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Do not add more oil to your hands as you stroke the face beginning with the forehead and again using thumbs work from the center outward as if flattening the pages of a book. You can do “Peek-a-boo” with this stroke. Make small circles around those chubby cheeks and roll the outer edges of the earlobes. Move your hands down the side of the neck and under the chin.

Turn your baby over, oil your hands and do resting hands on the back. Now gently rub from side to side with both hands from the shoulders down to the bottom. Use your whole hand and stroke from the back of the head to the tips of the toes. This stroke can get lighter and lighter as it signals the end of the massage. Now give your baby a kiss to grow on.

Note: When taking an infant massage class, the instructor will include information on gross and fine motor movements, brain building activities and massage for colic and other gastrointestinal upsets.

Resources:

-Infant Massage: A Handbook for Loving Parents, by Vimala McClure
-Loving Hands: The Traditional Art of Infant Massage, by Frederick Leboyer, M.D.
-Massage for Healthier Children, by Marybetts Sinclair
-Nurturing Touch, by Kalena Babeshoff and Juliana D. Bavolek
-Touching: The Human Significance of the Skin, by Ashley Montagu

About the author:
Pauline Nardella, RN, MPA, CCE, CIMI is a mother of three and resides in Blauvelt, NY. As a maternal child health nurse, she has been teaching childbirth and parenting classes for over 17 years and is an adjunct clinical nursing professor for Dominican College. Contact: www.BirthingWisdom.com