Touch and massage can really help you bond with your baby, along with several other important developmental benefits.
Touch: Our First Language
Scientists are now beginning to understand that in many ways, touch is our first language. Gentle and loving touch can help small babies grow stronger and feel less anxiety. Infants who are touched display more eye contact, smiles and vocalizations. In many hospitals and birth centres, newborns are placed on the mother's chest or abdomen to give them as much skin-to-skin contact as possible. The touch between you and your baby brings you emotionally close – a process known as bonding or attachment.
Benefits of Baby Massage
Massage is a wonderful way to help strengthen your bond. This is the key to a child’s development, as many researchers and clinicians feel that a positive maternal child bond helps to form the basis for future relationships.
In addition to helping you and your baby bond, regular massage may:
Soothe baby and reduce crying
Aid digestion and help relieve gas and constipation
Help baby sleep more deeply and longer
Help calm and relax both parent and baby
Boost parents’ confidence in handling baby
NOTE: Don't massage your baby if they're sick or have just been immunised — the area of the injection may still be sore.
Baby Massage Techniques & Tips
Choose a time when your baby is awake and alert, not too hungry or too full
Ensure the room is warm and lighting not too bright
Have what you need ready: oil, towel, clean nappies and clothes
Wash your hands and remove jewellery
Use a safe and comfortable place to do the massage and position your baby so that they can see your face clearly
Before starting, take time to relax with a few full breaths — this can help your baby relax too
Babies are different, changing all the time. For instance, young babies may feel more secure if most of their clothes are left on and they feel close to their parent’s body