How to massage children at home?

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

Newborn massage is believed to be one of the procedures that help the baby grow up he althy. It is easier for a baby to acquire skills important for its development: it begins to hold its head, roll over on its tummy, crawl, sit down, and so on. How to massage children at home is of interest to most young mothers. The technique is quite simple, but there are a number of rules and restrictions that you should familiarize yourself with in advance.

Why do I need a massage?

"How to massage a baby?" - a question that interests most parents, but not everyone is wondering about its necessity. And the benefits of it are great:

1. Positive effect on the circulatory system.
2. Normalization of metabolic processes in the body.
3. Strengthening immunity.
4. Improve appetite and sleep quality.
5. Positive effect on mood.

Moreover, a massage for a newborn does not have to be done by a professional, the warmth and tenderness of mother's hands sometimes bring much more benefit. Moreover, anyone can learn this business. It is important to follow a few simple rules and listen carefully to the reaction of the baby during the manipulations.

Optimal age

Doctors advise young mothers to massage newborns no earlier than 2-3 weeks after birth. Moreover, attention is often focused on the umbilical wound. Until it is completely healed, the procedure is undesirable.

The first massage session should be under the strict supervision of a specialist who can show you how to properly and safely massage the newborn.

Contraindications

Unfortunately, in our time you can meet a lot of "brave" mothers who heard somewhere that the rest of them massage their babies, and immediately decide to repeat this procedure at home. To avoid such mistakes, you should read the contraindications:

1. If the child has inflammatory processes in the body or skin rashes, it is better to postpone the massage until the baby recovers.
2. The baby is overexcited, naughty and clearly in a bad mood.
3. A newborn has a congenital heart defect.
4. Umbilical hernia.
5. Rickets in the period of exacerbation.

Besides this, there are a number of contraindications. To determine exactly if your child can domassage, you should consult a pediatrician.

Varieties

Before deciding whether it is possible to massage children, you should familiarize yourself with its types. Depending on the goal pursued, massage happens:

1. Medical.
2. Prophylactic.
3. Treatment-prophylactic.

The first type of massage is usually prescribed by a doctor and is performed only if the newborn has the following diseases:

1. Hypertonicity or hypotonicity.
2. Congenital dislocation of the joint.
3. Hip Dysplasia.
4. Acquired or congenital clubfoot.
5. Umbilical hernia.
6. Problems of the central nervous system.
7. Flat feet, X- or O-leg deformity.
8. Scoliosis.
9. Tremor.
10. Rickets.
11. Muscular torticollis.

An individual massage technique is applied for each of the above conditions.

Frequency of execution

How often should a baby be massaged? Preventive is recommended for all children, if there are no contraindications. Usually, experts recommend doing the procedure in courses. Once a quarter is enough. If there are indications, they go to the procedures more often.

On average, a session lasts from 20 to 45 minutes. Initially, the massage does not last long, but gradually the duration increases. Thus, the baby gets used to the procedure and does not get stressed. It is worth noting that some babies cry during manipulations, furtherthe course depends on the parents and the recommendations of the specialist. Most kids, on the contrary, love massage and enjoy it. The standard course consists of 11-12 sessions. But positive dynamics can be seen only after 12 sessions.

Consequently, a newborn does not just need a massage, he needs it! Therefore, the regular implementation of this procedure favorably affects the development of the baby. But this does not mean that it should be done constantly. It is important to take breaks between courses, since massage is a serious physical activity for a small organism, respectively, the crumbs will definitely need some time to recover.

What do you need?

How to massage a newborn baby, every young mother should know. Almost all babies need this procedure from birth. Special equipment for massage is not required, but you need to prepare:

1. Smooth horizontal surface. It can be a changing table, a dining table, a hard mattress, a floor, and so on.
2. A few diapers. Give preference to disposable products, because during the massage, babies relax and can wet the surface.
3. If mommy has dry hands, you should use baby cream. If wet, then powder.

Massaging a baby a month is considered absolutely normal. Preventive massage for newborns is very popular now. Among other things, this procedure allows even betterestablish a close relationship between the child and parents.

Preparatory stage

Before proceeding with the procedure, you should follow a few rules:

1. Ventilate the room for 15-20 minutes. Time directly depends on weather conditions.
2. The air temperature in the room should be 18-22 degrees.
3. Prepare everything you need for the massage. All devices should be at hand, since during the procedure you must constantly be near the baby, otherwise he runs the risk of rolling off the table.
4. Remove any jewelry that might get in your way. These are rings, bracelets, watches and other accessories.
5. Wash your hands.
6. Undress the baby. Pampers also need to be removed.

During the massage, the child should be full and calm. Before starting the procedure, warm up your palms.

There are four ways to carry out the procedure:

1. Stroking.
2. Kneading.
3. Pinch.
4. Rubbing.

How to massage a month old baby? Children under the age of 3 months are recommended to carry out the procedure solely on the basis of strokes. This rule is very important to follow, since during this period the central nervous system is still improving in the crumbs.

How to massage children?

The algorithm is:

1. Each stroke should be done about 4-6 times.
2. Baby's skin should not move under the fingers of an adult. If this happens, then you may be pushing too hard.on the tender body of the baby.
3. Massage starts from the head, then smoothly moves to the face.
4. Then stroke the palms towards the outside of the shoulder, and then back down the inside.
5. Gently massaging the baby's hands using the technique of opening the baby's clamped fist. That is, you are carefully trying to unclench the child's fist by stroking.
6. The chest is stroked with the entire inner surface of the arms towards the sides, observing the line of the ribs.
7. The tummy is massaged with the palm of one hand clockwise around the navel. The procedure can be carried out with the legs bent at the knees. This position contributes to the discharge of gases in the baby.
8. How to give a foot massage to a child? The legs should be ironed in the direction from the heels to the hips. You can not massage and stroke your knees. This area should remain intact during the procedure.

In addition, you can massage the active points located on the feet of the baby. If the baby already knows how to independently hold the head, then you should turn it over on the tummy and stroke the back from the lower back to the shoulders. This procedure helps to strengthen the back and neck.

As you may have noticed, there is nothing difficult in properly massaging a child. The main thing is tenderness and affection, and the baby will tell you all the other nuances of the procedure on his own.

Advice for Moms

Before starting this procedure, you need to ask about the correct technique.

How to massage children if veryAre you afraid to hurt or make the baby hurt or unpleasant? Probably, this thought arises in most mothers. Learning the procedure is quite simple, moreover, this manipulation is absolutely safe for kids. But sometimes step-by-step instructions may not be enough, so moms should take lessons from an experienced specialist or watch video lessons on the Internet. Remember that we are fully responsible for the life and he alth of the child, so take this seriously. Moreover, a massage lesson can be given by a visiting nurse from the clinic during one of the visits to the newborn.

If your baby is absolutely he althy, and he has no contraindications to performing such procedures, then it will be enough for you to learn how to perform a general strengthening massage. A little practice, and your movements will become clear, correct and confident. If you perform the procedure at the same time, it will become part of your daily ritual. But many still tend to think that this is a serious physical activity for the baby, so taking breaks is necessary. You can hear a lot of conflicting opinions about this. If you do not trust yourself, consult experienced pediatricians or your mother, grandmother, etc.

Komarovsky, a well-known children's doctor, recommends that parents massage their children on their own, along with daily evening treatments. The scheme suggested by the doctor includes: massage, gymnastics, water procedures, pre-feeding before bedtime.