Baby Massage And Touch Therapy

By Arthur Bakeright

Baby massage is not only a wonderful and bonding experience shared by parent and child, it is highly therapeutic. The benefits of touch therapy in baby massage are obvious to the givers of the baby massage, but are also the subject of research and interest groups. No wonder that touch therapy is growing in popularity all over the world.

Touch is a basic human instinct that we are all born with. Reaching out and touching another individual is a universal action that conveys love and care. Maybe that’s why it is sometimes referred to as “the power of touch.” Communicating with hands comes as second nature, just as speaking with voice. Through certain gestures we can convey affirmative and healing messages such as clapping our hands to show appreciation, blowing kisses, giving someone a thumbs up, etc.

However, there is so much more information that we can grasp about using our hands. “Touch” is the primary method of learning about the world throughout infancy. That is such a significant truth. Unlike older children and adults who learn predominantly through sight and sound, infants learn primarily through touch. Research shows that touch is critical in a baby's development and growth.

One study showed that premature infants who received a regular series of 15-minute baby massages gained 47% more weight and also became more socially responsive than non-massaged premature infants. They were discharged from the hospital six days earlier on average than other premature babies.

Some supporters of touch therapy believe that it can treat and even cure a wide variety of illnesses, including diabetes and heart failure. This form of alternative therapy has also shown to provide stress relief. According to one theory, those who are ill have imbalanced or disturbed “energy fields.” By moving their trained hands over the patient's body, a touch therapist may detect misalignments and re-pattern energy fields and create “energy balance.”

Apart from touch therapy, other forms of baby massage have been recognized by scientists as being beneficial to infants and also those close to them. There are countless medical facts that support the importance of touch therapy and baby massage.

Touch therapy and massage therapy have a lot in common because they both are concerned with the motion of the hands over various parts of the infant's or baby's body. The techniques involve a lot of touching, stroking, and massaging of body parts.

Massage therapy has been practiced for many centuries. Today, it is most popular as a means to attain comfort and relaxation. In years past it was used predominantly as a treatment for many ailments. Many people looked to massage for therapy rather than medicine. Doctors incorporated manipulation of the body in many forms to help comfort the body through pain and disease.

For an infant, baby massage therapy has a lot to do with skin-to-skin contact. This could be as simple as holding a baby to a bare chest, or holding an infant's hand when the baby is in a cubicle.

Some massage therapists even offer special baby massage therapy for infants in a critical or unstable condition. One of the most wonderful things about baby massage therapy is that it not only benefits the infant, it also benefits the parents or caregivers.

The baby massage helps the infant to sleep better, grow faster and develops a healthy personality, while the parents benefit from the bonding experience and will also get an extra few hours sleep each night. Not only will the infant sleep better, baby massage therapy may eliminate colic, headaches, tummy aches, or even a stressful day at school or even fever.

Seeing the benefits of baby massage and touch therapy, it is no surprise that there are many more parents who are open to using massage therapy for their infant or baby today, as compared to years gone by, even just a decade ago.

The benefits for infant health brought about by a mother's massage are already firmly established. New research now shows that a father's touch is equally essential to a baby's well-being and health. Of course fathers also gain from the experience in performing infant massage in the same way that mothers do.

Health benefits for infants include fewer sleep problems, strengthening and regulating the digestive, circulatory and respiratory systems.

Baby massage and touch therapy can provide numerous benefits to a lot of people; the baby, the parent or caregiver, the family who are concerned with the baby’s well being, and even the community who are impacted by the health of their young. Thankfully the use of baby massage and touch therapy are practiced in increasing use.