What should I pay attention to when giving massage to infants and young children?

Massage is a very common way for modern people to relax, using certain special acupoints in traditional Chinese medicine to relax muscles and body. Since massage has no side effects and is a relatively gentle way of maintaining health, it is favored by many people. However, with the progress of society, infant massage has gradually become popular. Because infant massage can minimize the side effects of various treatments on infants and young children, infant massage has been recognized by many people. Let’s take a look at it below!

1. Time

Babies need touch the most when they are between 0 and 3 years old, and the earlier the baby is touched, the better. Babies need long-term touch every day, once or twice a day, and 15 minutes each time is best. The time can be flexible and can be managed by parents. Touching is not a formal ritual. Touching the baby's hands and feet while he is feeding, or touching his back while he is sleeping, are all forms of touch.

2. Preparation

Before touching, create a good environment for your baby. The room temperature should not be lower than 22 degrees, and it is better with sunshine. Keep the room quiet and peaceful, and play some quiet and relaxing music. Parents should wash their hands before massaging, trim their nails, rub their hands to warm them up, and prepare massage oil or moisturizer.

3. Tips

The intensity of the touch is important, and the technique should be gentle and smooth. It is best if the baby does not feel any pain or itching. If the baby's skin is slightly red after the treatment, it means the strength is just right. Do not limit your baby's massage to one or a few places. The larger the area, the more benign stimulation it will provide to the baby. Also, do not focus on the accuracy of the location, as this is not a massage after all. The order of touching starts from the forehead, then chin, head, chest, abdomen, hands, feet, back, and buttocks.

4. Technique

First, let the baby lie on his back and massage him, then let him lie on his stomach and massage his back and buttocks. The massage technique can be to press with the fingertips, and sometimes the entire palm needs to be rubbed and pushed. For the baby's limbs, you can gently squeeze and pinch. There are many techniques. But it is not a hard requirement to do it, you can use it flexibly, and your hands should slide smoothly and gently on the skin.

5. Emotion

The difference between touch and massage is that touch emphasizes emotional communication. The whole process should not be a mechanical operation, but a pleasant enjoyment process. Love and care are the essence of touch. Therefore, parents should pay attention to keeping themselves in a happy mood, take some time to relax themselves and eliminate distracting thoughts. Keep smiling while touching your baby, make eye contact with your baby, and talk to your baby, influencing your baby with a positive attitude.

6. Note

Do not touch your baby when he is too full, too hungry, too tired or in a bad mood; when the baby's umbilical cord has not fallen off, you must be careful when touching it and it is best not to touch it; when the baby is teething, you can massage his face; when he starts to crawl, you can reduce the amount of touch and teach him to crawl more. When he is learning to walk, massage his legs and feet.

After reading this, do you think infant massage actually has many advantages? Of course, when choosing a masseur, you should choose a professional one, so that you can achieve both health-preserving and therapeutic effects.