Happy, healthy, agile baby is not only a parent, but also a priority of specialist of ours. The little ones know the world around us the most in contact, therefore, the younger a child is, the more pronounced his sensations of touching are. For a child of a few months old, the best possible compensation of the need of a touch is a massage intended specifically for young children.
Practice shows that babies who need massage are far more than those who are being given a massage. Massage is recommended not only to improve lumbar, digestion, muscle tone, strength and elasticity of the baby, stimulate development and growth processes, facilitate breathing, but also in the following disorders:
- Crookedness;
- Bamboo hernia;
- Central nervous system disorders;
- Scoliosis;
- Flatbed.
Massage is also needed for preterm infants - the procedures help to recover significantly from the weakened functions of the baby's body. However, a change in the muscle tone of a baby - the baby constantly tense or flabby - is the most common reason for which they need massages.
If the tone of the child's muscle is small, massage or healing exercises is sufficient. When muscle tone is too high, a muscle relaxing massage is given. When muscle tone is too low, infants are given muscle-stimulating massage.
What is the effect of massage on a baby?
The incidence of infants who have been given a baby massage to improve muscle tone in the first months of life or year is lower. It has been shown that these children are bypassing peers at the pace of physical development. It is noticeable that babies who are massaged become calmer, more relaxed, less crying, and they also suffer less abdominal pain. Thanks to massages, the baby‘s blood circulates faster, lymph circulation is accelerated, breathing improves - it becomes deeper. Massages also cause faster metabolism. Baby massage improves nutrition, muscle tone, strength and elasticity, improves baby's digestion. Thanks to the baby's massage, the baby becomes brilliant, sleeps and eats better.
How long does baby massage last?
One procedure usually takes about half an hour, but it all depends on the baby and how long the first massage can last for the baby. They are not painful, but the baby needs to get used to the massage.
How old the baby should be for the massage?
Baby massage is recommended for babies of 3-12 months, but massage can be done even for a two month baby. Massages are also great for healthy baby's prophylaxis. The recommended duration of massage is a cycle of ten treatments, two procedures per week.
"I always try to include the parents in the practice of the little ones - to teach how to properly massage, so they can help their child while they are at home. It's fun to see their motivation - feeling a better situation, calmer, relaxed baby, noticeably improved their well-being, parents are gladly interested in everything that they can help him ", - said massage therapist Alma Zažeckienė adding that even though the massage could easily be learned by the mother, it is necessary that the child should be massaged for the first time by a specialist, since therapeutic massages for children are significantly different from those of mothers for their healthy children.
