When our little ones are not feeling their best, it can be a very stressful experience for any parent. As a natural and holistic way to help improve the function of your baby’s gastrointestinal tract, the practice of baby massage to help constipation has become increasingly popular over the past few years.
What is baby massage?
Baby massage is an effective way to help your baby work through uncomfortable bouts of constipation, reflux and colic. Using purposeful massage strokes combined with touch relaxation techniques, baby massage to help constipation can be a successful way to help your baby better regulate their bowel movements.
As a skill that can be performed by any parent, learning how to massage a baby’s stomach to relieve constipation from a certified infant massage instructor is the best way to ensure that you are keeping your baby safe and happy throughout the entire process.
How to massage a baby’s stomach to relieve constipation
When getting started with the basics of baby massage for constipation, some of the most important points to consider include:
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The permission sequence — As a way to introduce and ask your baby if they would like a massage, this beginning component of the massage is a great way to introduce barriers and communication throughout the process. Alternatively, a reassurance sequence used for times when your baby is very upset or uncomfortable and unable to 'give permission' through standard response cues can also be helpful.
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Safe positioning for the infant — Safety is always the number one priority during a massage. Parents need to learn how to safely position their babies in lying and sitting massage positions before performing them regularly.
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Infant body language during massage — Because our little ones cannot verbalise their feelings, learning how to assess their non-verbal communication during a massage is essential to maximise comfort and trust.
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Parent relaxation — Our babies respond directly to our energy. Because of this, learning to bring relaxing and calming energy to the massage will help your infant feel more at peace throughout the entire duration of the activity.
With these safety and communication pieces in place, the actual massage will be more therapeutic and relaxing for both parent and child.
Learn more about becoming certified in baby massage for constipation
At the Infant Massage Information Service, we are proud to offer high-quality educational resources for parents or practitioners interested in learning more about baby massage for constipation. As a great skill to add to your repertoire, becoming certified in baby massage can help parents better connect with their children during times of discomfort.
If you are interested in learning more about our infant massage certification program, please check out our website to fill out an application for one of our available massage courses. For additional support with registration or to learn more about all of our educational services, please feel free to contact us.