All parents have heard about the benefits of massage for infants. Even during pregnancy, many expectant mothers and fathers purchase massage oil and baby cream in advance in order to massage the baby after he is born. But now the discharge is left behind, and young parents are somewhat confused - when should they do a massage, how to do it so as not to harm the child, and should it be done during the newborn period? We will try to answer these questions within the framework of this article.
Do I need to massage?
At first glance, a newborn, who is only a few days to a few weeks old, does not need massage at all. All he obviously needs is food, mother’s presence and healthy and long sleep, which takes up to 22 hours a day. However, this is a misconception.
If you undress a newborn and carefully look at his body and limbs, then with the naked eye, even in the complete absence of any initial medical training, you can see the consequences of his long stay in the mother’s womb - muscle hypertonicity. The baby's arms are clenched into fists, which open very rarely, the elbows are slightly bent and do not fully straighten, the legs are bent at the knee joint, and it is also not possible to straighten them completely.
A newborn (and the neonatal period, let us remind you, is considered to be from 0 to 4 weeks) cannot hold his head, cannot turn it towards sounds. Even the movements of the eyeballs are still chaotic. The undressed newborn waves his arms and legs completely arbitrarily, without controlling their movement in space.
Home massage at this age is designed to help relieve increased muscle tone, help the child relax somewhat, and better control his movements. Massage helps improve blood circulation, strengthens the immune system, normalizes sleep and appetite, and helps the baby grow and develop more harmoniously.
Characteristics and type of massage
Massage for newborns is a very special type of procedure. Of course, it can also be done by professional massage therapists who have skills in working with newborn children. However, you should not count on a children's clinic. They usually conduct massage sessions for older children, and it is undesirable to take a newly born person with weak immunity to crowded places, especially to a clinic, where several not-so-healthy people gather on one square meter.
Calling a specialist to your home is a completely acceptable option for fairly wealthy married couples, because sessions for such little ones are an expensive pleasure.
The best option, and the famous pediatrician Evgeniy Komarsky completely agrees with him, is to massage yourself at home.
Massage belongs to the group of classic massage sessions. Essentially, it is relaxing and restorative. Massage techniques are quite simple and can be mastered by any mother and even father if he decides that he would like to massage the baby himself. Dr. Komarovsky emphasizes that in the hands of a paid, expensive professional with a diploma, infants often cry. Not from pain, but from the loss of connection with the parent, because babies at half a month, at 1 month, need tactile contact with their mother, to whom he has become accustomed during nine months of intrauterine development, who feeds him and gives him a feeling of security and calm. Maternal massage, Komarovsky believes, can bring significantly more benefits than a massage performed by the best professional massage therapist.
A mother can fill a therapeutic and preventive session with love, turn it into precious minutes of communication with the baby; this, no matter how much she wants, can never be given by a stranger, no matter how eminent a professional in his field he may be.
A classic relaxing massage involves three types of techniques - stroking, rubbing and kneading. Each massage session should begin with gentle gentle stroking and end with kneading individual muscles and their groups. For a child who tolerates the sessions with pleasure and ease, you can add a fourth technique to the three basic techniques - vibration tapping with your fingertips.
Acceptable age
Many parents are interested in whether there are age-related restrictions. There is none of them. The only limitation that must be taken into account is the unhealed umbilical wound. It is recommended to start doing massage when the clothespin with which you returned from the maternity hospital completely falls off and the umbilical wound heals. In some cases, it is possible to massage the umbilical wound, but only if the child is already 3 weeks old and has no contraindications, which we will discuss below.
Some believe that partial massage (only the limbs) is possible from the first day after returning from the parental home. There is common sense in these statements.
If you really want to start, you can start as early as possible, but provided that the child, after returning from the maternity hospital, was examined by a pediatrician at home and found no reason to ban such activities.
General rules
There are quite strict rules that must be followed if you decide to start giving your newborn a massage. Parents should familiarize themselves with them first:
- Perform a massage in the first half of the day, since a session performed before an evening swim can disrupt a child’s normal night’s sleep - increased blood circulation has a stimulating effect on the baby’s nervous system.
- The air temperature in the room where the child is being massaged should not exceed 22 degrees Celsius. Parents may find it too cold. This is wrong. The child’s skin and some features of his thermoregulation, which we will not delve into now, require just such an optimal air temperature for the healthy development of the toddler.
- Massage is best combined with gymnastics and exercises. At 1 month of life, when the neonatal period is over, you can add cool (27-30 degrees in water) baths to this therapeutic and prophylactic complex as the first step towards hardening and strengthening the immune system.
- In principle, you can do without cream or oil, but if the skin of your mother’s hands is dry, it is best to use a special baby massage oil or baby cream. It is better to avoid Vaseline oil, since it is a product of petroleum processing and leaves a rather dense film on the baby’s skin, which does not allow the skin to breathe. The oil must be hypoallergenic and approved for use in children from birth. It should not have a strong smell or contain dyes.
- The soft surface of your bed or sofa is not suitable for the session. It is best to massage a newborn on a flat and hard surface - on a changing table, for example. If you don’t have such a table in your apartment, you can use an ordinary table - kitchen, dining, after covering it with a thick flannel diaper, oilcloth and a thin diaper on top. Even if the baby pees during the session, urine will not leak through the oilcloth layer.
- Try to equip the massage place in such a way that you do not be distracted from the baby during the process, do not leave him alone even for a second, do not turn away to take something or put something down. It is the falls of infants from the changing table that are considered the most dangerous and traumatic, since the height of the table is quite large.
- You need to do a massage only with clean hands, without manicure, long nails, rings and bracelets, because the child’s skin is very thin and vulnerable. Make sure that your hands are warm, otherwise the massage from the first touch will cause discomfort to the baby and cause persistent rejection.
- Choose the right time for the session - immediately after a meal, a massage can cause excessive regurgitation, and before the next meal, the baby will be hungry and not at all in the mood for any procedures or manipulations.
The optimal time is 45 minutes after meals or an hour before the next feeding.
- The session time should be increased gradually, as well as the load. It is better to start with 3-4 minutes and gradually increase to 10-15 minutes.
- Do not conduct the session in deathly silence. Use this time to simultaneously develop the child, his senses - hearing and vision, read poems and nursery rhymes, talk to the baby, sing a song, turn on classical music.
- The child should like everything that happens. If something bothers him, if he starts to be capricious or cry during the massage, refuse the session and postpone it for another day. Doing a massage through “I don’t want”, under the heart-rending roar of a child, is not only not useful, but also very harmful to the health and development of the child.
- Perform a massage only on days when the child has slept well, when he has eaten normally, when he is completely healthy and cheerful. If you have fever, diarrhea, nausea, or excessive regurgitation, you should not perform a massage.
Following these simple rules will ensure comfort for both mother and child.
Preparation
So, you have decided to give your newborn son or daughter a first massage session. Prepare everything you need in advance. You will need:
- massage oil or baby cream;
- clean diaper or disposable diaper:
- wet wipes (wipe the child if he pees so that urine does not irritate the delicate skin of the perineum).
Heat the oil slightly - it should be warm. Place the cream in warm water for a few minutes for the same purpose. Warm your hands. Lay out the diaper and place massage products and napkins open next to it. Check the room temperature, close the windows to avoid drafts.
Only after this, undress the child and begin a set of activities, after making sure that the child has no contraindications.
Contraindications
Parents' common sense and knowledge of conditions and diseases that are not compatible with the massage procedure will help protect the child. Under no circumstances should massage be performed on a newborn at home or by yourself without the knowledge of the doctor and his supervision in the following cases:
- viral disease, ARVI, influenza;
- high or elevated temperature;
- congenital anomalies of bone structure, hip dysplasia, anomalies of other joints;
- inflammatory dermatological diseases, especially if they occur with the formation of cracks in the skin and pustular elements;
- umbilical hernia - exposure to such a pathology can cause pinching of the hernial sac;
- congenital heart and vascular defects;
- severe prematurity and weakness.
In the case of heart ailments, sessions are carried out exclusively according to the doctor’s indications and under the supervision of a cardiologist; massage for children with umbilical hernia, hydrocephalus and premature babies should also be performed by medical specialists if indicated. The parents' desire alone to strengthen the baby and develop it will not be enough in this case.
Exercises and technique
All exercises should be carried out with light touches, without causing pain or discomfort to the child. Stroking should be gentle and careful, rubbing should not leave red marks on the child’s skin, and kneading should be done superficially, using the finger touch method. More persistent and deeper movements while toning the muscles will feel quite painful.
Start the complex with a group of exercises in a supine position, move on to a prone position and finally return to a supine position. So, let's begin.
On the back
Undress the baby, remove the diaper and let him lie naked for a few minutes - an air bath will help him adapt to the air temperature. Start with light stroking of the whole body, make sure that the child finds them pleasant. Then move on to massage your arms and legs. With one hand, take the baby’s hand and fix it in one position, with the other hand, gently stroke it from the fingers to the shoulder and down. This must be done at least ten times, after which the second hand is massaged in the same way. Then move on to the legs.
Take one leg in your hand and grab it by the shin; with the other hand, begin stroking and lightly rubbing first the back, and then the front, from bottom to top. The procedure is carried out ten times, after which the second leg is massaged identically.
Take both legs in your hands so that the baby’s feet are in your hand, with your other hand, with your palm, move from the heels to the toes and back at least ten times. Complete the foot massage by lightly pressing with the pad of your finger under the baby’s toes - the feet will reflexively “unfold”.
After the massage of the limbs and feet is completed, move on to the stomach. You need to massage your tummy in a circular motion, avoiding touching and getting oil or cream into the area of the umbilical wound. Try to “write” circles clockwise - this exercise is useful not only for strengthening the abdominal muscles, which will come in handy later when the baby begins to roll over, but also as a prevention and treatment of infant intestinal colic. In total, you need to make at least 10 circular movements.
Then you should start massaging your chest. Using your thumbs, make synchronous movements from the center of the sternum to the ribs with slight pressure. The reception is carried out at least 10 times.
Complete the set of exercises on your back with light finger taps throughout your body.
Try to avoid touching and massaging the armpits, popliteal folds, groin area, and genitals. Carefully turn the baby onto his tummy.
On the stomach
Start with a back massage. Swipe the backs of both hands ten times from top to bottom and bottom to top. Pay attention to your shins. They are stroked and rubbed with gentle gentle pressure so as not to cause convulsive activity of the lower extremities. When massaging your back, avoid massaging the collar area - the baby is still too small for this. It is enough to limit yourself to lightly stroking the shoulders. Do not rub or massage the vertebrae. All movements of the mother should occur along the spinal column to the right and left of it, but not in the center.
Provoke crawling - place your palm under the baby’s feet, first bending the legs at the knees, and lightly press on them - the baby will reflexively move the body forward.
Finish the back massage with light pats on the buttocks and move on to massage the side muscles. To do this, turn the child on his right side, holding the body with one hand, and stroke his side from top to bottom with the other. Then run your finger along the vertebrae - the baby will reflexively straighten his back. Repeat the exercise no more than 2-3 times, turn the child on the other side and do the same. Return the child to the starting position lying on his back. Pet him, calm him down if he is agitated. Don't rush to dress your baby. Let him remain naked in the air for a few more minutes.
If the massage was carried out with fatty oil, after the massage you should bathe the baby in warm water so as not to leave a greasy film on the skin.
Some modern massage products leave a “breathable” film that prevents the baby’s skin from drying out. After using such products, you don’t have to wash it off.
Mothers who are determined to understand all the intricacies of newborn massage should first familiarize themselves with the work of professionals and see how specialists perform such a massage.
- The massage we described above is classic and is designed for healthy babies. Only a doctor can answer the question of what distinctive features characterize massage for clubfoot, hypoxia, and birth trauma - in all these cases it will have its own nuances, which only a specialist can take into account.
- The impatience of young mothers who want to use all the arsenal they have purchased for their baby as soon as possible is quite understandable, but it is not worth giving a newborn a physical therapy session or training him from the first days of life on a fitball. The favorable time for such activities will come.
- Monitor your child carefully after the massage session. If his behavior and well-being worsen, temporarily refuse massage and return to it only after everything gets better, or consult a pediatrician.
- Never start a massage if the mother herself is in a bad mood. The newborn, despite the fact that the umbilical cord was cut off in the maternity hospital, continues to be on an invisible, subtle spiritual connection with the parent. Her bad mood and anxiety will definitely be noticeable for him, and the massage will not be a joy.
- Don’t be afraid to massage yourself - it’s quite difficult to injure a child during a massage if everything is done correctly. In any case, in the practice of pediatric traumatologists, such cases are very rare.
- You should not rely on reviews on the Internet. For some children, massage helps them grow and develop faster; other parents say that they did not feel much difference after a course of massage (from 10 to 14 days with a break of two weeks).
The benefits are obvious, but their manifestations are quite subjective.
To learn how to massage a newborn, watch the following video.
You can start massage as soon as the baby is four to six weeks old. The procedure can be combined with gymnastic exercises.
Many children who have just been born have pronounced hypertonicity of the limbs. Tiny arms are tightly bent into fists, the neck is tense, the head is slightly thrown back towards the back, the legs are always bent.
After the baby is one month old, parents can begin infant massage. It is important not to miss the moment, because massage significantly accelerates both the physical and mental development of the baby, promotes the development of crawling skills, develops plasticity, and normalizes muscle tone.
One month old baby needs exercise and massage, this is especially true for children with increased muscle tone.
During this age period, the body is very susceptible to external influences, so a timely massage, performed according to the correct technique, can cope with torticollis, rickets, valgus, and pneumonia.
Stroking the tummy relieves the baby of gas.
If your baby is 2 months old, look at the features of the procedure at this age, you need to work with your baby every day.
Requirements for a massage therapist
- Nails should be cut short, bracelets, rings should be removed, hands should be warm and pleasant to the touch. Otherwise it appears risk of injury to the baby.
- Before the procedure, it is important to establish an emotional connection with the baby; you need to talk to him all the time, sing songs or nursery rhymes, and smile at him.
- Movements should be very careful and light, strong pressure is unacceptable.
You should not press your fingers on the chest of a one-month-old baby.
- Direction - from the periphery to the center(from hands to shoulders, from feet to hips). The tummy is stroked clockwise.
- Avoid groin area, inner thighs, knees, elbows, armpits, fontanel and kidneys.
- The procedure gives the first impetus to the independent extension of the baby’s arms and legs. The actions of the massage therapist are aimed specifically at relieving the increased tone of the muscles involved in flexing the limbs.
Premises requirements
- The room is well ventilated. The optimal temperature is 18–23 degrees. Since the newborn is completely undressed during the procedure, important make sure that the baby is not cold. This is indicated by an attack of hiccups or a cold nose and back of the head.
- Preparing the table: just lay a blanket and a disposable diaper on it. The table should not be too narrow. All necessary things are placed at arm's length.
Massage technique
The one-month-old baby is rubbed and stroked.
The massage stages are as follows:
- for a child lying on his back, the limbs are worked on, starting with the arms;
- turn the baby over onto his stomach and stroke his back;
- the child is on his back again, and the masseur strokes the belly area A;
- turn of the legs: the feet are stroked, rubbed, the legs are bent and straightened;
- right and left turns;
- laying on the tummy to strengthen the muscles of the peritoneum and neck.
Chest and back
In progress neat stroking from the intercostal space to the sides. Do four repetitions.
The back is stroked with both palms in the direction from the head to the legs and in the opposite direction eight times.
At the same time, he lies on his stomach with his arms tucked under his chest.
Head
Make delicate strokes with your fingertips from the crown to the forehead, while It is forbidden to touch the fontanel. Next, soft movements are made from the crown to the temples and the back of the head.
The baby's face is slowly massaged with fingertips from the forehead to the temporal lobes. A figure eight is gently drawn around the eye sockets. The neck is stroked on the sides, the cheeks are massaged from the nose to the ears in an arc.
Pens
The massage is carried out in the direction from the hands to the shoulders. With her right hand, the mother grabs the baby’s left hand, with the second she strokes and rubs the flexor muscles eight times.
The right arm must be massaged with the right hand. After two to three weeks, elements are used for rubbing "saw" and "shading".
Legs
The baby lies on his back. With the left hand they take the leg by the foot, with the right palm they stroke the outside and inside of the leg eight times from the foot to the hips.
You can rub the leg only in the absence of muscle hypertonicityThe next step is to stroke each gluteal muscle with your palm eight times. To reflexively straighten the spine, the baby is placed with his chest on his right hand, and both legs are held by the ankle with his left. The child is lifted four to five times.
Feet
They take the foot with the left hand, rub and stroke the foot with the thumb of the right hand, and draw a figure eight with the pad.
Your baby cries and is capricious, perhaps he has problems that annoy him from the second week of life until approximately three months of age.
Conclusion
Baby massage in the first month of life normalizes muscle function directly involved in the processes of flexion and extension of the limbs, has a beneficial effect on the central nervous system and promotes its active physical development.
In addition, the emotional connection between mother and baby strengthens. A baby who has just been born is still very vulnerable; he is just beginning to adapt to life outside the womb.
Physical contact with the mother calms the baby; he feels her smell, her warmth. This has a positive effect on the overall harmonious development of the baby.
If the child is healthy, then, starting from 1.5 months, every mother can include infant massage in her baby’s daily routine. In addition to the fact that massage for infants is important for a child’s harmonious physical development, at an early age it is one of the ways a baby can communicate with its mother. Body contact during this procedure contributes to the development of the sense of touch, with the help of which a child learns about the world at an early age; in addition, an atmosphere of mutual understanding and emotional communication is created between mother and baby. The smooth movements of the mother's hands during a massage for infants give the child a feeling of security, love and psychological satisfaction. This, in turn, reduces the excitability of the central nervous system, helping the baby calm down and relax.
Massage for infants is also important for the timely harmonious motor development of the child, as it has a general strengthening effect on the muscular system, normalizing its tone and muscle contractility.
A tummy massage helps normalize the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract and helps eliminate colic, which is one of the main causes of anxiety for a child in the first months of life.
The local effect of massage is expressed in improving metabolism and skin nutrition by expanding its capillaries and accelerating blood circulation.
Possible contraindications to massage for infants
There are a number of simple massage techniques for infants that a mother can perform independently every day, ensuring her baby’s harmonious physical and neuropsychic development. This restorative massage can be started for a child from 1.5 months after consultation with a pediatrician and a neurologist in the absence of contraindications.
The main contraindications for giving a massage to a child are:
- Acute febrile conditions accompanied by an increase in body temperature. Massage promotes blood flow, which can cause the temperature to rise even more.
- Pustular, infectious-inflammatory or fungal skin diseases are a strict contraindication to massage, since open areas of purulent areas, as well as vesicular elements (rashes) in some infectious diseases, can be injured during a massage, and the infectious agent will spread throughout the skin.
- Dermatitis, allergic skin reactions, which are often accompanied by the formation of oozing, which is an open wound surface. Massage, as a rule, requires the use of creams and oils, which is unacceptable on areas of affected skin. In addition, additional friction of such areas during massage can cause pain in the child and contribute to the deterioration of the local condition of the skin.
- Severe congenital heart defects with insufficient blood supply, which is manifested by shortness of breath, swelling, cough. With these diseases, signs of circulatory disorders occur in the child even at rest, and since massage is, albeit small, but still a load on the body, it will contribute to the deterioration of the baby’s general condition.
- Blood diseases(hemophilia, hemorrhagic diathesis), tendency to bleeding. Pressing on the skin during a massage can cause internal subcutaneous hemorrhages.
- Convulsive syndrome, epilepsy. In these conditions, massage is contraindicated, as it can provoke new attacks.
- Rickets during exacerbation. At this stage of the disease, children are especially restless and excitable; massage as an additional stressful effect is not recommended, since a gentle regime is necessary.
- Large hernias when internal organs (umbilical, inguinal, etc.) fall into the hernial protrusion. Massage can cause strangulation of the hernia, which will cause severe pain and may require immediate surgery.
Prematurity and malnutrition (low body weight) are not a contraindication to massage, but exercises with such babies should be delayed and must be agreed with a doctor.
Therapeutic children's massage is prescribed by a doctor to treat a particular disease and can only be performed by a qualified specialist.
Where and how to learn massage for infants?
During patronage visits to the nurse and pediatrician from the children's clinic, the mother may ask to show her the basic techniques of massage for infants, which she will give to the baby. A nurse in a healthy baby’s room can also advise parents on massage and gymnastics during the baby’s first visit to the children’s clinic at 1 month.
It is advisable that the first massage session performed by the mother on her own should be under the supervision of a pediatrician or nurse.
General rules of massage for infants
In order for the massage to bring pleasure to the baby and be as effective as possible, you need to create certain conditions. The temperature in the room where the massage is performed should be comfortable for the child and be 20-22°C.
It is advisable to ventilate the room in advance, which will introduce an element of hardening into this procedure. In the warm season, massage can be performed with the window open, in the absence of drafts.
The massage should be performed on a hard, warm and non-slip surface. To do this, you can use a changing table or a regular table. It should be covered with a clean diaper, under which it is recommended to put an oilcloth and a double-folded flannelette blanket. Massage on a bed will be ineffective, since it will not be possible to create the necessary support and elasticity on a soft surface. A surface that is too hard will be uncomfortable for the baby.
It is important to choose the right time for a massage. First of all, the child must be in a good mood, well-rested and not hungry. It is recommended to start the procedure 30 minutes before feeding and no earlier than 30-45 minutes after eating, so as not to provoke regurgitation.
Before starting the massage, the mother should remove rings, watches and bracelets from her hands so as not to accidentally injure the baby’s skin. Her hands should be clean, dry and warm.
The duration of one massage session can be from 5 to 20 minutes a day, depending on the age of the child and his reaction to the procedure.
It is important to remember that baby massage should not give the child unpleasant, painful sensations. Therefore, during the session, you need to carefully monitor the condition of the baby, the expression on his face, and the reaction of his body. The main criterion for the correctness of actions is the child’s positive emotional mood. If the baby is capricious, it is better to postpone the massage for a while or postpone it to the next day.
It is important to know a few basic rules of massage:
- When performing a massage, it is recommended to follow the order of the massaged areas. First, the legs are massaged, then the arms, tummy, chest and back.
- All movements should be carried out from the periphery to the center in the direction of blood circulation in the veins and lymph flow in the body.
- You should not massage the inner thighs, as many nerve endings are concentrated there and it is very sensitive.
- Due to the risk of injury, impact impacts on the knee joints are limited.
- It is not recommended to massage the front surface of the shin, because there is practically no muscle tissue in this place and the skin is very thin.
- When massaging the abdomen, it is undesirable to touch the liver area (right hypochondrium). This limitation is due to the fact that this organ is located quite close to the surface of the body and direct exposure to it can harm the baby’s health.
- When massaging the back, you should avoid the area of the spinous processes of the spine, as the impact on them can be painful in small children.
- The massage should not affect the baby's genitals and nipples.
Basic massage techniques for infants
It is enough for mom to use 1-2 massage techniques, but try to do them regularly. It is not recommended to use complex massage techniques so as not to accidentally harm the child.
Stroking
The main massage technique that a mother should learn is stroking. It activates blood circulation, and thereby improves blood supply to tissues and organs. In addition, stroking movements help relax muscles and have a calming effect. This technique is performed using the palmar surface of the hand. Movements should be very smooth and gentle. The hand should not displace the child’s skin; it seems to glide over it.
Trituration
The next technique that parents can use is rubbing, which can be started when the child is 3-4 months old.
Rubbing is a more intense and deep stroking that also helps relax muscles and reduces the excitability of the central nervous system. Rubbing is done with two or three fingers of the hand in circular or spiral movements, while the massaging hand should move, displace the skin, and not slide over it.
Foot massage
- Foot massage is carried out from the bottom up, starting with stroking the dorsal, lateral and plantar surfaces of the feet, and then each of the child’s toes.
- After the feet, the entire leg is massaged. In order to achieve the greatest muscle relaxation, the child’s limbs must be placed in a position of slight flexion at the knee and hip joints. With the palm of the hand of the same name, you need to clasp the ankle joint from below, and with the palm of the other, superficial stroking is carried out in the direction from the foot to the groin area along the outer and back surfaces of the lower leg and thigh.
- Rubbing is carried out in the same order and direction as stroking with slight displacement of the skin.
Hand massage
- The arm massage is carried out from the hand to the shoulder, while the baby’s limb should be in a position of slight flexion at the elbow joint.
- Stroking the hand is carried out first along the back and then along the palmar surface in the direction from the fingers to the wrist joint.
- When massaging the hand, the baby's hand is held in such a way that the baby covers the mother's thumb. Stroking movements are carried out along the inner and then outer surfaces of the forearm and shoulder.
- Next, the palmar surface of the hand is lightly rubbed with the pads of the fingers, then each finger is used in turn, and then the muscles of the baby’s forearm and shoulder are massaged.
Abdominal massage
- Superficial stroking is carried out around the navel in a clockwise direction. This technique causes relaxation of the muscles of the anterior abdominal wall and reflexively stimulates intestinal peristalsis.
- Stroking the oblique muscles of the abdomen is carried out with the palms of both hands from the posterolateral surface of the chest and then obliquely down to the junction of the hands above the child’s navel.
- Massage of the rectus abdominis muscles involves sliding the hands in a counter motion. To do this, the mother should place the palms of her hands parallel to the midline of the abdomen: her right hand at the costal edge, her left hand in the groin area above the pubic symphysis. Then the right hand goes from top to bottom, and the left hand goes from bottom to top.
Chest massage
- Chest massage is performed with light stroking movements along the intercostal spaces from the sternum to the armpit.
Back massage
- It consists of stroking the child’s back with the back of your hands on both sides of the spine from the buttocks to the head. Then they turn their hands and stroke the back from the head to the buttocks with the palmar surface.
The main signal to stop the procedure is the child’s restless behavior when he begins to whine or cry. Some babies may initially have a negative attitude towards massage, so they need to be accustomed to this procedure gradually. To do this, you can break the lesson into several parts and perform them throughout the day. When the baby gets used to it, the mother will be able to do the entire massage complex at one time.
It is important to remember that for harmonious physical development, a child needs not only passive, but also active movements. Therefore, it is recommended to supplement the massage with special gymnastics. A pediatrician or nurse can show the mother simple gymnastics exercises for babies that she can do independently.
The first half of the day is suitable for a general tonic effect - from eight in the morning to three in the afternoon. It should be remembered that feeding a child is in no way combined with external stimulation of his body, which occurs during massage. The child needs time to rest and digest food calmly. Therefore, after feeding, it is advisable to take an hour break and then begin exercises with a calm, rested child.
How many times a day should you massage your newborn?
How many times should you massage a newborn? As a rule, at first, experts insist that such events should not be carried out more than once a day. Massage for 1.5 month old children can be increased to two approaches per day. Also, the number of impacts may vary depending on individual needs, if there are personal recommendations from a specialist.
Another important point: many fathers and mothers, convinced that quantity can replace quality, massage their newborns two or more times a day. This is a mistake because only proper technique and careful caring can lead to rapid success.
Thus, if the full harmonious development of the baby is a priority for his parents, then they definitely need to massage the newborn. It is at this stage that the foundations for the child’s well-being are laid, which depends on timely and proper care for him.
The age of 2-3 months is amazing, full of discoveries and new experiences for both the baby and his parents. It is at this age that the baby needs a lot of strength to study the world around him, master new movements and skills. Of course, the baby needs the help of adults. One way to help your baby is a general massage. We will tell you how to make it for a two- to three-month-old child in this article.
Features of age - physical development
Just yesterday the baby was snoring peacefully in the crib after feeding. But now he is already 2-3 months old - this is the age of discovery, the baby is more awake than during the newborn period, and this time of activity should be used for the overall strengthening and health of the baby.
The physiological muscle tone, characteristic of all newborns, has not yet passed, even if the parents diligently massaged the baby from the first month of his life. The consequences of intrauterine position and muscle tension associated with it will affect up to about six months.
But the baby has already learned to hold his head up, and the “fastest” ones are already trying to roll over onto their side or back from a position lying on their stomach. The baby is excellent at following a moving toy or his mother’s facial expressions; he actively reacts to her presence, perks up and smiles.
At 2 months, babies more often straighten their palms, they no longer keep their fingers constantly clenched into fists, their arms and legs begin to straighten better, at 2-3 and 3-4 months the child gradually begins to raise the shoulder girdle and chest when lying on his stomach. All this provides additional opportunities for planning massage treatments - be sure to use the new skills of your son or daughter.
When do you need a massage?
Some parents firmly believe that a healthy child does not need a massage. In their understanding, massage is for sick children. It's not like that at all. Even a healthy child at this age needs help in relieving the symptoms of physiological muscle tone; this will give him more freedom of movement, which means that the baby’s physical development will not slow down.
Massage improves the child’s well-being, it activates blood circulation, has a beneficial effect on the nervous system, improves appetite and strengthens sleep. The effect on muscles, skin, and ligaments is important for hypertension, torticollis, and increased intracranial pressure in infants.
Even in a completely healthy baby, massage movements cause activation of nerve endings and receptors, due to which the brain develops better and coordination of movements improves. The massage techniques themselves develop the baby’s perception of the world through tactile sensations.
As a rule, up to 3 months the child has not yet managed to overcome the typical “trouble” of early childhood - infant colic. And massage helps with this. By the age of three months, the innate maternal immunity, which the child inherits at birth, noticeably weakens. Massage can effectively increase the baby’s own immunity, promotes its formation and development.
It is no secret that from birth babies have quite a lot of physiological problems with the musculoskeletal system: completely natural flat feet are characteristic of all infants, clubfoot - 70% of babies. A competent massage at this age effectively corrects many conditions, including physiological ones, which will disappear over time. Only with a massage will things go much faster.
For children with certain neurological, orthopedic and other diagnoses, massage should be performed by specialists, since such a massage is called therapeutic and, in essence, is what it is. For healthy toddlers at 2-3 months old, you can do a developmental and restorative massage on your own.
Kinds
Massage comes in different forms. In addition to therapeutic massage, the task of which is to correct existing disorders, diseases, conditions, there is a general classic massage. Its task is to strengthen and promote the development of the child’s body. General massage, in turn, can be relaxing and tonic. Relaxing is given to children who are hyperactive, capricious, who sleep and eat poorly, and tonic is recommended for kids who, on the contrary, sleep a lot, are little awake and generally do not show much enthusiasm in learning new skills, including motor ones.
A restorative massage at home is recommended for a child aged 2-3 months. Also, a mother can easily master acupressure massage for a child’s runny nose, massage of the legs, cervical and collar area, as well as percussion (vibration) massage, which helps with bronchitis and wet cough.
Preventative massage may well be carried out by the mother. Therapeutic and preventive massage is the same, but under the supervision of a professional massage therapist, but therapeutic massage is the prerogative of professionals, since its inept implementation can worsen the child’s condition and aggravate the disease. At home, it is advisable to combine massage for infants with gymnastics, exercises, and games. In addition to the obvious physical benefits, such a set of exercises will bring many benefits for the mental and emotional development of the little one.
Contraindications
When carrying out massage manipulations for children aged 2-3 months, forceful influence - clapping, percussion techniques - is strictly prohibited. You should avoid massaging the uncovered fontanelle, popliteal and axillary cavities, and groin.
If a child experiences some discomfort, has a teething problem, has a tummy ache, has slept little or eaten poorly, massage is also not recommended. Only when the baby is absolutely healthy, cheerful and cheerful, in the mood for communication, should you begin manipulation.
What do you need to prepare?
For a restorative or relaxing massage at home, you should prepare a massage area. This should be a hard and flat surface, which is covered with a diaper and oilcloth. If you have a changing table, that's good; it will be quite suitable for this purpose. If such a table is not available, use a regular table, for example, a dining table, covering it with a diaper and oilcloth.
Next to the table in close proximity, at a distance of the mother’s arm’s length, you need to place massage oil or baby cream, a pack of wet wipes in case you urgently need to wipe off a wet baby.
Everything should be nearby, because the mother’s attempts to turn away or reach for something can lead to the child falling off the table and causing him serious injuries.
If the table and all the necessary tools are prepared, pay attention to the air temperature and humidity in the room where the manipulation is to be performed. An undressed baby will be comfortable and wonderful if the mother makes sure that the apartment is no hotter than 22 degrees, and the air humidity is 50-70%. If this condition is met, it’s time to prepare the massage therapist’s working tools - hands. Mom should cut her nails short, remove rings, bracelets, watches, wash her hands thoroughly with bactericidal soap and moisturize them with baby massage oil or baby cream.
Hands must be warm. Cold touches will frighten the baby; he is unlikely to receive such a massage with delight. If your hands are naturally cold, you need to soak them in warm water for a few minutes. Only after this can the baby be prepared for massage. Preparation consists of choosing the right and reasonable time for the procedure. There is no need to massage after eating or immediately before feeding - the baby may regurgitate what he has just eaten or be capricious from hunger. It is best to carry out the procedure 45-50 minutes after feeding or an hour before the next feeding. If the massage is relaxing, then you should do it before an evening swim. If the tonic is in the first half of the day, otherwise an overexcited child will not be able to fall asleep normally.
After undressing your baby, leave him naked in the air for a few minutes so that he adapts to the air temperature. And only then start the massage.
Technique
The most common massage at 2-3 months is restorative. It should begin with gentle and delicate stroking of the baby’s entire body with the palms. Let's consider the sequential order of actions.
- Hand massage- starts with the palms and fingers and ends with the upper part of the forearms. Includes alternate stroking of the limbs, kneading of the fingers, stroking the palms and wrists. Try to avoid intense muscle stretching. All movements of mother's hands obey one important rule - the direction should be from bottom to top.
- Foot massage- starts with fingers, feet and heels. Lightly stroke and lightly knead the lower leg muscles. The kneecap cannot be touched or massaged, as well as the popliteal space. The inner thigh should also not be touched.
- Abdominal massage- performed in a circular motion around the navel. It is impossible to put pressure on the navel area itself or act in any other way.
- Neck massage carried out by turning the child onto his stomach. Avoid pressing touches in the area of the cervical vertebrae. Manipulations should be limited to stroking the cervical fold.
- backrest massage without affecting the spinal column. It is advisable to gently rub and stroke the rectus and oblique muscles with the palms and ribs of the palms.
- Buttocks lightly pinch with your fingertips.
- Back of the leg and thigh slightly smooth without kneading from bottom to top.
- The massage is completed with stroking and turning the child on his back. After this, you can begin the exercises - let the child grab your fingers with his hands and lift the child slightly, then lower him back. Bring your legs one by one (“bicycle”), turn the child on the right and left side, stimulating the development of the oblique abdominal muscles.
A relaxing massage before an evening swim has the same procedure and technique, but all kneading should be excluded. It is based on calm and gentle stroking of the child’s entire body, limbs, and scalp.
Drainage massage for coughing of a 2-3 month old baby is performed by placing the child on your lap. The mother gently taps the area of the ribs and chest with her fingertips, after which the baby is raised to a vertical position. A sign of a successful effect is the appearance of a cough - such a massage accelerates the discharge of sputum from the bronchi.
Massage for a runny nose is done using acupressure technology. It is also allowed at the age of 2-3 months. First, the mother should familiarize herself with the location of the acupuncture points that are “responsible” for the functioning of the nose. The points should be looked for at the tip of the nose, on the wings of the nose, between the baby’s eyebrows, above the first cervical vertebra, in the center of the heel and on the wrists. Massage with circular movements.
A massage session, whatever its purpose, lasts no more than 15 minutes for a child of the specified age category. Moreover, the time should be increased gradually - spend the first session for 2-3 minutes, increase the second by a minute or two. The duration of exposure for each exercise and technique is also increased in stages.
A child of 2-3 months can do some exercises on a fitball. This applies to the complex that follows the main massage effect. Massaging is carried out only on a hard and flat surface.
Doctor Komarovsky's opinion
The famous pediatrician Evgeny Komarovsky claims that no one can give a healthy baby a massage better than a mother. It is with her that the child seeks tactile contact. This fact explains why most babies cry and scream in the hands of professional massage therapists. Only a mother, according to Komarovsky, can turn massage into a game, into communication, into pleasure for all participants in the process.
Therefore, Evgeniy Olegovich recommends that mothers master simple massage sessions on their own. Knowledge can be gleaned from videos that are on the Internet, ask a pediatrician or a nurse at a children's office to show techniques, or read smart books for young parents written by doctors. There are no problems with information today.
Home maternal massage gives the child pleasure and peace of mind, brings maximum benefits, and also saves the family budget, because the services of a massage therapist are quite expensive.
If a child is prescribed therapeutic massage, then there are no options - according to Komarovsky, the sessions should be entrusted to professionals with medical education. Do not hesitate to ask for a diploma; there are many charlatans and amateurs working in this “market” today.
The next video is about how to massage your baby yourself at home.
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