Durban-based Infant Massage Instructor Candice Moodeliar has built a career out of something deceptively simple: human connection. Since becoming a Certified Infant Massage Instructor through the Infant Massage Information Service (IMIS) in 2007, Candice has worked with some of South Africa’s most vulnerable infants and families - those often overlooked by mainstream support systems.
Her work isn’t just about massage strokes or techniques. It’s about rebuilding trust, creating safety, and offering parents and caregivers a way to reach their babies - even in the most fragile of circumstances.
“This mission is my true calling,” Candice says. “When I see a baby who’s been through something traumatic begin to relax under gentle, respectful touch, it reminds me why I do what I do.”
Supporting the Vulnerable: A Career With Deep Purpose
Candice is the founder of Baby Massage Westville, where she provides infant massage education to families from all walks of life. But her core focus - and the heart of her work - lies in supporting non-profit organisations and families navigating complex challenges.
She works with:
👶 Premature and medically fragile infants
🧠Children with special or additional needs
👩👧 Single, adoptive, and young or teenage mothers
💙 Families experiencing maternal mental health challenges
In many of these situations, trust has been broken - by trauma, illness, abandonment, or systems that weren’t equipped to support the family’s needs. Candice uses infant massage as a bridge. A way to rebuild that trust, one small, safe moment at a time.
She’s particularly passionate about helping caregivers understand the science behind touch and the powerful role it plays in supporting healing. “Touch is not just comforting,” she says. “It’s neurological. It’s hormonal. It’s how babies learn that the world can be safe again.”
Research supports her approach. Studies have shown that massage can reduce stress hormones like cortisol, regulate sleep patterns, support digestion, and enhance weight gain in premature infants (
Field, 2010). For caregivers, it improves bonding, lowers anxiety, and increases parental confidence - especially important in high-stress environments where those capacities are often stretched thin.
Sharing Her Knowledge on South Africa’s Biggest Parenting Platform
Candice recently took her message to a broader stage, speaking at the
MamaMagic Expo in Johannesburg, South Africa’s premier baby-focused event. There, she delivered live demonstrations, answered parent questions, and introduced attendees to the deeper science behind infant massage.
“It was incredible to meet so many families,” she says. “You could see how open people were to learning - how much they wanted to support their babies but sometimes didn’t know where to begin. I felt so honoured to guide them.”
Her presence at the expo offered visibility not just for her own practice, but for the work of certified instructors more broadly. Many parents attending the event had never encountered infant massage before. Others had heard of it but didn’t realise it could be used to support medically complex infants or caregivers in crisis.
Her message was simple: infant massage is not fluff or trend. It’s evidence-based, culturally adaptable, and profoundly needed.
From Local Support to Lasting Change
Candice’s work with non-profit organisations has had ripple effects far beyond the baby massage class room. She collaborates with support staff, psychologists, nurses, and volunteers to ensure infant massage becomes integrated into broader care programs - especially in shelters and clinics where babies have experienced neglect, loss, or separation.
She also trains and mentors young mothers - some of whom are still children themselves. For these girls, infant massage is more than a technique. It’s an entry point to feeling competent, valued, and connected with their baby.
“They’re often told what they’re doing wrong,” Candice says. “But when I teach massage, I start by showing them how to ask permission from their baby. I teach them to watch for cues. And suddenly, this young mother is learning that her baby is communicating. That she has what it takes to listen and respond.”
It’s this mindset shift that Candice believes has the most lasting impact. “The strokes are important, but it’s the communication, the attunement, that changes everything.”
Why IMIS Certification Matters
Candice credits the Infant Massage Information Service with providing the foundation for everything she’s achieved.
“I am immensely grateful to IMIS for the unwavering support,” she says. “The training was comprehensive, evidence-based, and respectful of the real-life challenges families face. And I still draw on that material, all these years later.”
As she expands her work into more complex settings - working with NICUs, child protection organisations, and families facing trauma - Candice found that the IMIS framework gave her the tools and confidence to adapt her knowledge sensitively and ethically.
The support from IMIS also gave her the confidence to share her knowledge more broadly - through public presentations like MamaMagic and by collaborating with community partners to better support the families they work with.
For those considering a career in infant massage, Candice offers simple but direct advice: “Do it. If you’re drawn to this work, trust that instinct. You’ll be part of something real - something that makes a difference in people’s lives every single day.”
A Path for Others to Follow
For prospective students wondering what’s possible with
IMIS training, Candice’s story shows the potential reach and depth of this work. Yes, you’ll learn practical techniques. But more than that, you’ll be equipped to step into real-world situations with empathy, evidence, and the skills to build meaningful relationships.
Whether your passion lies in early childhood, healthcare, counselling, or working with families in crisis, infant massage can become a bridge - between caregiver and child, between trauma and recovery, between uncertainty and confidence.
As Candice puts it, “We can change the world - one baby at a time.”
Want to learn more about becoming a Certified Infant Massage Instructor?
Find out how IMIS training can equip you to support families, expand your professional toolkit, and step into a deeply meaningful career.
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References:
Field, T. (2010). Touch for socioemotional and physical well-being: A review. Developmental Review, 30(4), 367–383.