Baby Massage at Home

After you have attended a Baby Massage Course, you might feel that you want to continue using your new skills and massage your baby at home.

But how do we make this a comfortable and relaxing environment?

First we need to ensure that Little One is happy to take part in any massage and hasn’t:

• Had a full feed within the last 45 minutes
• Had any vaccinations within the last 3 days
• Is awake, alert and happy.

Things we can do to create a comfortable space:

• Ensure the room is warm enough for Little One to be undressed. We can do this by asking ourselves “Would I be comfortable sat here in a t-shirt?”
• Having something cosy for Little One to Lie on. By placing a blanket or towel down on the floor, it creates a little extra comfort.
• Keep the lights turned down low to create a cosy atmosphere. Also, don’t sit in direct sunlight as this can be too bright for baby and as we are massaging with oil, we don’t want to expose the skin to any unnecessary sun rays.
• Have the oil ready and warmed to room temperature. Especially if you’ve been to class that day, as I usually store the oil in give out in my garage!
• Warm our hands up. By giving our hands a quick rub together, we can simply warm them up. No one wants chilly hands massaging them!
• Have some soft music playing in the background. As with my Baby Massage Classes, we have soft music playing in the background, this breaks up the silence and can help to regulate the speed of our massage by slowing us down with the music. It can also be nice a relaxing for parents/careers to listen to.
• You could try keeping to the Baby Massage Strokes that you know Little One enjoys.
• Some parents prefer to include Baby Massage as part of a routine, sometimes at bedtime. Whereas some parents, prefer to make an activity out of Baby Massage and create a special bonding time.
• Have a spare towel, nappies and wet wipes handy for those little incidents or to wipe your hands on when finished..
• Have everything ready before getting Little One ready. The last thing we want to do is have Little One ready for their massage and then need to get all our equipment.
• Don’t feel you have to massage your Little One at home just because you have been to a Baby Massage Class. Only massage if you feel comfortable and confident.
• Don’t worry if it all goes wrong and baby ends up screaming. Try again another day!

Is there anything you do for a nice relaxing Baby Massage? Let us know in the comments!