Father’s are getting more and more involved in family life.  Right from the start; you are present and supportive at the birth of your babies, you are changing nappies and holding your babies in slings.  As you take more and more of the share of childcare, you will find that you also reap the rewards of improved relationships with your kids as they grow up.  By massaging your babies regularly, YOU are setting a blueprint of positive touch for life.

Wherever you live in the UK, you should be able to find a baby massage class (try www.iaim.org.uk  or www.gicm.org.uk).  I really welcome fathers into my groups.   Work commitments may mean that Dads cannot come to classes, but this does not mean that baby massage should be the domain of mothers alone – even if you cannot get along to a class with your baby, you can easily introduce massage at home.  It is a wonderful way of winding down after a day at work, and also gives your partner a very welcome and positive.

Your first baby totally changes everything  – changing from a couple to a small family is an enormous shift in dynamic and  it is possible for new fathers to feel excluded by the close bond they can see developing between the mother and new baby through breastfeeding.  Baby massage offers men a chance to feel included in the intimacy of a new relationship with their baby. 

“I wish I could do that” I can remember my husband Martin saying as he watched me breastfeeding our first baby, Billie.  “So do I,” I thought “especially at 2.30 in the morning!”  He really meant it though… he wanted to feel as close to our daughter as I did.  Martin massaged both our babies and the bond he struck up has lasted through the years.

Breastfed babies spend a lot of their time in the "quiet alert" state, which is most conducive to learning. On top of this the eye to eye and skin to skin contact, which happens naturally during a breastfeed, offers wonderful sensory stimulation to a baby.   Baby massage promotes the same “quiet alert” state in babies and of course there is the same eye to eye contact and much more skin to skin contact.  It is a time when a baby can see you, feel you and smell you (smell is very important in the new world of a tiny baby).

Other benefits of baby massage are well documented.  Massage can stimulate your baby’s undeveloped circulatory, nervous and immune systems, and can benefit heart rate, breathing and digestion.  As well as this it encourages elasticity of muscles, can improve your baby’s ability to relax and often helps improve sleep patterns.

As many illnesses are related to anxiety and stress, anything that reduces stress can only be good for both father and baby.

It is not just babies, but Dads too who are benefiting from this early contact.  These fathers establish a warm, positive relationship that continues as the child grows, but they may also experience increased self-esteem and confidence as new parents due to the increased involvement with their newborns. An Australian study showed that babies who were massaged by their Dads for 5 minutes a day for 3 months rewarded their fathers with more eye contact, smiling, vocalizing and reaching responses.  A baby’s first language of communication is touch, so massage is a wonderful way of establishing trust and helping to build the warmth of your relationship. 

When we think of the bare necessities of life, touch doesn't usually figure very high up on the list. We're more likely to list things like food and water, yet touch and affection can be just as important. No infant can thrive fully without positive touch.  Baby Massage is so simple – and costs you the price of some oil and your time (which is priceless).

Our thanks to Katie Whitehouse Director of Vital Touch www.vitaltouch.com & experienced baby massage instructor, for this great article.

For further information on Vital Touch baby massage oil check out our review here!