Baby massage

Baby Massage Instruction helps establish and deepen bonding, easing the anxieties of caring for a tiny baby. It also helps improve sleep and relieve colic symptoms. It is taught to a maximum of two carers per child, and is taught over a course of 4 weeks, usually when infants are between 3 and 6 months of age.

It can also invoke feelings of relaxation, and promote better sleep. It also improves blood circulation, helps digestion, balances respiration, provides relief for teething pains, and relaxes both infant and parent Massage can stimulate production of oxytocin, a hormone that has a calming effect. Bonding has been defined as a "unique relationship between two people that is specific and endures through time".

Touch is a very powerful element in human bonding, as are communication, both verbal and non-verbal, and prolonged eye contact. Infant massage encompasses and supports all these vital aspects of bonding. Delayed bonding may occur due to situations such as premature birth, recovery from caesarean, medical complications, adoption, lack of physical and emotional support and post natal depression. In these cases Infant Massage can begin to recreate the elements of bonding.

Fathers can especially benefit from infant massage. It gives them an opportunity to connect with their child on a deeper level than may ordinarily be possible. Fathers are always welcome in infant massage classes.

Infant Massage can be of benefit to older children and facilitates deeper understanding, integration and connection with parents and caregivers. It can be particularly effective in encouraging bonding and calm in children with special needs.