant massage, The Loving Touch Parent-Infant Massage Program,  its technique, and benefits, click here to view a selection of videos:

Infant Massage Videos, International Loving Touch Foundation

Building Bonds through Infant Massage

Infant massage is an art that has been practiced for centuries in many cultures around the world.  While somewhat new to the Western world, infant massage is quickly catching on with parents as a way to increase emotional and physical bonds with the child and to optimize the child's growth and development. 

As a Certified Infant Massage Instructor (CIMI) with the International Loving Touch Foundation, I have seen the benefits that both babies and parents derive from infant massage.  More importantly, I have experienced these benefits as a mother myself while massaging my own children. 

Infant massage creates a unique opportunity to bond with your baby through loving touch.  It also provides an enjoyable way to promote healthy growth and development of your baby.  The following is a list of simple benefits for both baby and parent:

Benefits for the Baby

• Emotionally nourishes the baby
• Begins a loving, intimate communication between a parent and the baby
• Helps to strengthen and regulate the baby's primary systems (ie. respiratory, circulatory, nervous, musculature and gastrointestinal)
• Reduces gas and colic and allows the baby to sleep better
• Helps the baby relax and release the tensions of daily stimuli

Benefits for Parents

• Better understanding about their infants' cues of responsiveness
• Enhances communication and emotional ties
• Increases confidence and handling skills
• Greatly improves the bond of affectional attachment
• Provides a means to develop quality interaction time
• Helps the parents relax and listen to their baby
• Massage becomes a perfect avenue for conversation as the child gets older

Copyright 1994, International Loving Touch Foundation

The International Loving Touch Foundation trains instructors around the world in the art of infant massage.  These instructors teach infant massage to parents in homes, hospitals, community centers, clinics, and private settings.  To find a Certified Infant Massage Instructor (CIMI) near you, click here:

Certified Infant Massage Instructors (CIMI) Directory, ILTF