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Really?

You ask for your baby's permission before massage!


Yes, we know this one sounds strange at first but trust us... this is almost every Infant Massage Instructor's favourite aspect of baby massage. Once you know a little more about it, it may be yours too.

Babies can easily learn to recognise cues. Every parent has seen their baby becomes impatient when Mum sits down and begins to unclip her bra to feed. Bottle fed babies also recognise the signs that a bottle is being prepared and demonstrate the same anticipation, excitement or frustration waiting for their feed to begin.

In these situations, babies demonstrate they can recognise a predictable sequence of events or cues. Infant Massage Instructors use this principal to help you teach your baby a 'permission sequence' for massage. Instructors demonstrate a cue you can use with your baby prior to massage to indicate that massage is going to occur. In no time at all, your baby will learn when you use this cue, it means massage is going to begin.

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When your baby learns to recognise a 'permission sequence', they will use body language or vocalisations to communicate whether or not they are happy for massage to take place. They might make eye contact, smile and make some awfully cute and happy noises, they may bounce their arms and legs with excitement or even try to grasp your hands and pull them in so that you can get started with the massage.

Babies take different amounts of time to recognise the cue for massage. An average length of time seems to be 2-8 weeks of daily massage. If you do a little bit of massage every day, you are likely to see specific response cues faster.

Remember, your baby will not recognise this cue immediately. It is something that is recognised over time. An Infant Massage Instructor can make sure you know who to proceed with massage time while your baby is learning to recognise the permission sequence.

It's important you keep watching for cues from your baby during massage time to know when they've had enough. Little ones rarely make it through a full body massage in one sitting; usually preferring small amounts of massage at a time. Regardless of how much massage you get through, be sure to stop when your baby shows they've had enough. This helps them learn how to 'say no' at times they don't feel like having a massage.

The importance of asking permission


Asking permission will help you determine if it is a good time to give your baby a massage. For example, if you perform a permission sequence and your baby is purposefully avoiding eye contact, this can indicate it is not a good idea to massage, (or a good time to provide your baby with any additional stimulation).


Eye contact stimulates a release of hormones in your baby's brain, namely oxytocin. This stimulation and release of hormones excites your baby and their breathing and heart rate will increase. By purposefully avoiding eye contact, your baby could be trying to prevent themselves from becoming overstimulated. Overstimulation occurs when a baby is swamped by more experiences, sensations, noise and activity than they can cope with. If your baby is showing they cannot cope with the stimulation of eye contact, it will not be a good time to provide additional stimulation through massage.

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Most adults think of massage as a relaxing experience but for babies, massage is both relaxing and stimulating. When you give your baby a massage, you're actually stimulating their central nervous system. Because massage is stimulating, it should only be provided at times your baby can cope with additional stimulation (e.g. when waking from a nap as opposed to before going to sleep).

Besides helping you figure out if you've found the right time for massage, performing a permission sequence will help you teach your child about appropriate touch from infancy.

Children learn best through repetition of practical, multi-sensory experiences. Waiting until a child is in preschool or primary school, sitting them down and having a discussion about appropriate touch and what action is expected of them if someone does touch them inappropriately, is perhaps not the most effective way to ensure your child will run, shout and scream 'no', or attempt to otherwise defend themselves.

How can we possibly expect children to react this way to inappropriate touch when every practical experience they have had with adults teaches them the opposite?

Many children are conditioned and taught to respect adults; to do as they're told, not to hit, kick, scream or fight. These are all important lessons to learn of course. In learning these things however, children are provided with a very clear message, being - it is not OK to say no to an adult. Consider that message for a moment. In a child's daily life, how many situations can you think of where it is acceptable for a child to say no to an adult when given an instruction?

How can we possibly expect children to respond in a different way to a stressful and intimidating situation? When under stress, people tend to react using learned and practised behaviours.

When using a permission sequence, your are showing your baby that you would like to massage. By pausing and allowing your baby to respond, you are helping your child learn that when a person wants to have contact with them, they must have permission first. In addition to this, from an early age, your child has the benefit of a repeated practical experience where they are allowed to say no to physical contact.

This process shows your child that when it comes to touch it is perfectly acceptable to say no to an adult. By responding appropriately to 'no cues' (by not commencing massage) you can help your child learn by experience that when they refuse physical contact, their decision is respected.

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If you would like to learn more about recognising cues your baby might give during massage time or how to perform a permission sequence for massage, contact a qualified Infant Massage Instructor. Instructors offer one-on-one private appointments or hold baby massage classes where multiple parents are taught how to massage simultaneously.

To locate a qualified instructor, contact the Infant Massage Information Service and provide your post code. You will then receive an email with instructor details for your local area.

If you are interested in training in baby massage and becoming a Certified Infant Massage Instructor, details can be found via the following links:

Certificate in Infant Massage Instruction

Becoming a Paediatric Massage Consultant

3-day intensive programs or correspondence study

Units of study (course content)

Enrolment fees

Training dates and locations

Eligibility and Course Prerequisites

No prior training or qualifications are required for the Certified Infant Massage Instructor(CIMI) qualification.

Wanting the Paediatric Massage Consultant (PMC) qualification and wondering if you meet the prerequisite requirements?

If your qualifications fall under the categories of health, allied health, natural therapies or education, you are guaranteed to meet the prerequisite requirements for the paediatric level qualification.

Some examples of qualifications that meet the prerequisite requirements for the PMC qualification are included below (please note, this is not a full list). 

Examples of health qualifications approved for PMC:

Nurse, midwife, aboriginal health worker, community health worker, retired nurse, child & family practitioner, paediatric nurse, maternal/child health nurse, neonatal nurse, paediatrician, medical doctor.

Examples of allied health qualifications approved for PMC:

Chiropractor, doula, childbirth educator, lactation consultant/educator, science degrees, mental health professional, social worker, occupational therapist, physiotherapist, psychologist. 

Examples of natural therapy qualifications approved for PMC:

Massage therapist, yoga instructor, nutritionist, Chinese medicine, kinesiology, myotherapist, naturopath.

Examples of educator qualifications approved for PMC:

Early childhood educator, early childhood teacher, other educator (e.g. B. ED Studies, diploma in primary teaching)

PMC students receive both qualifications, the Certificate in Infant Massage Instruction and the Paediatric Massage Consultant qualification. To obtain the paediatric qualification you need to meet the prerequisite requirements, complete your baby massage training through the Infant Massage Information Service and successfully complete 4 competency tasks. In addition to working with parents, and teaching them how to massage their babies, PMCs can provide theory presentations to other professionals, educating them on the researched benefits of massage for infants and children and ensuring they are aware of services available to families in this field. 

Course Fees and Variations

Course fees are the same regardless of your method of study (face-to-face or online).

Fees for the Certificate in Infant Massage Instruction range from $1125 - $1650, depending on the enrolment package (inclusions) selected. Interest-free payment plans are available and these are personalised for each student. 

Fees for the Paediatric Massage Consultant qualification range from $1485 - $2010, depending on the enrolment package (inclusions) selected. Interest-free payment plans are available and these are personalised for each student. 

The course fee table outlining the enrolment packages (inclusions) can be accessed here: Fee Structure | Baby Massage

Please note, the table automatically displays the fees for the Certified Infant Massage Instructor qualification. To view the fees and inclusions for the Paediatric Massage Consultant (PMC) qualification, be sure to click on the 'Paediatric Massage Consultant' box. 

Face-to-Face Course Details

Face-to-face training dates and locations can be found on our course dates and locations page: Locations | Baby Massage

The face-to-face training is completed over 3 days and courses are always held on a Friday, Saturday & Sunday.

Career and Qualification Pathways

Infant Massage Information Service 3-day face-to-face courses have a mixture of both Certified Infant Massage Instructor (CIMI) and Paediatric Massage Consultant (PMC) students.

All students cover the same content/units of study.

The differences are:

- Our CIMI students are usually going into the industry as something new i.e. with no prior related background. There are no pre-requisite requirements they need to meet.

- CIMI students complete the 3-day course successfully and are then able to work with parents, teaching infant massage. All assessment work is completed within the 3 days of the course.

- Our PMC students have prior, related training and/or experience in health, allied health, natural therapies or early childhood education and care.

- After the 3 days in class, there is one additional assignment completed. The additional PMC task takes approximately 2 days to complete and does not need to be done in the 2 days directly following the course. PMC students can complete their additional assessment when convenient and follow the instructions provided to upload their submission for marking when they're ready. 

- Our PMC students receive both qualifications – the CIMI qualification and the PMC qualification. The CIMI level qualification is provided immediately after the 3-day face-to-face course and the PMC qualification is issued after the additional PMC assessment has been completed. 

- PMCs can work with parents, teaching infant massage in the same way that CIMIs can. What PMCs are also able to do is provide theory presentations to professional groups on infant massage. The presentations are fairly straightforward and usually follow the same format e.g. – Self-introduction, benefits of infant massage, research reviews, dispelling common myths relating to infant massage and information on services available to parents in this field. 

Various industry bodies request these types of presentations and PMCs are paid a presentation fee for this work directly by the organisation or body who has requested them. PMC presentations offer a unique opportunity to network with other professionals and potentially receive additional referrals for your infant massage work with parents.  
 

What if I'm completing the course via correspondence study?

Each correspondence intake period has a mix of both Certified Infant Massage Instructor (CIMI) and Paediatric Massage Consultant (PMC) students.

All students cover the same content/units of study.

The differences are:

- Our CIMI students are usually going into the industry as something new i.e. with no prior related background. There are no pre-requisite requirements they need to meet.

- CIMI students successfully complete 3 competency tasks at their own pace and are then able to work with parents, teaching infant massage. 

- Our PMC students have prior, related training and/or experience in health, allied health, natural therapies or early childhood education and care.

- There is one additional assignment completed for the PMC qualification.

- Our PMC students receive both qualifications – the CIMI qualification and the PMC qualification.

- PMCs can work with parents, teaching infant massage in the same way that CIMIs can. What PMCs are also able to do is provide theory presentations to professional groups on infant massage. The presentations are fairly straightforward and usually follow the same format e.g. – Self-introduction, benefits of infant massage, research reviews, dispelling common myths relating to infant massage and information on services available to parents in this field. 

Various industry bodies request these types of presentations and PMCs are paid a presentation fee for this work directly by the organisation or body who has requested them. PMC presentations offer a unique opportunity to network with other professionals and potentially receive additional referrals for your infant massage work with parents. 

Online Study

The correspondence program is thorough, easy to work through and offers a convenient way to study. 100% of the course requirements are completed from home, including all practical work meaning no travel or onsite attendance is needed.

Once your enrollment is complete and the course fees are paid, you will receive a welcome email providing you with full access to the course content. Your welcome email includes your pdf training manual with all of the course theory work and assessment instructions as well as links to the practical video files you need to watch. A training pack containing your demonstration doll and any other resources in your enrolment pack is sent via post.

There's no need to wait for your training pack to arrive via post before you begin studying. As soon as you receive your welcome email you can get started with the course theory work, then move on to the practical techniques once your demonstration doll arrives. 

You're welcome to study at your own pace to complete the course. Most students complete everything within the space of a few weeks. If students have a lot of other commitments and limited time, they might finish the course over a few months instead. Whatever study period you need is ok, there are no enforced deadlines you need to meet. 

There are 3 or 4 assessment tasks to complete depending on the qualification level you enrol in. The tasks are easy to complete and personalised assistance is available throughout the course if you need help with questions or clarifications. 

Your theory assessment is an open book, multiple-choice exam which ensures you've worked through the training manual. You're provided with an answer sheet to complete which can be emailed as an attachment or uploaded for marking. Practical tasks are recorded using any device (most students use their phone). The recordings are uploaded for the trainers to view and report on. Practical reports are extremely detailed to ensure you're confident in practical techniques prior to certification. 

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