HEALTH: The benefits of massage for your baby

The benefits of massage for your baby


Aromatherapy
Ellen Cox

Massage can be stimulating or soothing, so it can help a person feel alert or, conversely, relaxed and sleepy. For thousands of years, some form of massage or laying on of hands has been used to heal and soothe the sick. Touch is the core of massage. Touch means contact and is of vital importance for humans and all animals. It gives reassurance, warmth, comfort and renewed vitality. It tells us we are not alone.
More recent research has been ongoing since the 1970s. The Touch Research Institute (formally established in 1992 at the University of Miami School of Medicine) is dedicated to scientifically demonstrating the benefits of touch therapy and establishing its credibility with the medical community. 
Baby massage is a welcome and wonderful addition to parenting. Massage for babies is an ancient art passed down through the ages and traditionally practiced throughout Asia.

Benefits of baby massage
Baby massage is a marvellous experience for both child and parent or carer, offering many benefits. It aids digestion (helping to relieve colic and wind), reduces stress hormones, supports immune function, enhances alertness, aids mobility (it’s passive exercise) and promotes health and general wellbeing.
Massage can also give parents more confidence in handling their new baby, particularly dads. Learning to massage your child can help set up a bank of communication skills to be used later in life – touch is a non-verbal communication that can ‘say’ a lot.

Aromatherapy and baby massage
The only two essential oils recommended for babies are organic lavender and Roman camomile. The quantity of essential oils for baby massage should be very low, 0.5 per cent or less. To make this, add 10 drops of essential oil (from an Atlantic Aromatics dropper) to 50ml of carrier (vegetable) oil. When first using essential oils with a baby, patch test a small area – apply a very small amount of the oil blend to the inside of the arm and check the area after a few hours to make sure there is no reaction.
Many mothers of young babies choose not to wear perfume, as babies recognise their mother’s natural smell, which helps the bonding process. Because of this, the use of essential oils may be introduced at around eight weeks. From 0-8 weeks, however, an unperfumed, organic, cold-pressed vegetable oil – such as olive, sweet almond or calendula (use olive oil if there is any concern regarding nut allergies) – can be used. A good-quality vegetable oil will be healing and nourishing to your baby’s developing skin.
Alternatively, Atlantic Aromatics’ Baby Massage blend is ready to use. It is made using pure essential oils of organic lavender and organic Roman camomile in a cold-pressed, unrefined sweet-almond-oil base.

Tips
There are different schools of massage that will use different techniques. The following are a few guidelines:
Always massage your baby in a safe place, the bed (never leave the baby unattended) or on the floor. Make sure the room you choose is nice and warm. Warm the oil mix slightly in your hands first. Always massage using gentle strokes upwards towards the heart. When massaging the abdomen always massage in a clockwise direction. Massage your baby for a short time to begin with, it may take a few sessions for them to get used to it – remember that five minutes for a baby is a long time!

A few don’ts
As with all things in life, there are few things not to do when it comes to massaging your baby. Never wake a sleeping baby to give him or her a massage. Avoid massaging your baby if he or she is unwell, has a fever or is on medication, or if he or she has a rash, a skin infection or broken skin. Also, don’t persist with a massage if your baby is not enjoying it. Follow these simple rules and you (and your baby) will soon discover the joy and feeling of closeness that massage can bring.

> Ellen Cox is a qualified professional aromatherapist and a member of the International Federation of Professional Aromatherapists. She currently practices aromatherapy two days a month in St Brendan’s Retirement Village in Mulranny. She has worked with Atlantic Aromatics for 15 years.