Tender Touch
Elke
Baby massage is not just something someone thought up one day: it is an art of touch which has had centuries to develop and grow. Moms all over the world have instinctively used the art of touch therapy (hugging and cuddling) to nurture their children. It has been noted that the babies and children in poor, remote areas would flourish more because the mothers used all they had to give, namely time and love.
Touch is well documented to be one of the basic needs of humans. Like eating and breathing, it is not the luxury one might mistakenly think it to be. No toy, educational or not, can replace what is most natural – mother’s love, touch and caring.
The benefits of this nurturing touch for baby and child:
- It helps babies with colic, teething and tummy discomfort.
- The massage helps a child cope with any birth trauma.
- A lighter form of massage can be done on premature babies.
- It stimulates all body systems, therefore improving immunity.
- It helps them sleep better as they are more relaxed.
- It improves the bond and communication between parent and child.
- A child learns to differentiate between a healthy and unhealthy touch.
The benefits for parents:
- The daily massage time provides an opportunity to relax and unwind from a busy life.
- The massage not only brings parent and child closer but parents, too, are united by working together towards a common goal: to love the child and to build a stronger family bond.
- The bond between parents and their adopted child will be enhanced.
A happy contented child equals happy contented parents and vice versa.
Time spent intimately with a child is an investment in the family’s future together.
Elke from Revive Massage in Motion Baby Massage
Article first published in Learning Years Vol 33/nr 1 – August 2008