The following non-verbal cues are indications that your baby is enjoying the massage;

Calms down and becomes still

Gazes at your face

Reaches for you

Watches your movements

Smiles, giggles, babbles

Begins to suck on their lower lip

Their eyes get wide and bright

They try to raise their head

The following are non-verbal cues that indicates that your baby is no longer interested what is occurring:


Begins arching their back

Spits up

Cries or begins fussing

Falls asleep

Turns their head away from you

Wrinkles their forehead, frowns

Looks away from you

Breathing increases

These cues are important to know and understand before, during and after your massage.  Try and stay alert and observant of your babies actions during the massage. By paying attention to your babies non-verbal cues during your massage time, you are more able to understand what your baby is communicating at any time.

Start with the temperature of the room.  The most comfortable temperature for babies to relax in is between 88 and 90 degrees.  This temperature may not be the most comfortable for you, so do your best to find a temperature that is comparable for you and your baby.

Massaging your baby in a dimly lit room with soft music playing in the background will help both you and your baby prepare for the massage. Doing these two things provides a soothing and relaxing atmosphere that will help you get into the right frame of mind and if you are consistently massaging your baby, this will indicate that it is time to relax.

Be sure to have soft toys at hand before you begin the massage.  This will keep your baby entertained as you go through the massage routine.  If you can only use soft to the touch toys. Toys that produce no sound are good but not a must.

You will need a padded surface to lay the baby on.  You can use a blanket folded up but if you do you will need something extra to support your baby’s head. You need all the baby essentials: diapers, wet wipes, burp rags, bottles, blankets and pacifiers. Finally you need oil.  There are several types of oil you can use but I recommend grape seed oil, almond oil and apricot kernel oil (which is very hard to find, but a very good massage oil).

Click here for some more specific products that are recommended to have in order to create a more relaxing massage time for you and your baby.

Now that you have all the things you need to create a relaxing environment, its time to massage your baby. I know what you’re thinking…”how do I do that?” Well, I will run through a detailed sequence of how to massage your baby in the next few days, so check back…the information is coming.

Questions are welcome. Let me know if there is anything I can clarify for you.

Benefits of Infant Massage:

Giving your baby a massage can drastically improve communication between you and your infant.  Massaging your baby can increase your ability to read what is going on with his or her body.  You will be able to more quickly understand what their facial expressions  and different their cries mean simply by giving you baby consistent massages.

You get more sleep, why do you get more sleep….because your baby gets more sleep.  The statement, “If Mom ain’t happy….nobody is happy” is only a half truth.  The real truth is if baby ain’t happy…NOBODY is happy.  Giving your baby a massage can mend this situations. You and your baby relax during and after massage time which helps everyone involved  be more restful at bedtime.

You will boost your self-confidence as a parent/caregiver as you feel the connection grow stronger with your baby. Bringing your baby joy and relaxation through massage only affirms what everyone else already knows, and that is that you are a good parent/caregiver and your baby is lucky to have you.

The bonding element of massage is so important, it warrants revisiting again.  Taking time out of your busy day to massage your baby can create a lasting bond of trust and tenderness.


The benefits I have mentioned here and in the other post are just a portion of what can be felt and achieved through infant massage. Take the time to learn how massage your baby. The knowledge and practice will pay you back in ways you can’t even imagine.

Detoxify Your Body:

Juniper          Eucalypius          Sage          Rose          Rosemary         Ginger          Clove          Grapefruit          Black Pepper

Relax Your Body:

Lavender          Chamomile      Marjoram          Jasmine          Peppermint          Clary Sage

Reducing Your Weight:

Juniper          Grapefruit          Orange          Sage          Ginger          Pine Needle          Lavender          Peppermint

Anti-Depressant for Your Body:

Peppermint           Orange          Chamomile          Clary Sage          Orange          Rosemary          Geranium          Ylang Ylang

Lemon Grass
Life Extension Overstock Sale – Save 60% to 80%

If are you mixing herbs, I suggest you mix your herbs in a glass jar in relatively large amounts, at least two cups worth.  When using the herb blend, use at least two tablespoons of blend and four to six tablespoons of oil.  Mix the blend at let it sit for at least a half an hour before applying the mixture to either your or someone elses body.

When doing a wrap at home these are some of the things you’ll need to prepare to do the wrap:

First layer on the bed, ground or table use an emergency blanket (optional but important), then use a wool blanket, a plastic sheet (if you can get one) and a towel to cover the body while applying the wrap.

Choose an Aromatherapy oil, which is just a massage oil with just a few drops of essentials oils mixed in.

Have the person lay face down under the towel and apply the oil to the back, gluts, legs and arms. Have that person turn over and apply the oil to the front of the body. If you are wrapping a woman, make sure you cover her breasts when you rub the oil on her stomach.

Wrap the person to their comfort level, whether it is snug or loose but the tighter the better for detoxing.  Place a pillow under the persons needs for better spine alignment.

Keep the person wrapped for 20-25 minutes.

Benefits for the Infants:

There are several benefits for your infant when consistently receiving a massage. An infants neurological functions improve while being massaged. This improvement is do to the systematic stimulation of your baby’s nerves and muscular systems. This stimulation also assists in your infant’s post-natal muscular development. Massaging your baby will increase your babies range of motion. Infant massage has gentle stretches that when done consistently help babies become much more flexible. This increased flexibility is also a way to assist in the development of the muscular system.

Massage improves the digestive system of your baby. When massaging a baby there are several of stokes performed on the abdomen.  This eases any blockages of food or gas.  The stimulation also increase blood to the stomach area which aids in digestion. Babies that are massaged are able to put on weight easier because of the aid to their digestive system.

The birthing process is very traumatic to your baby.  Giving your baby massages will ease the trauma of the birth.  A massage will teach your baby soothing touch and through that soothing touch your baby can and will release the stress they experienced in birth.  Massaging your infant will also help your baby sleep more deeply and less fitfully because the stress and trauma have been massaged away.

Finally massaging your baby will increase the bond the two of you share.  Practitioners of infant massage often suggest that fathers learn to give babies a massage because of the depth of the bond that is created during a massage.  Mothers generally have an instinctual bond with their baby, massage allows that bond to be shared by all practitioners, creating a family bonding environment.

Thank you for taking a moment or two to read about the benefits of massaging your baby.  Take a minute to look at the post Benefits of Infant Massage Part Two before you read about massage preparation in order to fully understand what infant massage can do.

Questions are welcome, feel free to ask anything that comes to mind.

Why?  Well, if Albert Einstein really was correct in stating that the average human being only uses 10% of their brain, then meditating is one of the few ways everyone can increase that percentage.  Meditation teaches your brain how to relax your body. by learning you relax your own body, you can more easily help another person relax through your touch. It is amazing how much calmer and more in tune you feel when you add meditation to your life.Life Extension Overstock Sale – Save 60% to 80%

The best system for learning to meditate and increasing your awareness is The Silva Method.  I have been using The Silva Method Life System for a little over a month now and I find I am much less stressed, my ability to assess a person’s needs in a massage is enhance and I am able to absorb information at an increased rate.  I have shared this system of meditation with both my friends and my family and they seem to be getting the same results. The Silva Method is the number one system I would recommend when learning how to meditate.

Meditation takes some getting used to. If you find a method that works for you, stick with it, it will get less weird or “hoeky” the more you practice. I promise you if you do begin meditating, your massages be better and hopefull your life will be as well.

First get a bouncy ball.  You know the kind that are (or used to be) a quarter in the machines at the grocery store.  As shown in the picture at the right of the screen.  You don’t need a large ball, in fact smaller would be preferable.  Okay now that you have your ball; place the ball on the floor, put your foot on top of it, apply a little pressure by pressing down on the and roll the ball around with your foot.   With a smaller ball you are able to pinpoint areas that are giving you more trouble and it actually feels pretty good.  After you’ve rolled your foot around on the ball for a little bit and the bottom of you foot feels relaxed, take the ball and place it on top of your Big and second toe. So that the ball is between both toes but not in between both toes.

Now take the ball and while applying a little pressure, roll it up toward the ankle in space between the two tentons that are attached to the Big and second toe. Repeat this process between the second and third to and so on.

Trust me, the bouncy technique works.  It might not be the best foot massage you’ve received, but it beats pulling your foot onto your opposite leg and massaging with your thumbs.

As always, if you have any questions, please ask!
Life Extension Overstock Sale – Save 60% to 80%

When you’re giving a massage, especially a neck or foot massage, the tendency is to use your thumbs.  This makes sense, they are a more powerful digit and thumbs can get a lot of leverage. But if you overuse your thumbs then you get what we massage therapists call “blown out thumbs.” Not a pretty site…actually it just hurts.  Anyway, in order to avoid that, use your knuckles, your fists, your elbow, or if you’re really good, use your knees. These different body parts are called “tools” in the massage community. So you will be learning how to use different tools to perform a massage.

Use your pointer finger and middle fingers knuckles together to pinpoint areas were your had used your thumb.  You will want to keep your fingers close together much like the picture to the left in order to get the desired strength. When using your knuckles, make sure that you keep your wrist in the same line as your arm.  You need to do this for two reasons, the first is the strength behind what you are doing and the second is that you want hurt your wrist this way.

You will want to use your knuckles on the bottom of the feet and the neck when doing a massage.  You can use your knuckles when doing a back massage, but it can be difficult to do without hurting your wrist.

Okay, I think that you get the point when it comes to the knuckles. Now lets focus on the fist.  Once again keep the fist in the same  line as the arm…for the same reasons as the knuckles.  The fist can be used during a back, neck or foot massage.  The fist can be used for making broad strokes or using the largest knuckle on the top of the fist to rotate on a spot.

Look closely at the picture, that is the proper way to use the elbow. You don’t put pressure directly on the point of the elbow, you apply pressure just behind the point.  Also, when doing a back massage beginners and professionals alike should trace in front of the elbow and go slowly on the back. The elbow is the strongest of the three tools because you can put your body weight behind it therefore you need to move slowly in order to not hurt the person you are massaging.

As for the knee….that’s a bit beyond basic…but I promise we’ll get to it one of these days.

I hope you found this informative. Please feel free to ask me any questions that come to mind as you are reading. Good luck on your massage!