Baby Massage
What are Baby Massage classes?
Baby Massage classes are a wonderful way to nurture and empower early parent-child relationships.
They allow you to have a beautiful time with your baby as you learn the gift of loving touch and discover a new way to enhance bonding and communication.
Why is massaging your baby important?
Since touch is your child’s first language, massaging is a vital interaction, and it will last for life!
Massaging will help you listen and understand your baby, communicate love and respect. These natural moves improve health and well-being for the baby and the parent alike.
Massages bring many benefits to your baby, both emotionally and physically.
This shortlist classifies such benefits in 4 major groups:
Interaction: Through massaging you assist the bonding and attachment process, and develop trust and confidence with your little one.
Stimulation: A wonderful way to stimulate your baby’s hormonal, immune, digestive and circulatory systems as well as muscular and brain development. The baby’s coordination, balance and language will also benefit from massaging and gentle movements.
Relief: With simple strokes, you ease your baby’s discomfort and relieve pain from digestive problems (gas, colic) and from growing.
Relaxation: Research has shown that massages reduce the stress hormone, cortisol, and increase the hormones of relaxation and love, serotonin and oxytocin.
Babies’ sleep patterns and state of relaxation often improve. Massage benefits both the giver and the receiver.
In our busy society, massaging allows for a beautiful and relaxed time shared between the mother and the baby. Massages can also connect the father and the siblings to the baby.
If you suffer from postnatal depression, this beautiful loving touch helps you promote the bonding and attachment process with your little one due to the release of oxytocin (the love hormone), which is released during massage in both the mother and baby.
Massaging your baby also boosts your maternal confidence.
See more http://www.iaim.net/benefits/
Important information
Who can do the massages and attend the classes?
Only parents massage their baby, as I use a doll to demonstrate the strokes.
Mothers and dads are welcome. If another family member wants to join, they’re welcome!
If your baby is sleeping or both parents attend the class, there is always a doll to practice on.
When can my baby start Baby Massage classes?
From newborn to 6-month-old, all babies are welcome.
However, babies have longer alert phases in their 3 first months so they are usually more receptive to the massage.
Where are the Baby Massage classes?
Private classes are held in the comfort of your own place. Book “Private classes” here
Group classes are held at Onewa Parents Centre (Rawene Centre / Level Three / 33 Rawene Road, Birkenhead, Auckland). Next 5-week class dates available here
How are Baby Massage classes organised?
Baby Massage classes run for 5 weeks.
There is 1 class a week, lasting between 60-90 minutes, depending on whether it is a private class or a group.
Since it takes time for your baby to tolerate a full body massage, I will introduce various strokes for one part of the body each week. We will also recap on the strokes learned in previous weeks to ensure that you feel confident in doing them. You will slowly build up your knowledge in a way that is gentle for your baby, who will get used to this wonderful massage experience.
I will run the classes using the IAIM (International Association of Infant Massage) program based on the great experience of Vimala McClure. This involves many different styles of touch, gentle movements, interaction and communication. What’s more, you are going to learn more than massaging your baby. Each class involves a relaxation time, a discussion topic relevant to parenting and time for interaction with the other parents.
The classes focus on sensitivity and safety, for both the baby and the parent.
Do you have a special request regarding Baby Massage classes?
If you want to organise a Baby Massage friend group at a location of your choice, or if you have any other particular requests, please contact me.