Of the five senses, touch is the one that is most developed at birth and feeling their parent’s hands move across their little body can help your little one feel hugely secure and close to you.   Caring human touch is crucial for a healthy thriving baby. The benefits of massaging your baby are potent and numerous.  The benefits through this touch are many and unique for each family.
In traditional cultures, particularly in Asia and Africa, infant massage is an inherent part of child rearing passed down through the generations.  Through the massage routine the baby learns respect, acquires awareness of his body, relaxes enjoying and communicates. Of course, the parent himself enjoys the benefits as he better understands the infant’s needs, learns to communicate and decode his crying. 

Touching as well as verbal and non-verbal communication help with studies and with the parents themselves to develop a deep bond with their baby. They learn to communicate with him, to respect and show understanding of his needs. The techniques that you will learn in my classes have been developed over many years and draw from both the Indian and Swedish massage traditions, as well as incorporating principles from yoga and reflexology.
 I demonstrate all the massage strokes on a doll, and if your baby is happy and in the mood for massage, then you will follow along.

Baby massage can help with:

• Bonding and communication
• Enhance baby’s feelings of being loved, respected and secure with their parents.
• Relaxation and mutual confidence
• Digestion, colic and constipation
• Improving sleep
• Strengthening the immune system
• Muscle tone and co-ordination
• Growth and development

Each course consists of five sessions lasting 60 to 90 minutes in duration. Each session is held at weekly intervals to allow you and your baby time to absorb all the information and practice the massage. Each week we learn to massage a different area of the body, gradually building up to a full body massage in the final week.

What will you learn?

• Basic principles of baby massage and over 30 massage strokes
• The best time to massage your baby.
• How often and for how long you should massage your baby.
• When baby massage is contraindicated.
• A safe and soothing massage, fun and energizing stretches
• For the infant’s communication through crying and decoding.
• Techniques to address common ailments such as colic, gas, teething and congestion.
• Which oils are suitable and why.
• The importance of attachment parenting and why infant massage promotes the bonding and health growth of the family.

Each participant will be given a bottle of almond oil with the name of the baby and a towel for hands, a booklet with all the moves but also the theory to be discussed and finally a certificate and commemorative monitoring.

Infant massage classes are a fun way to learn how to soothe your baby, relieve upset tummies, learn to understand your baby’s non-verbal language and much more. The classes are informal, relaxed, and small enough to ensure you get the personal attention you need.

THE MASSAGE PROMOTES RELAXATION WHICH MAY BE SHOWN THROUGH:

• Improved sleep patterns
• Increased flexibility and muscle tone
• Regulation of behavioral states
• Being calm and being able to calm themself
• Reduction in stress hormones

PARENTS MAY FIND THAT INFANT MASSAGE HELPS RELIEVE:

• Gas and colic
• Constipation and elimination
• Growing pains and muscular tension
• Teething discomfort
• Cramps

Classes are baby led. In our classes, it’s okay for babies to cry!
Supportive group sessions where parents can share experiences and learn from each other while having fun. Baby massage classes for babies from birth to 12 months.

Private classes arranged for Groups and One to One sessions are also welcome.  Please contact me for further details.