They teach parents a series of strokes and exercises for their babies, advise them on infant development and give lessons in the art of communication without words. There s a routine to help when a baby s nose is stuffed up and another for gas pains. For a quick daily massage, mom might start by rubbing gentle circles around baby s head, stroke the chest, roll the arms and legs in her hands and softly swish her hands across the back. Sessions can start when a baby is less than a month old, and they work best in the first few months of life. Practitioners say regular massage strengthens parent-child bonds, relieves colic, helps babies sleep and enhances infants mental, physical and emotional development.
Parents say it s fun and relaxing.
Many enjoy getting massages themselves, so it only makes sense to them that their babies would, too. Scientists at the University of Miami s Touch Research Institute have looked at the benefits of massage for babies with problem, such as premature birth, HIV and drug exposure and depressed mothers. In all of those cases, babies who received regular massage gained more weight and developed better than control groups without massage. Cary Pickard of Charlotte is a fervent believer. Her second child, Sara, was born with a brain abnormality six months ago.