Infant Massage: Developmental Benefits and Parental Bonding

Infant Massage: A Host of Benefits for Your Child

Infant massages provide a bonding experience for parents and their baby. It also has a host of benefits such as boosting immunity, supporting relaxation, routine building and sleep, and assisting with conditions like colic and constipation.

There is the release of good hormones that are stimulated, the endorphins, there is less cortisol which is the stress hormone that is released in the belly. There is more relaxation, less sleeplessness. There is relief with teething, the central nervous system, the digestive system like gas and colic.

In a recently published article entitled, “The Benefits of Infant Massage,” author and expert, Janet Aired, writes,

“Over the years there has been a wealth of research performed on the benefits of infant massage. Studies by the Touch Research Institute in Miami, Florida have shown that massage provided to pre-term infants helps the infants put on more weight. The infants are more aware and alert to their surroundings and they leave hospital days earlier than pre-term infants who are not massaged.”

Infant massage also helps with motor skills and the developmental stages that babies begin early on such as crawling and walking. It helps with the central nervous system and the respiratory system.

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