From the moment your baby arrives in the world, touch is one of the main forms of communication between the two of you. In fact, close contact is crucial to the bonding process between a mother and her baby, according to Glenda Chapman from the International Association of Infant Massage Australia Inc. (IAIM).

“Touch is the universal language and touch is the language that babies understand,” she says. “The first sense to be formed is touch, and from the moment of birth it influences the way a baby acts, thinks and feels.”

Skin deep

Skin-to-skin contact, in particular, has huge benefits for newborn babies and is often promoted throughout maternity wards as a settling technique.

“If the babies are upset or crying, we just tell mum to take off her top half of clothing and lay bub down next to her so they’re skin-to-skin,” says midwife and paediatric nurse Margaret Tanner.

“If baby gets really upset and doesn’t want to feed, having that skin-to-skin contact with mum calms them down and the feeding will just happen. It’s magical to watch, so natural. Not every baby will settle instantly, but the majority will just soften.”

Skin-to-skin contact also plays an important role in neonatal intensive care units with premature and sick babies. The babies are stripped down to their nappies before being placed, chest- to-chest, on mum or dad’s bare skin.

This practice is known as Kangaroo Care and is thought to promote a more stable temperature, better breathing, faster weight gain and an earlier homecoming for sickly or weak bubs.

“There have been occasions where a baby’s survival rate was seen as being pretty slim and so doctors thought there was no harm in letting the parents have a moment snuggling with their baby, and that’s when they discovered how beneficial Kangaroo Care was,” says Margaret.

“It is now commonly used in the neonatal step-down wards and just by being skin-to-skin with their parents the babies are able to breathe and grow and eventually thrive on their own.”

Massage magic

The art of infant massage has long been practised by many different cultures, but it was first introduced into western society in the 1970s by an American woman named Vimala McClure.

“She went to India to work in orphanages as a volunteer and she couldn’t understand why all the children were fat and happy and calm when all they were being fed was a dish of rice every day,” Margaret says.

“Then she found out the reason the babies were thriving was because they were being massaged every day by the older girls in the orphanage. She went on to found the International Association of Infant Massage.”

The ancient tradition is now amassing a steady following of parents wanting to learn the techniques involved in this therapeutic craft from the growing number of infant massage instructors around Australia.

Infant massage helps parents and babies learn to bond, communicate and relax – in fact, many parents now factor in a post-bath massage to help send their little one off to sleep at night.

In addition, massage is said to offer bub some pain relief from teething, wind and tummy upsets.

“It also helps with the infant’s mental health, helping to produce a calmer child that has more trust in their parents,” Margaret concludes.

Before you begin infant massage, it’s important to learn how to handle your precious little being. You can find a local certified infant massage instructor at www.iaim.com.au

Once you have learnt the basics and your baby becomes used to being massaged, Glenda Chapman from the IAIM suggests introducing songs, rhymes and games into your massage time to continue to engage and stimulate your bub.

“Babies will get bored if you do the same thing over and over again, so adding songs such as This Little Piggy Went to Market or other rhymes makes massage fun and beneficial for both the parent and the child,” she says

“As baby grows, we introduce counting games or rhymes and songs highlighting each body part. This actually keeps baby’s attention focused on being relaxed, and the massage becomes a fun, learning time.”

“My granddaughter actually learned to count through the rhymes that I sang while massaging her,” Glenda adds.

Cuddle away

The tender loving touch of a parent has long been recognised, but Glenda says mums and dads today are being sent mixed messages about how much cuddling is too much.

“We encourage parents to look at what their baby is telling them and to look at their baby’s body language. If babies get a little frightened, they show it through their body language and sometimes gentle touch is the best way to comfort them.”

Glenda says that holding, rocking and cuddling are instinctive reactions to soothe and settle a baby, and you shouldn’t worry about overdoing it. “Cuddles can’t spoil your baby, in fact the research indicates the opposite.”

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