Baby massage can seem quite daunting but it is a magical activity comprising a range of gentle rhythmic strokes on your baby’s body. Through touch, speech and eye contact, it’s a wonderful opportunity to bond with your baby.
Why we love baby massage
- Helps relax baby before bedtime
- Encourages better sleep
- Helps relieve the discomfort of wind, colic or constipation
- Helps strengthen the bond between parent and child
- Helps baby to be more content
- Improves baby’s neurological development
When you sit down and prepare to massage your baby, you will be close enough to maintain eye contact and baby will be able to recognise their dad’s familiar smell, their voice and their touch.
During the massage, communicate with your baby through eye contact and by talking or singing to them, so all those feel-good hormones are released.
All of this will help to increase your self-confidence as a parent as you learn to understand your baby’s non-verbal communication cues and understand your baby’s language.
Baby massage oil
Kokoso Baby Coconut Oil is the ideal oil to use for massaging your little one. While you and baby enjoy some extra special bonding time together, the nourishing natural nutrients and skin-loving fatty acids will be hard at work – nourishing, moisturising and protecting their delicate skin.
Gentle strokes
Scoop out a little coconut oil and rub your hands together to warm and melt the coconut oil. Then use these gentle strokes to experience the magic of massage through nurturing touch…
Legs
Wrap your hands around the thighs and apply a little bit of pressure as you move each hand down to the foot, one after another.
Feet
Being ever so gentle, rotate your baby’s feet a few times in each direction. Then try stroking the top of the foot from ankle to tiny toes. Finally, move your thumb in a circular motion all around the baby's soles.
Arms
Just like you did with the little legs, gently wrap your hands around your baby’s arms and lightly run them down from armpit to the hands.
Hands
Softly rotate the wrist a few times before tracing little circles on their palms.
Chest
Gently place both of your hands flat on the chest and lightly stroke outwards. Then put one of your hands flat across the top of the chest and gently stroke downwards towards the thighs. Do this with both of your hands, one after the other.
Back
From the top to the bottom of their back, trace tiny circles with your fingertips on
either side of the spine. Then carry out some long, gentle but firm strokes from shoulders to
feet.
We would like to thank Lauren the founder of Kokoso for providing this really useful information. Kokoso Coconut Oil is available in both the Dadoo Box and the Fourth Trimester Baboo Box.