| Many people have received a professional | | | | The infants who received massage gained 47 |
| massage at some point in their lives. Even more | | | | percent more weight than preemies that didn't |
| people have heard of massage and its benefits, | | | | receive any therapy. These babies were also |
| but many still don't know much about infant | | | | more alert and responsive. They were able to |
| massage. Let's look at what it is and why you | | | | leave the hospital on average 6 days sooner than |
| should consider using this gentle therapy with your | | | | their unmassaged counterparts. This study helped |
| child. | | | | show the scientific community the benefits of |
| In the womb, touch is among the first senses to | | | | touch therapy on infants. |
| develop. Infants use the sense of touch as one of | | | | Massaging your infant will help increase the bond |
| their main ways to find out about the world | | | | between you and your child. Massage increases |
| around them. They thrive on skin to skin contact. | | | | the production of oxytocin, the hormone that |
| Nothing is more soothing and comforting than the | | | | increases the bound between child and caregiver. |
| gentle touch of a parent or loved one. | | | | It is a quiet soothing time spent between parent |
| Infant massage is a gentle touch therapy used to | | | | and child. |
| soothe and relax parent and child. It is given by | | | | This therapy can also aid in digestion, easing the |
| the parent or caregiver to increase their bond. | | | | symptoms of colic. It can help a baby establish |
| You can easily find therapists to train you to give | | | | good sleep-wake patterns, improve muscles tone |
| this gentle therapy to your child. There are also | | | | and build stretch. An infant who is massaged |
| many instructional books available. | | | | regularly also has a stronger immune system and |
| In 1986 the Touch Institute of Miami documented | | | | is less likely to fall ill. |
| the effects of massage on premature infants. | | | | With all these benefits, infant massage is definitely |
| They included 40 babies in the study. The babies | | | | a good idea. It may even be one of the best |
| received a 15 minute massage daily for 10 days. | | | | things you can do for your baby. |