01.05.2016

It's no secret that today there are fewer and fewer babies being born. healthy children. The absence of obvious signs of pathology does not yet mean that by the due date he will confidently hold his head or begin to walk.
Massage of the baby's body in the first year of his life is very important. The benefit lies not only in the therapeutic effect. Not many mothers realize that such manipulations provide prevention. various diseases and harmonious development of the growing organism. The first simple strokes and light kneading will help the baby recognize his mother's hands among many other touches. Having felt familiar sensations, he will be calmer, and further massage can be turned into a game that helps the child to explore his body.
Children are more willing to respond to tactile contact with their parents, so in some cases it is better to do the massage yourself. At the moment of communication, the child learns new sensations and gets acquainted with the world around him.

Benefits of baby massage

What happens when a child, especially in the infant period, is massaged? Statistics is a stubborn thing, and long-term observations speak with confidence about exclusively useful properties baby massage:
  • Decreased muscle tone.
  • Fortified nervous system.
  • Improves blood circulation.
  • The musculoskeletal system develops.
  • Increases immunity.
  • Decreased anxiety before bed.
  • Remove colic.
  • Work is getting better digestive system.
  • Motility develops.
In addition to the above, the mother doing the massage and the baby receive a positive charge of energy and a positive attitude.

Advice. Nevertheless, before massaging the tiny body of a baby, you should consult a pediatrician and go through the first session with a qualified specialist. A competent massage therapist will give you advice on how not to harm your child and show you some simple ways.

Features of baby massage

It will be more beneficial for the baby if you combine massage with light gymnastics. Such procedures not only accelerate its physical development, but also increase mental capacity. As a rule, after a firming massage, children are less likely to get sick, less nervous, actively play and sleep peacefully.
Appoints massotherapy usually a pediatrician, but an experienced specialist performs it. But for preventive and restorative purposes, you can perform it yourself from the first weeks after birth. Moreover, no parent has the right to ignore such procedures.
The difference between children's massage and classical techniques for adults is only in its intensity. All movements should be smooth and soft, so as not to harm the more sensitive and gentle body. It is not difficult to master them, and every mother should have at least the simplest skills. The ability to positively influence your baby can be useful in any situation.

Subtleties of baby massage

What does a young mother need to know when she decides to give her baby a massage on her own? Firstly, as doctors advise, in the first year of life, the child must undergo three courses of such preventive therapy. Secondly, massage, even strengthening, is done only with total absence any contraindications. And, thirdly, without having sufficient skills, you can only perform stroking and rubbing. Today it is easy to learn a simple baby massage by contacting experienced professionals.
Of the main criteria that a novice massage therapist should be guided by, it can be noted:
  • According to the rules of baby massage, one course lasts 10 days.
  • The duration of the procedures is from 20 to 45 minutes. Everything will depend on the baby, how much he likes this process.
  • The first session should be no more than 30 minutes.
  • It is better to massage a child in the morning.
  • A second course is carried out no earlier than 30 days later, and preferably every three months.
  • Gymnastics with a child should be done immediately after the procedure, since all muscles are warmed up.
  • Preventive massage can be performed only with a conditionally healthy condition of the child. If, for example, after vaccination, the baby has a rash or a fever, then it is better to abandon the procedures for a while.
  • The same applies to the mood of the baby. bad mood(it happens in babies) is unlikely to have a massage, and the benefits of it will be minimized.
  • You can massage the baby an hour before or after feeding. Just before going to bed, you should not do this either, as the baby can become over-excited. But an hour after the session, having bathed, he will calmly fall asleep.
  • Children's preventive or strengthening massage is mainly done up to a year. It is believed that in the second year of life, the child has enough of its active mobility. The exception is therapeutic massage.
If everything is done correctly, then the result will not keep you waiting. Your baby will develop quickly and correctly, get sick less often, and you will enjoy every day with him.

Types of baby massage

You need to do baby massage on a flat surface, covered with a thin flannel blanket folded several times. The room and the air in it should be clean, well lit, without draft. The little man is very sensitive to various external factors, especially at the time of massage procedures, when his body is hot. At the same time, the room should not be stuffy and hot. Children's massage can be divided into several types.

Prophylactic

They do it in order to strengthen the children's body and direct its development in the right direction. This type of massage has four stages:
  • First trimester. Within three months from birth, the muscles of many babies are in hypertonicity. Therefore, all the massage therapist's manipulations are aimed at relaxing them. The duration of the session lasts no more than 10 minutes.
  • Second trimester. Already somewhere in the fourth month, the state of tension in the muscles of the baby subsides. Massage at this time is invigorating. The legs, arms, palms and fingers are massaged mainly. This contributes not only to muscle strengthening, but also to the development of motor skills and speech skills. The duration of the session is increased to 20 minutes.
  • Third trimester. By the beginning of this period, the baby tries to sit and roll over on his own. We help him in this still difficult task with special massage procedures that help develop the necessary muscles. Now she is involved in massage of the back and abdominal muscles.
  • Fourth trimester. In the ninth month, many fidgets take their first steps. The whole body needs to be strengthened. So that the baby is not afraid to walk and confidently stand on his feet by the age of one, it is necessary to massage the buttocks, legs, back and feet.
At 12 months, massage sessions are best combined with sports exercises on a special ball, accompanied by different counting rhymes or in game form. This develops the child's coordination and teaches to concentrate.

Therapeutic

It is prescribed by a pediatrician, surgeon, orthopedist or neurologist for various established developmental pathologies. It can only be performed by a qualified person. It is not worth self-medicating a child in this situation. You can do such a massage from 2 months.
The main indications for therapeutic massage:
  • Congenital clubfoot.
  • Torticollis.
  • Flat feet.
  • Scoliosis.
  • Hypertonicity or hypotonicity of muscles.
  • Cerebral palsy.
Various birth injuries.
The number and duration of baby massage in medicinal purposes will depend on the complexity of the disease and the general condition of the child. Only the attending physician can determine this.

Correctional

Or as you can call it - fixing. Perform this procedure to consolidate the results and prevent recurrence of the disease. As in the case of therapeutic massage, it is done exclusively by a specialist.

Baby massage techniques

Having started a massage course, it must be carried out daily, with the exception of unforeseen circumstances (cold, inflammation, rash, whims of the child). Before the first session, you need to consult with a professional massage therapist. Perhaps it is in your situation that an experienced doctor will give special recommendations on massage movements.
Basic tricks:
  • Stroking. According to the definition of movement should be stroking skin. The skin should not move with light pressure. The nature of the action is soothing. As a result, lymph and blood flow, metabolic processes, and the general condition of the child improve.
  • Trituration. Movements are made with closed or bent phalanges of the fingers. In the direction of movement, a small fold should form, which shifts the skin and underlying muscle tissue. After these manipulations, blood circulation improves, muscles, ligaments and tendons warm up. The character is more intense.
  • Kneading. Deeper impact of circular and translational movements on the muscle mass. Another type of kneading manipulation is muscle capture. Improves blood circulation, tone and nutrition of tissues.
  • Vibration. Alternate surface oscillatory movements of individual parts of the body. Performed with palm or fingers. Such light shaking relieves spasms and soothes.
When massaging on a delicate children's body, the masseur's hands should be clean and smooth. You can use various creams and oils only in case of emergency (dry hands or baby's skin), it is better to do a dry massage.

Advice. If you are visited by doubts, and you are not sure of the literacy of your actions, it is better to contact a qualified master with a great practice of baby massage. Due to inexperience, the child can be harmed. As an option, invite a doctor to your home and, under his supervision, make the first independent session.

It is very important that children's massage is not accompanied by even the slightest effort. For a more relaxing environment, you can create comfortable conditions for the baby by turning on pleasant relaxing music.

How to ensure that the baby does not cry during a massage

In general, such a concept, by definition, is not compatible with children's massage, and with massage in general. Any professional will say that all the efforts of the massage therapist end at the threshold of the patient's pain sensitivity. It is different for all people, and as for the delicate and fragile body of a child, this sensitivity increases significantly. The master of his craft must understand the reaction of the body of each of his tiny wards and, in case of crying, reduce the intensity or stop the massage.
For little man going to the clinic is already stressful, not to mention a stranger in a white coat. Therefore, it is better to give preference to home procedures or caring mother's hands. The familiar atmosphere, distracting activities, pleasant background music and careful actions of the massage therapist (or mom) will quickly reduce stress to a minimum.
Similar problems during children's massage do not always arise. Some children easily make contact and take what is happening for fun. But doing massage on your own, the main thing is not to harm such a “trustful” patient.
In favor of mother's hands, you can bring a lot of positive points. During the massage, the child feels loved one and is not fussy. A mother will never hurt her baby. Moreover, during the session, she can gently press him to her or sing a song. Also, you don’t need to rush to the massage therapist at the appointed time in any weather, but you just have to adjust to the biorhythms of your child.
It is difficult to overestimate children's massage. Like a cat licking her kitten, a mother strokes her child, thereby stimulating its development. And the hands of a skilled craftsman, who has an approach to small patients, will not only physical help but also help to quickly adapt to the social environment.

Young mothers who bring their babies to the clinic for routine preventive examinations are usually not familiar with the massage technique. Massage manipulations are very useful for a baby in the first year of life. It was during this period that the foundations of his health were laid. The editors of the site will tell parents what they need to know about baby massage.

Everyone has heard about the benefits of massage, but children's massage is somewhat different from an adult, and not everyone knows the nuances of its implementation. To independently massage a baby at home, you need to know its subtleties.

Do not interfere with the study of specialized literature with detailed instructions and expert advice. However, it is desirable that a professional massage a child in the first year of life, since only a professional massage therapist can know exactly which procedures are indicated for a particular baby.

Not every mother, starting to massage her baby, is sure that she is doing everything right. In addition, the child can twist, arch, act up, interfering with the procedures. You need to know on which parts of the body to make more efforts, and on which - less, how much time is allotted for massage, what types of manipulations are used to make the child pleasant and useful.

Massage is not easy pleasant emotions, this is preventive measures from various diseases and strengthening the body of the child. Massage movements have a positive effect on the physical and psycho-emotional development of the baby.

So, what do you need to know about baby massage? First, his positive action. Every baby needs a massage. Stimulating the work of all systems, massage manipulations improve the mood of the child, relax and tone up. For each child, they are selected individually.

For hyperactive, restless kids with increased tone muscles use relaxation techniques. For sedentary children, tonic manipulations will be useful. Children who are regularly massaged get sick less, feel more alert and are not as susceptible to various viruses.

In addition, massage procedures have a positive effect on the digestive system, are preventive measures with various violations of posture and the musculoskeletal system. Massage helps maintain physical form, promotes rapid recovery after suffering rickets.

During massage procedures, the central nervous system is involved. Classical stroking, rubbing, warm-up movements and vibration act through the skin and nerve receptors. As a result of these manipulations, the problem is solved speech development, the baby's sleep improves, the problems of eating disorders are eliminated, the body as a whole is stimulated. Usually a baby massage is done for 30 minutes. Classically, the number of prescribed procedures is 10 sessions, but recommendations are individual for each child. Best Option- from smaller to larger, gradually increasing the duration of the massage, then the child's body will be able to adapt to the gradual increase in emotional and physical influences. Each movement must be done very carefully.

Particular attention during massage should be given to the condition of the child. If the baby is sick or not in the mood, then the procedure should be postponed. The massage therapist must be well aware of the anatomical and physiological characteristics of the baby's body, then massage manipulations will be effective and useful.

There are a number of contraindications to massage. These include viral diseases, infections, fever, skin inflammatory processes, allergies, hernias in a child. If the baby did not get enough sleep, wants to eat, is sick or has no mood, then massage procedures should not be carried out.

best time for massage - morning or afternoon. Massage manipulations can be started an hour after eating. Before going to bed, it is undesirable to do the procedures. It is important to perform all the exercises correctly, focusing on the condition of the baby. For children under one year old, it is better that massage manipulations are performed by a massage therapist who knows all the intricacies of children's massage.

How to distinguish a professional? A masseur specializing in children's massage must love children. This is a mandatory and paramount condition. good specialist in his work it is immediately clear: he will be able to calm crying baby, explain to mom all the nuances of the massage. After the procedures, the baby is satisfied, his tone rises, his mood improves.

You can learn how to massage yourself, but it should be borne in mind that in different periods of the first year of life, massage techniques change. Only a professional can know the features of a baby's development, so up to a year it is better to entrust massage to him.

After a series of massage procedures, the child's general condition noticeably improves. The baby becomes calm, balanced, falls asleep easily, becomes less capricious, his appetite improves, muscles strengthen, the whole body hardens.

For independent massage procedures, it is necessary to take into account several key points:

Monitor the mood of the baby and his condition;

Massage with tenderness and love;

During massage manipulations, oils or creams should not be used so as not to cause allergic reactions in the baby;

Wear comfortable clothes, remove all jewelry, cut your nails so as not to inadvertently scratch the skin of the child;

Wash your hands well and warm them;

Do massage on a hard surface, on which a thin blanket is laid, in a ventilated and lit room at an air temperature of at least 22ºС;

You need to start with simple movements, gradually complicating and supplementing them, increasing the duration of the procedure;

You can not make sudden movements, all manipulations should be gentle and give the child pleasure;

Do not go out with the child to fresh air immediately after the massage, at least half an hour should pass;

The baby should not be left unattended!

Good luck!

From all of the above, we can conclude that massage has a therapeutic and prophylactic effect, helps babies develop. Massage is especially useful for weakened, often ill children.

As a rule, massage is associated with the treatment of any disease of the musculoskeletal system and can only be performed in a specialist's office. When, at the first appointments with a pediatrician, parents hear about the need for massage for children, some begin to panic. Moms begin to think that the baby is sick, there is some kind of pathology, but in fact, this is not so. Yes, of course, massage is not only a preventive, but also a therapeutic procedure, but for children of the first three years of life, it is prescribed precisely as a preventive measure. So what are the benefits of baby massage, when and how to start it?

Sometimes you can meet quite stubborn adherents of the old school, who are wary of most preventive procedures and distribute bad advice. Often, parents have to refuse massage for babies, due to a categorical ban on the part of the older generation. Stories told, one scarier than the other, in which main danger massage is supposedly reduced to damage internal organs and baby skeleton. How not to be afraid?

And if you think about it, what should be the massage in order to damage the internal organs? It's no secret that this is just another myth, a horror story that has no basis, and where it came from is not entirely clear. But impressionable mothers, in pursuit of the safety and health of the crumbs, prefer not to argue with the older generation, and do everything their own way.

So what is baby massage and is it dangerous? Children's massage is not rubbing, pressing or repositioning the spine, it is light stroking, touching the hands in combination with gymnastics, which will positively affect the health and development of the baby.

It is worth remembering that in newborn babies, the visual and auditory analyzers cannot yet work perfectly, and it is touch that will be the universal way of stimulation. physical development, and prevention a large number diseases. In addition, massage is also communication between mother and child.

Massage for the baby - when to start?

Baby massage, contrary to the advice and recommendations of the older generation, should be started from 2 to 3 weeks of age. Until 6 weeks of age, light strokes should be dispensed with. After all, the baby does not need a complex set of baby massage with raising the limbs, because the physiological curves of the spine have not yet been developed, and such exercises can harm the child.

Only with age, having previously discussed the entire set of exercises with a leading pediatrician, can one move on to a complicated children's massage program, which includes sipping, raising arms and legs, and stroking the skin.


Massage is recommended in the morning or afternoon, before feeding. But before you start, you need to prepare, taking into account all the features of children's physiology. Parents should remember that babies under three months freeze much faster, so you need to choose the warmest room for a massage. On the changing table or bed, you need to put a warm diaper, preheated with an iron, and prepare massage oil so that the movements are sliding and bring pleasure. Massage time should be about 15 - 20 minutes daily.

Parents should start baby massage from the hands of the crumbs - stroking movements will help to relax. For confident first steps in the future, leg muscle training is needed. Stroking and light massaging movements of the feet and legs will help strengthen the muscles. It is known that biological points are projected on the foot, if you slightly press on the fingers and heels, you can stimulate the work of the nervous system.

Massage of the abdomen will not only stimulate the process of digestion, but also help to calm down the baby. Stroking movements should start from the sides, and then stroke the tummy itself clockwise, but you can’t press hard, the touches should be superficial.

To prevent dysplasia, parents can use massage and passive leg exercises. Having put the baby on his back, it is necessary to bend his legs at the knees and press him to the tummy, then let him relax. From 1.5 - 2 months, you can use a ball for baby massage - put the baby on it with your tummy and shake it slightly in different directions. Such exercises will help you learn to lean on your hands. It is best if the massage is accompanied by nursery rhymes, especially since many of them are adapted specifically for gymnastics.


Contrary to the arguments of the older generation, for whom some kind of WHO is not the authority (after all, they raised a child, and this is an experience, and the truth is behind it!), baby massage is very useful. Massage is the best prevention huge amount diseases, sometimes it is also used as a therapeutic technique, for example, for disorders of the musculoskeletal system. It has been proven by scientific and practical research positive influence massage to stimulate the nervous system. Therapeutic massage, which is carried out in the office of a specialist, can restore impaired functions or even return lost ones.

Preventive massage will be recommended for all babies, because such sessions can improve blood circulation and appetite. If the baby is overexcited and does not fall asleep well, massage will help to calm down and fall asleep faster. Massage is especially useful when breastfeeding, it is not necessarily stroking the whole body. Mom can knead the baby's hands, easily stroke her hands and fingers, stroke her head. Such touches better communication for a baby who does not yet understand words, but understands intonation and touch.

Massage, which is used by parents at home, combined with elements of gymnastics, has a positive effect on the growth and development of the baby, stimulates the development of motor skills and motor functions. If daily procedures are combined with reading nursery rhymes, or just chatting, then this is also a great pastime, mental development toddlers, expansion vocabulary and strengthening the mother-child bond.

If there is a need to use complex massage techniques, then you need to get the advice of a specialist. After a detailed story of the technique and the answer to the most important questions, parents can do massage at home.

Massage is useful not only for babies up to a year, but also for older children. But the choice of specific recommendations, massage techniques directly depends on the age of the child and on the problem that needs to be solved or prevented.

"Body language" is not just a fashionable term today. It is the foundation on which and from which all other languages ​​grow. Before naming an object, we must somehow perceive it, feel it. And only the body and its organs of perception are capable of this. Before mastering speech, the child must master gestures, facial expressions and articulation - the control of a complexly organized speech apparatus. If our thinking is based on speech, then speech is based on bodily practice, physical activity child.

Modern psychologists are unanimous in that the child must master the coordinated movement of the arms and the whole body before he begins to confidently distinguish objects with the help of vision on the basis of "more - less" and "further - closer." In order to steadily distinguish the shape of different objects, it is important for the child to feel them.

But if this is so, then the signals that the child sends to the world are based primarily on bodily reactions, movements, postures, gestures and tensions. The problems of adults are largely rooted in incorrectly formed bodily reactions of the childhood period of development. And the problems of interaction between adults and children are rooted in the fact that the vast majority of adults simply do not understand and do not imagine how children interact with the world. Adults do not understand the language that children use to analyze and process information.

It is obvious that the tools adopted in "adult" psychology are of little use in children's and completely meaningless in the psychology of the infantile period of development. Even an understanding of the functioning of the infant's psyche leaves open for the practitioner the question of how to reverse the impact on the processes. mental development to correct any defects. Our book is intended to at least partly fill the gap in such literature.

We're not trying to make another baby massage benefit though practical technique Massage in the book is given a significant place. For us, it was more important to present the material in such a way that it could be useful, first of all, for young parents, to equip them with an understanding of the characteristics of infancy and practical knowledge. For specialists in children's massage, this book will help fill in a certain lack of knowledge in psychology, and for child psychologists it will be relevant to get acquainted with the techniques of direct impact on the child.

Our book is devoted to a fairly narrow topic - body-oriented psychology and psychotherapy - and it is compiled as seen by people who have been practically working in this field for more than a decade. underlying book practical experience authors based on many years of practice in a relatively small locality, a rural settlement in Leningrad region. This circumstance made it possible, firstly, to observe small patients for a long time, not only in specific conditions of therapeutic reception, but also in Everyday life and secondly, also to observe young parents and to know the peculiarities of their behavior and mental life. In many ways, this is what made it possible to obtain stable results in the work and to attract a variety of material - both from the field of psychophysiology, and the psychology of personality and behavior.

Perhaps, for you, the reader, this book will tell you something and help you in some way in your life.