Are you a new mother and still basking in the most life-changing experience? Holding your new-born can be soothing, emotionally full-filling moment and this is the time to nurture a deeper bond for promoting a happy and healthy life.

Doctors strongly recommend mothers to develop a skin-to-skin connect with the baby from the very moment of birth and there are various ways to do it – massaging being one of them. 

Ask your mother or grandmother, they will vouch by its benefits and would happily share tons of tips!

Gliding your fingers gently on the baby while rubbing oils or moisturizers offers unbelievable health benefits for your new born and quite a bit of relaxation to you too!

Why Massage Is Important:

A good, thorough massage once in a day, preferably in the morning, will keep your baby active for rest of the day. It keeps the child relaxed, happy and helps it sleep better.

Babies born with jaundice greatly benefit from massage. Studies have proven that it helps them in recovering faster from the illness.

Several studies reveal that massaging the baby helps new mothers come out of postnatal depression as it develops a strong bonding, eye-to-eye contact with the infant.

Health Benefits:

Weight Gain: Massaging babies with oil will improve their weight gain. It works wonders for the underweight, premature babies as it stimulates a key nerve – vagus nerve that connects brain with other important organs of the body including stomach. It improves the process of digestion in the new born, aiding to gain weight.

Better Sleep: A good massage followed by a nice hot shower is all what your baby would need to get sound sleep. It also helps the nervous system in regulating the organs and helps in keeping the premature baby’s heart rate at a steady pace.

No Fuss, No Colic: Massaging provides quite a bit of relaxation and calms down the baby. Holding babies’ knees and gently pushing it into the tummy at least three to four times a week will help baby to grow out of colicky stage and become less fussy.

Physical, Mental Development: Mothers or elders in the family get their special time while massaging the child and it leads to stabilise a beautiful bond. Interactions, eye-to-eye contacts, humming during massaging helps the baby in developing physical and development of brain activity.

How to Massage:

Sit in a comfortable position and place your baby on legs or on a soft mat.

Use organic oils or baby moisturisers for massage.

In India, sesame oil is the first choice for massaging babies as it provides enough strength to muscles and bones.

Olive oil is another best choice. Talk to the paediatrician to know what suits your baby the best.

A non-greasy moisturiser massage before bed time will help your baby sleep well.