A nourishing and soothing massage is beneficial for your baby as it helps improve their blood circulation and aids in their overall development. Plus, a relaxing massage session can enhance your bond with your little one and facilitate positive eye contact and communication. However, to get the best effects from massage, you need to keep in mind certain baby massage tips and techniques that ensure your munchkin’s good health and safety.
Read on to know more about the benefits of baby massage, the best oil to use for their hair and scalp, and tips to remember while massaging them.
When To Start Baby Massage?
There is no set timeframe regarding the minimum age to start massaging your baby. However, there is a general opinion that your infant must complete one month of their life before they get a massage. The reason for this is that your munchkin’s skin barrier is underdeveloped at birth, and it takes at least 15 days for their skin to become water-resistant.
Just to be cautious, you can consider starting your baby’s massage after 15 days of their birth, as by then their umbilical cord stump also falls off and the risk of an infection hazard is relatively less. However, if you have any additional concerns about the right time to start your baby’s massage, you can consult a paediatrician for guidance.
Benefits Of Baby Massage
Massage offers exceptional benefits to your little one’s growth and development, and also boosts their health in the first few weeks of their life. We have listed some of the common ways a massage can benefit your little one.
- It helps relieve stress and relax muscles: Massage can help ease stress in your baby by producing feel-good neurohormones in their body, and reducing the levels of stress-causing hormones. It also helps relax their muscles and stimulates healthy growth.
- Improves their nervous system: Massage also helps boost your baby’s motor skills development and coordination.
- Helps your baby sleep better: A massage right before bedtime can help promote sleep-inducing hormones like melatonin in your little one’s body, and aid better and deeper sleep in them.
- Helps improve blood circulation: A nourishing massage can help improve your baby’s blood circulation and decrease the level of discomfort caused by congestion, acidity, and teething.
- Boosts your baby’s scalp and hair health: A scalp and hair massage is also beneficial for your baby in many ways. It helps stimulate their hair follicles to promote healthy hair growth, moisturises their scalp to prevent dandruff and cradle cap, and also helps soothe them to a deep slumber.
Which Oil To Use For Massage?
To get the best benefits out of the massage, you need to be specific while choosing a massage oil. Make sure that all the ingredients in the oil are safe, organic, and plant-based, and do not pose the risk of causing skin infections and rashes. To make things easier for you, we recommend using natural baby oil products from The Moms Co.
Natural Massage Oil
The natural massage oil from The Moms Co. is blended with 10 powerful oils that help nourish and moisturise your baby’s skin and strengthen their bones and muscles. The oil is enriched with organic ingredients like sesame oil, chamomile oil, avocado oil, wheat germ oil, and almond oil, which strengthen your little one’s skin barrier and protect it from the effects of external pollutants and the sun. The oil also contains natural vitamin E and other fatty acids and minerals, which boost your munchkin’s bone health, and aid in their overall development.
Natural Baby Hair Oil
The natural baby hair oil from The Moms Co. is perfect for nourishing and strengthening your little one’s hair and scalp. It contains a power-packed combo of 10 organic oils like argan oil, marula oil, avocado oil, and amla oil, which moisturise your baby’s hair and protects their delicate strands from damage and dryness. Additionally, the hair oil contains Bhringraj oil that stimulates their hair follicles and promotes stronger hair growth.
5 Baby Massage Tips To Follow
Here are some crucial tips that you should keep in mind while massaging your baby.
- Be gentle during the massage and don’t apply too much pressure on your baby’s body since their tissues and bones are still very delicate. Also, do not massage near your baby’s genitals or groin area.
- If your baby becomes cranky at any point during the massage, then skip that step and move on to the next one. If your baby is still fussy, then stop the massage, and make an attempt later when they seem more receptive to touch.
- Speak, smile, and laugh while massaging your baby, and initiate eye contact with them. This will help keep your munchkin interested in the activity, and eventually, make them more cooperative.
- Try to maintain a fixed time for the massage. This will help establish a massage routine and help your baby feel more comfortable.
- After you are done massaging your little one, wipe away any excess oil in their palms or fingers with a natural baby wipe. This will help prevent accidental ingestion of oil and possible tummy troubles like aches and discomfort.
Baby massage is extremely beneficial as it aids in the positive growth and development of your little one. Follow the baby massage tips we have discussed above to get the maximum benefits and ensure to use of natural and plant-based products only to ensure your little one’s skin and hair health.
Also read:
Best baby powders: Check out the best baby powders that keep your little one’s skin sweat-free and nourished.
Best baby massage oils: Find out how to choose the right baby oil for your little one’s delicate and tender skin.
Feature image: Alia Bhatt / Instagram
