Communicating Love Through Touch

Printed in the Family Post: Holiday Issue 2006

By Amber Reinhart

As parents we know our babies need to be held, rocked, caressed and loved. The simple art of babies being lovingly massaged has been passed down from parent to child for generations all over the world.

Infant massage is a gentle, non-invasive way to interactively communicate with your baby. For both babies and parents, the benefits of infant massage are much greater than they may at first seem. For infants, massage is a tool for maintaining a child’s health and well being on many different levels.

Massage can improve circulation, digestion, organization. Babies who suffer from colic and constipation will usually find some much-needed relief from a massage on their tummy.

Another wonderful benefit of infant massage is relaxation. Massage is something you do with your baby, not to them. Through massage you will be able to help your baby learn to relax and increase her sense of well being. When teaching classes, I encourage parents to take their babies’ senses into consideration:

• The warmth and love of your hands on your baby’s skin
• The sound of your voice as you talk to your baby
• Letting them know what you’re doing, what body part you’re touching
• The sound of your voice singing their favorite lullaby

All of this together enhances your baby’s awareness of being loved, accepted and safe. The benefits of infant massage are not limited only to the babies, but expand outward to the person giving the massage. Though this is usually the parents, it is a wonderful experience for anyone else who share time with the baby, including grandparents, siblings and caregivers.

For both parents and babies, a huge benefit of infant massage is how it promotes bonding and attachment. Massage helps expand the bond initiated at birth. Baby learns to enjoy this wonderful security and comfort of loving and being loved. A daily massage helps parents to become intimately acquainted with their baby’s body rhythms, language and non-verbal signals. Massage, which combines play, communication, intimacy, and care-giving can greatly enhance a parents feeling of competence. Parents feel more capable of helping their baby relax during times of stress. In addition, baby’s daily massage time offer hard working parents the opportunity to unwind and relax from the busy pace of life. This especially benefits parents who work outside of the home and must be separated form their baby during the day.

The love and security of the human touch is so great that it benefits both well babies and those with special needs. I have worked directly with drug exposed infants, babies with Down Syndrome, as well as those with other disabilities.

The benefits of a gentle loving massage can do wonders for these children:

• It provides a space for babies to learn to tolerate and accept positive touch (especially for those who have been hospitalized)
• It helps to relax tight muscles and stimulate muscle tone for hypotonic babies
• It strengthens the development of their respiratory, digestive, and immune systems

Massage is one of the most important gifts you can give to your infant. It can be continued throughout life and adjusted to the needs of your child. Each child is unique and will respond to massage differently. As long as the massage is provided with love and intent, your baby will grow and benefit from your touch.

Amber Reinhart is a certified Massage Therapist and certified Instructor in Infant Massage. She teaches private and group classes in the community. For more information or to sign up for a class contact Amber at: Amber Reinhart, CMT, CIIM Phone: (530) 277-3039 Email: ams_reinhart@yahoo.com