It is believed that massage of the newborn refers to procedures that help the baby grow healthy. The baby becomes easier to acquire the skills important for its development: it starts to hold the head, roll over on its tummy, crawl, sit down and so on. How to massage children at home, most young mothers are interested. The technique is quite simple, but there are a number of rules and restrictions that you should familiarize yourself with in advance.
Why do we need massage?
"How to massage the baby?" - A question that interests most parents, but not everyone asks about its necessity. And the benefit from him is great:
- Positive effect on the circulatory system.
- Normalization of metabolic processes in the body.
- Strengthening immunity.
- Improving appetite and quality of sleep.
- Positive effect on mood.
Moreover, a massage does not need to be done by a professional to a newborn, sometimes warmth and tenderness of mother’s hands bring much more benefit. Moreover, anyone can learn this business. It is important to follow a few simple rules and carefully listen to the baby's reaction during the manipulation.
Optimal age
Doctors advise young mothers to massage their newborns no earlier than 2-3 weeks after he was born. Moreover, attention is often focused on the umbilical wound. Until she has completely healed, the procedure is undesirable.
The first massage session should be carried out under the strict supervision of a specialist who can show how to massage the newborn correctly and safely.
Contraindications
Unfortunately, in our time you can meet many "brave" mothers who somewhere heard that the rest are doing massage for their children, and then decide to repeat this procedure at home. In order to avoid such errors, you should familiarize yourself with the contraindications:
- If the child has inflammatory processes in the body or skin rashes, it is better to postpone the massage until the baby recovers.
- The baby is overexcited, naughty and clearly in a bad mood.
- A newborn has a congenital heart disease.
- The presence of umbilical hernia.
- Rickets during an exacerbation.
In addition, there are a number of contraindications. To determine if your child can be massaged, you should consult your pediatrician.
Varieties
Before deciding whether it is possible to massage children, you should familiarize yourself with its types. Depending on the goal pursued, massage happens:
- Therapeutic.
- Prophylactic.
- Therapeutic and prophylactic.
The first type of massage is usually prescribed by a doctor and is performed only if the following diseases are identified in the newborn:
- Hypertonicity or hypotension.
- Congenital dislocation of the joint.
- Hip dysplasia.
- Acquired or congenital clubfoot.
- Umbilical hernia.
- Problems from the central nervous system.
- Flat feet, deformity of the legs X- or O-shaped.
- Scoliosis.
- Tremor.
- Rickets.
- Muscle torticollis.
An individual massage technique is used for each of the above conditions.
Frequency of execution
How often does a child massage? Preventive is recommended for all children if there are no contraindications. Usually, experts recommend making the procedure courses. Once a quarter is enough. If there is evidence, go to the procedure more often.
An average session lasts from 20 to 45 minutes. Initially, the massage does not last long, but gradually the duration increases. Thus, the baby gets used to the procedure and does not get stress. It is worth noting that some children cry during manipulations, the further course depends on the parents and the recommendations of a specialist. Most babies, by contrast, love massage and enjoy doing it. The standard course consists of 11-12 sessions. But positive dynamics can only be seen after 12 sessions.
Therefore, a massage for a newborn is not just needed, it is necessary for him! Therefore, the regular conduct of this procedure favorably affects the development of the baby. But this does not mean that it should be done constantly. Between courses, it is important to take breaks, since massage is a serious physical activity for a small organism, therefore, the crumbs will definitely need some time to recover.
What do you need?
How to massage a newborn baby should know every young mother. Almost all babies from birth need this procedure. Special massage devices are not required, but you need to prepare:
- Flat horizontal surface. It can be a changing or dining table, hard mattress, floor and so on.
- A few diapers. Give preference to disposable products, as babies relax during massage and may wet the surface.
- If mommy has dry hands, you should use baby cream. If wet, then dusting.
Doing a massage for a child per month is considered absolutely normal. Now very popular preventive massage for newborns. Among other things, this procedure allows you to better establish a close relationship between the child and parents.
Preparatory stage
Before proceeding to the procedure, you should follow a few rules:
- Ventilate the room for 15–20 minutes. Time directly depends on weather conditions.
- The air temperature in the room should be 18-22 degrees.
- Prepare everything you need for a massage. All devices should be at hand, since during the procedure you should always be near the baby, otherwise he risks sliding off the table.
- Remove all jewelry that may interfere with your hands. These are rings, bracelets, watches and other accessories.
- Wash your hands.
- Undress the baby. Pampers must also be removed.
During the massage, the child should be full and calm. Before starting the procedure, warm your palms.
There are four methods for carrying out the procedure:
- Stroking.
- Kneading.
- Pinching.
- Trituration.
How to massage a monthly baby? Children under the age of 3 months are recommended to conduct the procedure solely on the basis of stroking. This rule is very important to observe, since during this period the crumbs still improve the central nervous system.
How to massage children?
The algorithm is as follows:
- Each stroking should be done about 4-6 times.
- The skin of the baby should not move under the fingers of an adult. If this happens, then perhaps you are putting a lot of pressure on the delicate body of the baby.
- Massage begins with the head, then gradually move to the face.
- Then stroke the palms towards the outside of the shoulder, and then return down the inside.
- Gently massaging the baby's palms using the technique of opening the clamped cam of the baby. That is, you are carefully trying to unclench the children's cam by stroking.
- The breast is stroked with the entire inner surface of the hands towards the sides, observing the line of the ribs.
- The tummy is massaged with the palm of one hand clockwise around the navel. The procedure can be performed with legs bent at the knees. This situation contributes to the passage of gazikov in the baby.
- How to do foot massage for a child? Feet should be ironed in the direction from the heels to the hips. Knees should not be massaged and stroked. This area should remain untouched during the procedure.
In addition, you can massage the active points located on the feet of the baby. If the baby already knows how to independently hold the head, then you should turn it over to the tummy and pat the back from the lower back to the shoulders. This procedure helps strengthen the back and neck.
As you may have noticed, there is nothing complicated in properly massaging the baby. The main thing is tenderness and affection, and the baby will tell you all the other nuances of the procedure yourself.
Tips for mommies
Before you begin this procedure, you need to be interested in the correct technique.
How to massage children if you are very afraid of damage or make crumbs hurt or unpleasant? Probably, such a thought arises in most mothers. Learning the procedure is quite simple, moreover, this manipulation is absolutely safe for kids. But sometimes step-by-step instructions may not be enough, so mothers should take lessons from an experienced specialist or watch the lessons on video on the Internet. Remember that we are fully responsible for the life and health of the child, so take this seriously. Moreover, a massage lesson can be conducted by a health sister from the clinic during one of the visits to the newborn.
If your baby is absolutely healthy, and he has no contraindications for performing such procedures, then it will be enough for you to learn how to perform a general strengthening massage. A little practice, and your movements will become clear, correct and confident. If you carry out the procedure at the same time, it will become part of your daily ritual. But many still tend to believe that this is a serious physical activity for the baby, so it is necessary to take breaks. In this regard, you can hear a lot of conflicting reviews. If you do not trust yourself, consult with experienced pediatricians or your mother, grandmother, and so on.
The famous children's doctor Komarovsky recommends that parents do massage for their children on their own, along with daily evening procedures. The scheme, which the doctor offers, includes: massage, gymnastics, water procedures, pre-feeding before bedtime.