Infant Massage: The Lowdown on Baby Rubdowns

So you get home from a long, hard day of back-breaking labor and guess what, the baby's crying again.  Typical.  You try feeding it, giving it the bottle, singing to it (you were in your alma mater's barbershop quartet) but to no avail.  Suddenly it hits you, infant massage!  While some parents may wish that infant massage means training their baby to massage their backs after a long day of work, the term refers to techniques of loving touch that can be applied to your infant.

An old tradition made trendy?

While the idea of infant massage may sound like something a New Age guru thought of while making a headband out of granola, it has actually been a reputable technique for centuries in Eastern cultures.  However, it had only been properly introduced to the United States in the 1970s, when Vimala Schneider McClure returned from her trip to India and witnessed firsthand the positive effects of infant massage. McClure is now the founder of the International Association of Infant Massage, an institute that provides training, certification, and classes, and is located in Sweden with affiliates in the US.

The method

Infant massage is more or less an amalgam of different massage techniques.  The curriculum is mainly based in Swedish strokes, Indian massage strokes, reflexology, and a little bit of yoga thrown in there for good measure.

To assume the position, the parent should sit with the soles of their feet touching, therefore forming a diamond shape with their legs.  A blanket should be placed within the diamond area and then the baby of course, stripped to its bare essentials (basically down to the diaper or nothing at all) with its head cradling your feet.  From there you test the waters, working on a body part of choice.  If the baby cries or seems uneasy, it may be worth it to move onto another body part or to stop altogether and try another day.

It is generally recommended to get your baby into the routine of massage, so it's wise to start at the same time every day, (you know, unless your baby's got better things to do like putting its fingers in its mouth or filling its diaper).  Also the room you choose to massage in should be somewhat warm, considering that a baby's body temperature is fussy.  Also, the light in the room should be dim so as to further relax your baby (i.e. don't try this under the fluorescent lights of a K-Mart aisle).

Also, babies apparently prefer massage oil.  Most massage therapists will recommend a plant or vegetable oil, as opposed to standard baby oil or motor oil, because they are easily absorbed into the skin and can be digested if your baby is a thumbsucker.  Grapeseed oil and sweet almond oil are two popular choices for infant massage enthusiasts.  Also remember to test the oil on a small spot of the baby's skin first, possibly even waiting a day, to see if that particular oil irritates the baby's skin.

Remind me again why I'm massaging my infant

Though the concept may seem ridiculous (especially if you pictured a tiny masseuse table) it is equally beneficial for the parents as it is the infants.  Loving touch reportedly helps relieve an infant's discomfort from gas, as well as help normalize muscle tone and improve blood circulation.  It is also supposed to stimulate brain development, though that claim seems to be a bit more dubious than the others.

However, the real clencher for parents is that infant massage helps babies attain better sleep, which is really parental code for saying parents will attain better sleep.  On top of that, the techniques of massage unquestionably bring the baby and parent closer together, forming a natural bond of nurturing communication.  Also, if massage does indeed relax your baby, which it proclaims it will, then parents may be able to calm down their baby's bout of crying by working their magic fingers.

You decide

Infant massage's notoriety in other cultures helps debunk the theory that it's just some New Age money-making scam.  That being said, a training course at the International Association of Infant Massage or one of their affiliates runs about $100.  If you have the time or energy for something like that, then it may be worth a try.  It certainly won't harm your baby. But there's not any significant proof that your baby actually needs something like this either.  In the end, you just have to ask yourself, "Would the world be a better place today if the likes of Hitler and Stalin had full body massage therapy as infants?"

The information in the article is not intended to substitute for the medical expertise and advice of your health care provider. We encourage you to discuss any decisions about treatment or care an appropriate health care provider.