Use baby oil or lotion to help your hands and fingers slide over your your baby's skin. Learn to read your baby's non-verbal cues. Remember that most babies find downward strokes to be calming and upward strokes to be stimulating. On newborns, downward strokes work best. Make sure your strokes are firm enough to not tickle.
Many babies find tickling unpleasant.
Newborn massage should be limited to the legs, feet, arms and hands and should last no more than three to five minutes. Once your baby is a month old, you can add massages for the stomach and chest and increase the time to ten minutes. After two months, you can begin massaging the back and head and the entire massage can last as long as 15 minutes. Don'ts Don't try to massage your baby when your baby is not already relaxed and alert. Never perform infant massage on a soft surface such as a bed or couch.