Researchers say 15 minutes of massage a day can help a diabetic child's glucose levels remain in the normal range and improve an asthmatic child's pulmonary functions. Use almost any oil or lotion to massage, even a vegetable oil, as long as it doesn't contain mineral oil. Babies should not ingest mineral oil, and they might if it's on their body. Studies show that when premature babies receive a daily massage routine, they will gain 47 percent more weight and be discharged six days earlier than babies without massage. Be sensitive and responsive to how much and what kind of touch your baby likes.
Massage relaxes most babies.
Once in a while, a baby will be energized by it and become more active instead of sleepy. There's also a decrease in physical contact between adults and children in day care and preschool because directors are fearful of lawsuits. She is director of the Touch Research Institutes at the University of Miami. Massage therapist Denise Borrelli of Medford, Mass., for example, has been teaching infant massage to parents for nine years. Field credits massage with improving immune systems and solving such pediatric problems as fussiness and colic.