Soon you will find as the parent of a new baby or a young child that they like a massage too, not only does it help them to relax and sleep better but it sometimes helps them to digest their food easier. The types of strokes that would often be used on an adult during a massage session can also be used on your baby too. However, it is important that you learn by practicing what your baby or child likes the most.

Below are a number of points that you must remember when you are giving your baby or young child a massage.

1. They do not stay still for long periods of time.

2. The strokes you do must be gentle and smaller and need to be adapted to your baby/child’s body.

3. A baby or child can be placed on your lap or on the floor on a towel during the massage session, but this really depends on their age, certainly for a young baby a lap is the better option.

4. Do not carry on with the massage if the baby or child become uncomfortable.

When massaging your baby or young child it is best that you follow this simple guide.

1. Place the baby or child on their back.

2. Always start by stroking their face first, begin at the forehead and work out to the temples and then work out from the nose to ears and then the cheeks to chin.

3. Always massage the front of the body upwards and outwards from the arms

4. Using both hands make clockwise circular movements around the navel area.

5. On the abdomen make gentle wring actions upwards.

6. Then alternately lift up and stroke each arm with both hands and then squeeze with one hand.

7. Each hand should be massaged and each finger should be rotated individually.

8. A baby or child’s legs should first be wrung gently or squeezed upwards and then lightly stroked with feather touches down towards their feet.

Now turn the baby or child on to their stomachs.

1. First you need to gently stroke the baby or child’s back with upward and outward motions towards the arms.

2. Next gently knead their shoulders.

3. You massage the child or baby’s buttocks using either small pinching or kneading strokes.

4. Now using alternate hands work you way gently down their spine from the neck to its base.

5. When you reach the legs using gliding strokes on them and work on their feet by bending at the knee.

6. For the feet you rotate them by clasping them between the heels of both your hands. Each toe should be squeezed, rotated and pulled in turn and to massage the sole of the foot use the thumb, whilst squeezing the child or baby’s heel.

At the end of the session use light strokes down the body starting from the head and ending at the toes.

By using these simple massage techniques on your baby or child you will soon see them happily gurgling away and becoming more contented with their lives.