The benefits of routine infant massage & how eLeMeNO-Pee can help!

The other day, I was visiting with my sister, who is expecting her first child later this year. She mentioned infant massage and asked what I thought about it, and thus, a blog post was born! It was something I did a handful of times when my daughter was tiny but I admittedly didn't do it nearly enough.

Image credit: Erin Keith (used with permission)

 

Most adults know that a massage is excellent for themselves and recognize how much better they feel after having one so it only  makes sense that our babies would love them, too! Infant massage is beneficial in many ways, the four biggest being: stimulating, relaxing, relief, and bonding/attachment.






infant massage USA expounds on those four areas with a helpful list of explanations for each of those four biggest benefits:

Stimulating

Stimulates all the systems of the body including the:

• Nervous system
• Circulatory system
• Respiratory System
• Elimination System
• Immune System

Stimulates the release of oxytocin, known as the cuddle hormone (is released in both parent and child), prolactin (promoting milk production in the mother) and other endorphins.
Reduces muscle stiffness and normalizes muscle tone

Relaxing

• Helps relieve tension built up from all the stimulation in the baby’s environment
• Helps babies handle sensory stimulation and respond in a relaxed manner
• Helps babies sleep better
• Helps regulate sleep/wake cycle

Relief

• Touch combined with vocalization helps reduce pain levels up to 80%
• Helps tone digestive tract
• Helps alleviate gas and promote elimination
• Releases hormones for food absorption.
• Releases endorphins, natural pain killers, to ease emotional distress

“Bonding is a unique relationship between two people. It is specific and endures through time.”M. Klaus

Bonding and Attachment

• Infant massage draws on all the elements of bonding and attachment
• Eye-to-eye contact, skin-to-skin, body scent, vocalization, taste, responsiveness
• Hormones stimulated by infant massage promote bonding and attachment between parent and baby

eLeMeNO-Pee carries two excellent infant massage products. The first is the hosie naturals baby massage oil, one of the many all-natural products from the hosies line that we carry.

The second infant massage item we carry and highly recommend is the Earth Mama Angel Baby baby oil which is also comprised of all natural ingredients.

Image credit: Erin Keith (used with permission)

There are many ways to learn how to give a "proper" infant massage. There are many online tutorials, books, DVDs, and even in-person classes.  One thing is for sure, it's a great, age-old way to bond and relax with your baby and eLeMeNO-Pee would be honored to assist you with the products you need to properly administer an excellent infant massage!