6 Benefits of Baby Massage
Before babies develop their language skills and are able to speak, they communicate with the world around them through touch. As a mom, the power of touch to soothe is instinctive. If a baby cries, one of the first things we think to do is pick them up and give them a cuddle, or massage their back. Massaging your baby is an extension of this natural impulse.
Top 6 Benefits of Baby Massage:
1. Bonding
Massage encourages positive bonding between parent and baby at an early stage. Spending intimate one on one time with your little one can help you get to know each other.
2. Confidence
It can help you become more confident with handling your child and better at recognising her needs. Spending quiet time massaging your baby will give you the time and space you need to start recognising and learning her cues. Learning to understand your baby will give you a bit of a confidence boost and make you feel more relaxed in those early months.
3. Health
Physiological benefits of massage include better breathing for your baby, improved lymph and blood circulation and gastrointestinal function.
4. Calming
Massage is calming on the nervous system and is excellent for colic and sleep. Massaging raises levels of the 'feel-good' hormone oxytocin in both you and your baby, helping you both feel calmer and relaxed.
5. Relaxing
Your baby's muscles relax, breathing becomes deeper and the massage oil nourishes your child's skin. Skin stimulation also provides a vital trigger to the nervous system.
6. Relief
It can also provide relief – massaging your baby's tummy, for example, can help ease colic, constipation or trapped wind.
Source: https://www.eumom.ie