Baby Massage – All Your Questions On How To Get Started Answered

I’ve been asked a lot about baby massage recently so I wanted to answer all your questions in this post.

Please note: This post is a reflection of my experiences. I encourage you to do more research and do what you are comfortable with.

What is baby massage?

Baby massage is essentially a gentle stroking of a baby’s body using your hands. Just like how we, as adults, enjoy body massages, babies love them too!

When can I start giving my baby a massage?

There are no set guidelines. It really depends on your comfort level and confidence handling your baby because they are so tiny and delicate in those first few weeks. I would also recommend asking your pediatrician when is a good time to start massaging because each baby is different, so following their advice is important.

With both my children I started massaging with oil once they were about 7-8 weeks old because it was around this time I felt confident handling them (babies are slippery little things anyways and then add some oil to that!). They were also bigger, stronger, and able to hold their heads up, so it made massaging and flipping them onto their tummies a lot easier for me.

What do I use for baby massage?
You can use whatever you like! There are lots of different kinds of oils, creams and lotions available.

I like to use cold-pressed coconut oil (Manature Coconut Oil – Cold Extracted) because it offers just the right amount of slip on the skin for massaging without being overly greasy or oily; it absorbs well into the skin by the end of the massage so that my baby isn’t slipping and sliding. And there’s no strong aroma.

Personally, I think some lotions and creams absorb too quickly into the skin (because that’s what they are designed to do), so the skin has less slip for a massage.

Notes:

• Please make sure your baby doesn’t have any skin conditions or sensitivities to oil, lotion, creams or any ingredients before you begin massage. Find what works best for you.
• It is not recommended to use oil on babies younger than 1 month old.

I’ve never done this before. How and where do I start?

Here are a few tips to make baby massage a positive experience for you and your baby, especially if you have never done it before.

• Set up a massage space: Imagine how you feel when you go to a spa: it is calm and relaxing. This is how you want your baby to feel during their massage too! Lay down a soft towel or muslin cloth on a bed, sofa, floor, or play mat and sit in front of your baby to massage. Make sure the area is well-lit but there are no bright lights overhead shining into your baby’s eyes as this can be quite jarring and the temperature of the room is not too hot or cold (I usually turn the AC off during massages). Keep all your massage essentials nearby at reach. I also like to play music while I massage my baby so feel free to get creative with your baby’s spa experience 😉

• Ask for permission: This is an important tip if you have never massaged your baby before. Your baby will have no idea what is happening when you massage them for the first time; it’s a completely new experience so you need to get them used to it. Start slow. For the first few times take a little bit of oil (or whatever you want to massage with) and gently rub it on your baby’s belly and ears and pay attention to the reaction. If they seem happy, then continue. But if they are irritable or unhappy, then stop and try again later. Repeat the process until your baby appears comfortable and happy to be massaged.

• Make it a routine: How often and when you choose to do it is completely up to you. It’s important to do it around the same time every day so your baby knows what to expect and is ready for it. I massage my baby twice a day for about 7-10 minutes: once in the morning between 10AM and 11AM and once in the evening before bedtime around 6PM. I prefer to massage before my baby’s bath times because the bath helps to wash off excess oil. And after a bath my baby gets very sleepy and lazy, so if I massage her then she gets moody and irritable. It’s important that your baby is not feeling too tired or sleepy during massages because it can overstimulate and agitate them. I also avoid massages right after feedings; I will wait at least 45 minutes before giving a massage to avoid any spit up. They key here: do what works for you and your baby 🙂

• Communicate with your baby during massage: Talking or singing while giving your baby a massage is important because it helps with bonding, allowing baby to relax and not feel overstimulated, and supporting speech and language development. You can say baby’s name and repeat words such as “relax” so they begin to understand that when you do say these words it’s time for an awesome, relaxing spa experience!

• Keep your hands soft and moisturized: This sounds obvious but I think it’s worth mentioning because our hands come in contact with soft, delicate baby skin during massage; you don’t want any rough texture or dry skin to be rubbing against your baby’s skin. So be sure to keep your own hands soft and moisturized at all times.

How long should the massage be?

Keep it somewhere between 5 – 10 minutes, depending on your baby’s age and mood. When my baby was between 2-4 months old the massages were around 5 minutes long just because she was smaller and got sleepy/lazy quickly. After she turned 4 months I aim for 7-10 minutes and I think that’s the perfect length before she starts getting fussy or bored and I’ve run out of things to talk about / sing 😛

How do I actually massage my baby?

I like to keep it very simple. For each part of the body I like to count 10 – 15 strokes. If it’s a larger surface area such as the back, then I will do more strokes and spend more time. If it’s a smaller area such as soles or palms, then I spend less time on it. I also talk and sing throughout the routine so baby is entertained.

Here’s my whole massage technique and routine:

• Warm up oil in palms: Take about a 10 baht / quarter coin size amount of oil in your hands and rub your palms together to warm up the oil

• Start at the soles of the feet: and massage each foot one at a time using the thumbs in gentle upward strokes.

• Massage legs with upwards strokes: Move onto the legs and use thumbs or palms with gentle pressure to massage in upward strokes following the length of the leg. I also like to massage in long circular motions (much like how adults get aromatherapy body massages) around the thighs and hips.

• Do some leg movement exercises and stretches: Then holding the ankles move the legs around in a few different motions such as scissor kicks, drawing circles, bending the knees in and stretching legs out, and keeping the knees bending and folding the legs out like butterfly wings.

• Move to the stomach: Massage the stomach using circular motions around the belly button, (do not press the belly button as this is a sensitive spot in younger babies).

• Massage the palms and arms: Follow the same techniques as the soles of the feet and legs.

• Massage the shoulders: I like to massage in circular motions here working from the front towards the back using

• Massage the face: Read the section below about face massage.

• Turn baby over: Lay baby on stomach and start from the feet and work upwards.

• Focus on the back: Place the index finger and middle finger on baby’s spine and massage gently in a downwards strokes. Use both thumbs and/or palms to massage from the centre near the spine outwards in sideways or circular motions. Then place the whole palm horizontally on the back and do gentle downward strokes.

• Massage back of neck and shoulders: Using tips of fingers do gentle downwards strokes from the back of the neck down to the shoulders.

• Flip baby onto back and cheer “yay for massages!”

I also highly recommend watching videos and tutorials for tips and techniques on how to massage a baby.

How do I massage my baby’s face?

Before massaging your baby’s face be sure to check that they don’t have any sensitivities or skin conditions. If your baby does, then check with your pediatrician about how to proceed here. If your baby has no sensitivities or conditions and is older than one month, then you can massage the face.

It totally depends on what you are comfortable with. Some people like using face cream / lotion while others, like me, use oil.

Using the lightest, most gentle touch, I will use only the tips of my fingers to massage the face. The key here is working from the inside towards the outside. Here’s my quick routine:

• Start at the bridge of the nose and massage gently in downwards strokes outwards under the eyes and towards the cheek
• Then massage along the brow bone and forehead outwards
• Last massage along the jawline from the inside out

Remember: Don’t massage too close to the mouth to keep your baby from accidentally ingesting creams / oils.

What are the benefits of baby massage?

• Easy way to spend time and bond with baby, especially in those first few months when the interaction is very limited
• Helps to build trust and security
• Increases confidence to handle baby, especially for turning over for things like tummy time / changing clothes
• Other family members can bond with baby
• Reduces stress in baby
• Reduces crying
• Improves sleep for baby
• Relieves gas and indigestion

I hope you found this post helpful. Feel free to leave comments below or send me a DM on Instagram, I’m happy to answer to answer any questions you have.