About © Baby Bodywork^™

The Benefits of Infant Massage for Babies and Children

• Relief-massage can relieve discomfort from teething, congestion, gas and colic, and emotional stress.
• Skin Stimulation-all the physiological systems are stimulated by massage. It speeds myelination of the brain/nervous system.
• Helps to encourage midline orientation.
• Helps baby/child to sleep deeper and longer.
• Enhances neurological development.
• Supports organization of the nervous system.

Massage Benefits for Parents

• Helps to ease stress of a working parent who must be separated from the child during the day.
• Increases parents' ability to help relax the child in times of stress.
• It enhances communication and builds respect.

Benefits of Touch for Babies with Special Needs

• Helps babies learn to integrate and process touch, especially for babies who have had repeated medical interventions.
• Increases baby's ability to gain weight and therefore be discharged from the hospital earlier (Fields, 1991).
• Assists in improving body awareness (i.e., babies with visual impairments, Down's syndrome).
• Helps oral-motor development which facilitates easier feeding.
• Decreases gas and assists with digestion.

Valerie DeMasi
Licensed Massage Therapist, LMT
Certified Infant Massage Instructor, CIMI
Contact Valerie