Baby massage

What is the aim of Baby Massage?

Our baby massage courses aim to support your bond with your baby through easy to learn, gentle and positive movements whilst enjoying relaxing and special one to one time together. It can help you to learn to recognise and tune into your baby’s cues and help meet their needs, helping you to feel more bonded with your baby. This can help you feel more confident in your parenting, especially when things overwhelming. Massaging your baby can also help with their physical, neurological and emotional wellbeing and development. During the course you’ll meet other local parents all and share your journey together.

The benefits of Touch

Before babies are able to understand language, we often communicate and comfort them through touch. If a baby cries, parents will hold, cuddle or stroke them. Baby massage is part of this natural impulse. Massaging your baby with gently rhythmic strokes can also help to soothe you and help you bond with your  baby. Babies often cry less and are less fretful during and after being massaged.

Baby massage is a long standing parenting tradition in many cultures across the world. It helps your baby feel securely attached to you, feel loved and also helps with relief from colic or gas discomfort.

Skin to Skin Benefits for you and your baby

Skin to skin contact lets babies and children know that they’re safe and protected, building trust between them and you. Physical contact with adults helps babies and children build a stable foundation for future relationships. Oxytocin, (known as the “bonding” hormone), is released during the times you have close physical contact with your baby. Increased skin-to-skin time benefits;

• Calms parents and babies.
• Helps babies cry less.
• Helps your baby gain weight faster.
• Releases hormones that relieve stress, stabilise your baby's temperature, breathing rate, heart rate, and blood sugar.
• Releases a hormone that lowers stress and promotes healing.
• Helps colostrum (the breastmilk produced in the first few days after birth) production and helps it to flow more easily.
• Helps with maintaining breastfeeding longer by building milk supply and making your bond with your baby stronger.
• Boosts your baby's immune system protecting against illness and disease.
• Builds your baby’s brain development through the smells, textures, and sounds they experience while they are on their parent’s chest