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Giving baby massage

Guide to Newborn, Baby & Toddler Massage Routine

Communicate with touch. Bring baby and you closer together with baby massage. Your connection with baby will help nurture your bond and provide sensory stimulation and healthy development.

The Benefits of Baby Massage

Studies show that a routine touch and massage by a parent or caregiver to baby is vital to their growth, communication and learning.

Touch: Our First Language

A relaxing and gentle touch helps soothe babies by lessening their anxiety. In fact, infants who experience routine touch show 50% more eye contact and are 3 times more likely to have an overall positive expression than infants who do not.

You might have noticed that at hospitals and birth centers, newborns are placed on the mother’s chest or abdomen to give as much skin-to-skin contact as possible. The closeness of the contact between you and baby calms their breathing and builds your connection.

Not only does regular touch and skin-to-skin contact help nurture your connection to baby, regular infant massage also helps soothe baby in a plethora of ways:

  • Reduce crying

  • Aid with digestion

  • Help relieve colic, gas and constipation

  • Increase daily weight gain

  • Enhance baby’s adjustment to nighttime sleep

  • Help baby sleep more deeply

  • Relieve nasal congestion and teething discomfort

  • Help develop good muscle tone, coordination and suppleness

  • Enhance body awareness

  • Boost their immune system

  • Improve skin texture

  • Help calm and relax you and baby

  • Boosts your confidence in handling baby

question mark

Did you know?

Researchers feel that a positive maternal child bond helps to form the basis for future relationships.

How To: Massage a Baby

Infants communicate during massage. Pay close attention for ideas, right from your baby, on how you can support them.

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Baby Massage: 8 Tips & Tricks

Massage tip 1

Choose a time when your baby is awake and alert, not too hungry or too full.

Massage tip 2

Ensure the room is warm and lighting not too bright.

Massage tip 3

Have what you need ready: baby massage oil, towel, clean diapers and clothes.

Massage tip 4

Wash your hands and remove jewelry.


Massage tip 5

Find a comfortable place to massage so they can see your face clearly.

Massage tip 6

Before starting, relax with a few full breaths — this can help your baby relax too.

Massage tip 7

Babies are always changing. Some may feel more secure if they’re close to their parents.


Massage tip 8

Use baby oil or lotion and glide comfortably over baby’s skin.

WARNING: Keep all products out of reach of children. Keep any baby oil out of children’s reach to avoid drinking and accidental inhalation, which can cause serious injury. Should breathing problems occur, consult a doctor immediately.

Baby Massage Products

Jonhson's Oil

JOHNSON’S® Baby Oil

Front side of the bottle of JOHNSON’S ® Aloe & Vitamin E Creamy Oil, 236mL

JOHNSON’S® Aloe & Vitamin E Creamy Oil

Johnson's Comfort Touch Newborn Face & Body Lotion

JOHNSON’S® Comfort Touch Newborn Face & Body Lotion

Front shot of JOHNSON'S® Baby Lotion, 800mL bottle

JOHNSON’S® Baby Lotion

Jonhson's Oil

JOHNSON’S® Baby Oil

Front side of the bottle of JOHNSON’S ® Aloe & Vitamin E Creamy Oil, 236mL

JOHNSON’S® Aloe & Vitamin E Creamy Oil

Johnson's Comfort Touch Newborn Face & Body Lotion

JOHNSON’S® Comfort Touch Newborn Face & Body Lotion

Front shot of JOHNSON'S® Baby Lotion, 800mL bottle

JOHNSON’S® Baby Lotion

Massage Guides

Newborn Massage Techniques


Remember, massage is something you do WITH baby and not TO baby. That small adjustment of thinking will help ease you into giving baby a regular massage routine that’ll grow your bond and lead to baby’s happy and healthy development. Through newborn massage, you’ll get a greater awareness of how your baby communicates, and it’ll help foster ideas on ways to support baby in their first few months. Start easing into a routine with these newborn massage techniques.

Massage Resting Hands

Massage Resting Hands

The resting hands technique is a good way for your baby to feel secure and enjoy touch.

Massage Legs

Begin on the legs with a newborn because it is an area which is usually accepted by babies.

Legs - Milking

Gently hold your baby’s ankle with one hand and place your other hand at the top of your baby’s thigh, then slide it to the ankle.

Massage Feet

Softly squeeze and roll each toe between your thumb and index finger and use alternate thumb to stroke the top of the foot.

Massage Tummy

Newborn tummy massage can help with digestion and tummy troubles.

Massage Back

Hold your baby close to your chest and massage their back beginning at the neck, ending at their bottom.

Baby Massage Techniques (6 weeks +)

Once baby hits six weeks, you’ll notice they become more engaging with you. Baby massage is integral to help baby’s development – here are a few techniques to help get you started.

Tummy

Gently make paddling strokes on the tummy with one hand following the other. The baby tummy massage will help them feel safe, secure and help them with any tummy troubles.

Face

Make small circles along the jaw with your fingertips. A baby face massage can help relax tension caused by sucking, crying and provide relief from the discomfort of teething.

Chest

With both of your hands at the center of baby’s chest, stroke out to the sides like you’re flattening the pages of a book. Sustain contact with baby and glide your hands down and around and meet them in the center again to repeat. A gentle massage here will help baby relieve congestion problems.

Touch Relaxation

Mold your hands around baby’s arm or leg to ask them to relax. Say and repeat the word ‘relax’ with a calm voice. This technique will help baby lose some of the tension they’re holding in their bodies and allow them to relax.

Hands

Using the pads of your thumbs gently open their hand, roll each tiny finger between your index finger and thumb and finally stroke the top of their hand from the wrist to the fingertips.

Back

With baby on their front, start with both your hands together at the top of their back, at right angles to the spine. Move your hands back and forth, going down the back to the buttocks, then up to the shoulders. This back massage technique will help encourage and strengthen baby’s neck, shoulders and arms as they lift their head.

Toddler Massage Techniques (6 months +)

At the toddler stage, baby will be much more active, wriggling, sitting up, crawling and trying to stand.

These toddler massage techniques are a bit more active to help your little one develop their self-confidence and their ability to relate to others. By singing songs, rhyming and playing games you’ll help them build their coordination, strength, and even help prepare them for walking!

Legs Rolling

With your hand, roll the leg from thigh to ankle to help toddler increase their body awareness.

Back

Swoop one hand after the other from neck down the back and up again to soothe and relax toddler if they’re sitting upright.

Gentle Movements

Gentle movements help to develop baby’s coordination, align the spine and keep your baby flexible.

Cross-Cross-Cross-Open

Start by crossing baby’s arms at the chest three times. Alternate between which arm goes over and under. Gently stretch baby’s arms out to the side and follow the rhythm: cross-cross-cross-open. Repeat. Finish the massage with a cuddle and a kiss.

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