Basic rules and techniques of massage for infants. Proper massage for a baby in the first three months of life

Massage for children is a soft, measured stroking of the child’s body with your own hands. You can use oil or baby cream so that your hands can glide smoothly over the baby’s skin.

As part of the massage process, you can gently manipulate your child's ankles, wrists, and fingers for passive joint exercises. During the massage, speak softly, hum, or sing to your baby. This will make your manipulations even more soothing for the baby.

Soothing hand strokes activate the production of the happiness hormone, oxytocin, in all participants in the massage session.

Positive properties of massage for infants

There are many benefits of baby massage that can have a positive impact not only on the newborn baby, but also on his parents.

Massage will help your child:

develop physically, cognitively, socially;
stay relaxed and don't get upset;
cry and fuss less;
sleep better.

One study found that massaging a newborn can help them recover faster from jaundice.

Massage sessions are especially beneficial for premature babies, As a result, several improvements will be observed:

Faster weight gain, especially when using oils. Massage activates a key nerve called the vagus nerve, which connects the brain to major parts of the body, including the stomach. Activation of this nerve improves digestion and bowel movements, helping the baby gain weight.
Stable heart rate. Massage improves the functioning of the nervous system, which regulates the functioning of our organs. Thus, massage can help keep the baby's heart rate constant.
Calmer behavior under stress and pain.
More stable brain activity. Premature babies who receive massage tend to have normally developing brain activity. Premature babies who have not had massage experience a decrease in brain activity.

Massage for a baby from 0 to 3 months consists, first of all, of training the child’s body for various movements, reducing hypertonicity of the muscles of the legs and arms, and also actively developing the neck muscles, strengthening the upper pectoral, back muscles and shoulder girdle.

Massage for a 1 month old baby is also carried out in order to promote the normal functioning of internal organs, relax muscles and improve metabolism.

Sharp and hard pressure is not permissible when giving a massage to a one-month-old baby. This is especially significant when massaging the baby’s face and head. After all, the baby’s bones are still forming, and they are very sensitive and fragile.

massage for infants from 1 month includes soft stroking, gradually turning to light pressure;
A massage for a 2-month-old baby contains soft stroking and may also include rubbing, kneading and vibration. Massage for a 2-month-old baby is intended to relieve colic, relax the muscles of the legs and arms, which are still toned. Massage should also help calm the nervous system. Rubbing should be done carefully, because children's skin is still very delicate and thin. You should refrain from rubbing if you notice rashes on the baby’s skin;
Regular massage for a 3-month-old child helps prevent the appearance of an umbilical hernia, constipation and colic, has a beneficial effect on the nervous system, strengthens muscles and joints, and improves blood circulation. Massaging the palms and arms has positive influence for development fine motor skills, therefore, on the child’s speech and cognitive skills in the future. General massage for a three-month-old baby includes soft stroking, rubbing and gymnastic exercises.

How to massage newborns at home?

Before deciding how to massage your newborn, choose a place that is safe for you to massage your baby. It should be comfortable both for you, so that it is convenient to massage the baby, and for the baby itself.

Until your baby can roll over or move around a lot, you just need to make sure that he is lying on a stable surface.

As soon as the child can roll over, it is better to choose a surface from which he cannot fall. Babies can roll over in the blink of an eye, especially if the baby is covered in oil and is slippery.

The middle of the bed or even the floor will do just fine. Just place a clean towel or sheet under your baby. And never leave your baby unattended.

Make sure that indoors comfortable temperature, no direct air flows or drafts. If the weather is hot, do not massage your baby directly under a fan or directly under the air conditioner. The baby will not enjoy the massage if it feels cold.

Since this is a special moment for you and your baby, make sure there are no distractions in the room. If you have a pet, move it to another room and move your mobile phone to silent mode. You may even want to play relaxing music at a low volume so your child can hear you being spoken to.

Have everything you need for a massage at hand.

You need to prepare:

massage oil;
towels to wipe off excess oil or cream;
clothes for changing a child's clothes;
regular diaper changing kit;
a bath for bathing the child and a towel if you are bathing the baby after the massage.

How to massage a newborn? Basic massage techniques

Babies love established routines and repetition.

So if you massage your baby the same way every time, he will know what to expect and enjoy the experience.

Start massaging the baby from the legs, gradually moving to the body, ending with the head. Feet are a great place to start a massage session because your baby is used to having their feet touched when their diaper is changed.
Pour a few drops of cream or oil onto your hands. Heat the oil or cream by rubbing it between your palms.
Rub it very gently into your baby's skin, starting from the feet.
Work your way up your legs. You can then gently stroke from your hips to your toes.
Follow the same sequence on your hands. Massage them from shoulders to toes. It is useful to combine massage with light exercises.
Exercise for fingers. Lightly pinch a finger between your thumb and index fingers and slowly bend and straighten it. Repeat with each finger. It is useful to accompany such exercises with nursery rhymes.
Exercises for the chest and tummy include circular strokes in a clockwise direction. Circular stroking of the tummy, done with gentle pressure, helps move food through the digestive tract.
Hold your child's legs below the knee and, as you lift your legs up, gently press your knees onto your stomach. This will help the excess gases escape.
Finish massaging the front of your baby's body with extensive strokes from the chest to the hips.
Turn your baby onto his stomach to massage his back. Use large, counterclockwise circular motions, moving up your back from the base to your shoulders.
Do not press on the spinal column area. This may harm your baby.
Finish the back massage by stroking with a large amplitude from the shoulders to the hips, as you did on the front of the body.

Baby head massage

None in India baby massage cannot be done without a head massage.

Some children enjoy having their head touched more than any other part of their body.

If your child is one of those who does not like having their head touched, do not insist on this type of massage. Wait until your baby has grown a little and then try again. As your child becomes more familiar with massage, he or she may begin to love scalp massage as well.

How should you massage your baby's head?

It is necessary to be very gentle with the newborn's head, since the bones of the skull are not yet fused.

Upon examination, you can notice soft spots that sometimes pulsate. They are called fontanelles. There are two fontanelles, one located on the crown ( large fontanel), the other is on the back of the head (small fontanel) of the child. The posterior fontanel closes when your baby is about 6 weeks old, but the fontanel on the top of the head closes by 18 months.

In the first six weeks, do not apply pressure when performing a head massage. Simply pat all parts of your head gently with the oil and let it absorb on its own.

Once baby's head is stiff, you can apply gentle pressure with your fingers, making small circular motions as you work your way around baby's head.

But never apply pressure to the top of the baby's head, where the larger fontanelle is still soft.

The fontanelles close and harden on their own as the bones of the child’s head grow and fuse together.

Until the child can hold his head up on his own, apply oil to the head when the baby is lying on his back. This way, any oil that drips will not fall on his face. When the baby is holding his head up on his own, you can apply the oil while he is lying on his stomach. This will make the exercise position even more comfortable.

If the baby has seborrheic dermatitis, do not comb out the crust while applying oil. You will find that leaving the oil on your baby's head overnight will help soften the crust, which may then fall off on its own during bathing or when you wash or comb your baby's hair.

Even if this is not the case, seborrheic dermatitis does not bother the baby and is very common among children. It often goes away on its own as the baby grows up.

By combing out the crust, you risk damaging your scalp and causing infection.

How often should you get a massage?

Traditionally, the baby is given a massage every day before or after bathing. Some parents massage twice a day for the first three months. But there is no ideal number of massage sessions.

How often you do this depends on the time you have and how the child is feeling during the massage. If you are a working mother, then most likely, giving your baby a daily massage will be difficult.

Even if your child receives massage only occasionally, all the benefits of massage will still be present.

Duration of massage session

The duration of the massage changes with the age of the child. Some babies love it from birth, and then it takes up to 30 minutes to massage the whole body.

If your baby doesn't like massage initially, keep the sessions short. As your baby begins to crawl or walk, you may notice that he won't want to lie down for as long. Then you need to massage for 5 - 10 minutes.

Just “read” the signs your child gives. They will let you know if he likes the massage or not.

Give your baby a massage when he is not hungry or tired. This way he will like the massage more. This can happen at any time of the day.

Babies love predictability, so if you do things at the same time and in the same sequence, they feel safe and happy. For example, if you start with a massage, followed by bathing, feeding and finally sleep, the baby will learn to recognize this pattern and will expect it.

This can be difficult to do with a newborn when necessary. frequent feeding and the baby sleeps almost all the time. As he grows up and spends more time awake, you can take your time.

Since massage relaxes your baby, you can even make it part of your bedtime routine. A massage before bedtime will help your baby relax after an active day and calm down, ready for rest.

If your baby cries frequently at night, an evening massage may help reduce the likelihood of crying. Over time, you will get to know your baby better and be able to find appropriate times for massage and bathing. Let the baby become your guide.

When is massage contraindicated?

If your child has a rash, do not apply cream or oil to the skin without first consulting a doctor.

If it becomes clear that the rash is caused by the cream or oil that was used to massage your baby, stop using it and contact your doctor to find out which oils or creams are best for your baby.

Some experts say it's best not to massage when your baby has a fever or is sick. Others claim that gentle massage during a viral illness can help relieve body pain.

If your child has a fever, consult a doctor before getting a massage.

Always accept and explain signals from your child to yourself. When sick, he may become fussy and refuse massage. On the other hand, if your touch eases pain in the body, the baby will be able to calm down and fall asleep faster with your gentle strokes.

If your child's fever increases, he or she may feel cold. So you can simply iron and rub it over your clothes without undressing it. However, if the fever goes down, your baby may feel hot and may want to take off his clothes.

Keep an eye on the child. Always try to understand what makes him most comfortable.

In winter, you also need to massage. But the baby will like it only if he doesn’t feel cold. Therefore, make sure the room is warm enough before undressing your baby.

How to massage a baby is largely determined by the child himself. The ability to read the signals of his behavior is the most important aspect of massage. Your child will show himself when it should end, which strokes the baby likes and which ones he doesn’t.

The period of newborns and up to three months is completely unique in the development of a child. For this short term he adapts to a completely new environment for him, learns vital skills, for example, maintaining body temperature, and moves from seeing a blurry image to a clear one.

The most important task of this period is to learn to hold your head up. As a result, the first natural curve of the spine is formed - lordosis. First, the child learns to raise his head from a position lying on his stomach and, by the third month of life, holds it vertically while in the arms of an adult.

Many mothers boast that the baby was still holding his head in the maternity hospital. This skill is due to increased general muscle tone, including the neck muscles. Most common cause course assignments massage for newborns from 1 to 3 months is just elevated muscle tone or hypertonicity.

Ideally, the increased tone goes away on its own by the end of the first month of life. But stress during pregnancy, unfavorable environmental conditions and many other factors lead to the fact that, after a monthly examination, a neurologist prescribes a course of massage for almost every child.

Prescribe and recommend health-improving massage for babies from 1 month of life. Before this age, increased muscle tone in a child is physiological norm. Massage for a newborn up to 1 month carried out only for special indications and by a specialist.

The tone may be asymmetrical in the left and right side body either more pronounced in the upper or lower extremities. Regardless of whether you are going to deal with this problem yourself or plan to invite a professional massage therapist, be sure to carefully ask your doctor: where and how hypertonicity is expressed. It is better if it is written down clearly and understandably.

How does hypertension manifest itself? How can parents recognize it themselves? These are clenched fists, bent tense arms or legs. Even in a dream. At the age of about two months, the baby should show interest in the outstretched toy and try to grab it. If you see that there is interest, but he reaches out to her with his fist, this is also a manifestation increased tone muscles. In that case you can do massage for a newborn from 0 to 3 months at home.

How to do massage for 1 month old baby? There are general rules providing daily massage from 1 to 3 months of age.

It is not always possible to carry out a massage at the same time, since the child has not yet established a daily routine; changes in mood and well-being depend on many factors. The main thing is that he is somatically healthy.

Try to keep your baby well-rested and not hungry. Wherein massage one month old baby It is recommended to start no earlier than 40 minutes after feeding.

The room should be ventilated and not hot, no more than 25, and preferably 22 degrees. During the session itself, windows should not be opened, even if it is summer outside. It is important that both cooling and heating devices (air conditioner, heater) are absent or turned off.

The massage is performed on a hard surface. In the absence of a couch, any table will do for such a baby. The table is covered with a blanket or thick towel. A sheet or a simple diaper is placed on top, and an oilcloth can be placed under it. The baby must be without clothes, including a diaper. In order to avoid incidents, you can put another diaper between the legs.

No cosmetics are used during the procedure, including special ones for children and natural oils. Clean dry skin is physiological. Olive oil used in massage of adults to enhance the impact of the massage therapist’s hands on the body. And the gentle little body is two or three one month old baby the effort of your hands will be absolutely enough.

The massage therapist’s hands, of course, should be washed immediately before starting the massage.

Massage and health gymnastics

So, how to massage a month old baby? Where to begin?

Complex wellness massage includes direct massage and health gymnastics for the baby.

Begins massage for one month old baby from the front of the body, in order to establish contact with the child. Don't rush or overdo it in showing friendly emotions. Speak calmly, clearly, in a normal voice. Having established eye contact, you can tell your baby what you will do now.

The massage effect is applied to the following parts of the body and in the following sequence:

legs;
stomach;
hands;
back;
buttocks.

Massage of lower limbs and abdomen

When massaging the lower extremities, the leg must be grasped by the heel with one hand. Easy to lift and hold.

Place the second palm perpendicular to the leg and stroke along inside from the foot to the inguinal lymph node. Try to keep your whole palm working, wrapping the leg well. Afterwards, stroke inner part legs from the Achilles tendon to the inguinal lymph node. All movements are made in one direction, from the edge to the center (from bottom to top for legs).

The next stage is tapping your fingers in the thigh area and shaking the entire leg left and right.

We finish the massage of the lower extremities by working with the feet. We run our thumb under the toes, along the outer edge and onto the heel; the result is a figure of seven. In the same way we draw a figure eight on the foot. We use reflex flexion and extension of the fingers (Babinsky reflex), for this you need to press the foot under the fingers - they bend, on the heel - straighten.

Stroking clockwise with two palms will be a sufficient load for the abdominal muscles.

Upper limb massage

We fix the handle using the grasping reflex - if the baby puts something in his palm, for example his finger, he will squeeze it. With our hand positioned perpendicularly, we stroke the baby’s entire arm from the hand to the axillary lymph node along outside. Tap the shoulder with your fingers and shake the handle.

You can and should immediately check for the Babkin reflex. Press the base of the thumb on both palms and the baby will open his mouth. This is not only a reflex test, but also an exercise that is included in the course massage for babies 1-3 months.

We finish by straightening the phalanges of the fingers.

Back and buttock massage

The baby needs to be turned onto his tummy. If he doesn't hold his head up yet, he'll lay it on his side. This is also one of the protective reflexes of a newborn baby.

We begin the back massage by stroking the outer side of the hand from the sacral region and along 4 conventional lines: to the deltas, to the axillary lymph node, to the oblique abdominal muscles, to the middle of the gluteal muscle. We stroke the same way with the inside of the brush.

We stroke the buttocks with our palms, draw a heart, and knead them with our thumbs.

Do not be afraid to make movements until the skin becomes slightly red. During this period, only stroking and tapping are used as massage techniques; you are unlikely to hurt your son or daughter.

Passive gymnastics

An important change in the first three months of a child’s life is the almost complete attenuation of congenital unconditioned reflexes. Their presence not only makes it possible to determine the degree of maturity of the nervous system, but also helps in passive gymnastics.

Having finished directly massage for one month old baby, we check the presence of these reflexes:

Crawling reflex. Place your palm on the child's feet. He should push off and, as it were, crawl on his stomach.
Landau reflex. Place your baby on his tummy and straighten his legs. He will arch his back and lift top part torso, leaning on his hands. This reflex is formed by 3-4 months, so a month-old baby will not have it.
Automatic walking reflex. By lifting the baby under the armpits and pulling him forward, you will see him trying to walk. Passive gymnastics exercises are carried out by you and include the following exercises:

raising the lower straightened limbs;
raising the lower limbs bent at the knees;
adduction and abduction of the hips (not circular rotations, but inward and outward)
diagonal connection of the hand and feet;
raising the upper limbs upward;
circular movements with hands;
crossing the hands under the chin;
boxer movements;
rocking the baby in the fetal position.

Indicator quality work massage therapist is to improve skin turgor and relax tense parts of the body after the first few sessions. Massage for children can be done every 3-4 weeks, from 1 month life and up to a year at least. This way you can ensure good health and proper development baby.

The article was prepared and edited by: surgeon

The importance of massage for infants

Everyone knows that after birth, the baby’s organs and systems still need to grow and develop. This is especially true for the brain and central nervous system. It has been proven that the conductive pathways of the skin analyzer mature earlier than the visual and auditory ones, and by the time of birth they are already fully developed.

Since from the first weeks after birth the child is most susceptible to influences through the skin, with massage we can stimulate the development of all organs and systems of the baby, and to a large extent the central nervous system.

A newborn child, as a rule, exhibits physiological hypertonicity - arms and legs are bent, fists are clenched, movements are erratic and chaotic. Our task is to help the baby balance muscle tone, quickly begin to make meaningful movements, and go through all stages of development on time.

First of all, you need to choose a place to massage your child. It should be a hard, fairly wide surface. Perfect option– changing table. Cover it with a flannelette blanket, put oilcloth on top and any clean or disposable diaper. The room should be well ventilated. Optimal temperature in the room – 18-22C.

Your hands should be clean, warm, with nails cut short. Watches, rings and other jewelry must be removed. The time of the lesson (morning, afternoon or evening) is selected individually for each child. The main condition is that the baby must get enough sleep, because if he wants to sleep, the activity will not be successful.

It is not forbidden to feed the baby if he is not asleep. Wait 10-15 minutes. Let the baby burp the air, rest a little after eating, and you can safely start the massage. It's okay if the baby spits up a little after this - after the massage you will feed him more.

It is recommended to use baby oil to massage your baby. Lubricate your hands with it, but not too much. During the lesson, turn on music, or sing yourself, or just talk to your child during the massage. Learn different funny poems, comment on your actions with them. The baby will follow the movement of your lips and remember everything, and when he starts to walk and pronounce the first sounds, this will be very useful for him.

A necessary condition for have a good time– yours great mood! After all, the child reacts sensitively to the mother’s internal state. You must be sure that massage for infant very useful - then the baby will perceive everything positively. In order for your child to enjoy massage, you must accustom him to such activities. Massage for an infant is a lot of work. Therefore, you need to exercise EVERY DAY, gradually increasing the duration and intensity of exercise.

The child must be naked - do not be afraid of cold hands, feet, nose. This is not an indication that the baby is cold. Check the back of your head: if it is warm, then everything is in order. And the arms and legs will adapt very quickly and will be warm throughout the entire time the child is undressed. The very first lessons should be no more than 5-10 minutes. By 1.5-2 months, the duration of classes increases to 30 minutes.

Baby massage techniques

There are several rules that must not be broken:

When massaging the feet and hands, you can use kneading and rubbing techniques;
When massaging the legs, arms, back, buttocks, chest up to 2-3 months, use stroking, light vibration and light tapping. All these techniques reduce muscle tone, relax, and stimulate blood and lymph circulation.
movements when massaging the legs are made from the foot to the inguinal lymph nodes;
when massaging the arms - from the hand to the axillary lymph nodes;
when massaging the back - from the lumbar region to the shoulder and from the spine to the sides;
when massaging the buttocks - from the hip joints to the anus;
when massaging the tummy - clockwise;
when massaging the chest - from the sternum to the shoulders and from the sternum to the side surface.

When massaging a child’s legs, you should avoid pushing the knee joints, bypassing the kneecap, and not touching the inner thigh. When massaging your breasts, avoid mammary glands, and when massaging the abdomen, try not to touch the genitals. Do not pat the kidney area. Usually the massage starts with the arms or legs. The child lies horizontally. When massaging, arms and legs should be held in lung condition half fold.

Massage for children is contraindicated:

for all febrile conditions;
for purulent and acute inflammatory lesions of the skin, lymph nodes, muscles and bones;
for diseases accompanied by fragility of blood vessels or bones;
for diseases accompanied by hyperesthesia (increased sensitivity of the skin);
in acute stages various diseases(nephritis, hepatitis, tuberculosis, etc.);
for hernias with a tendency to strangulation.

In addition to baby massage

You should perform these simple actions several times a day every day.

If your baby's hands are clenched into fists, every day, regardless of the massage, place your finger in the baby's palm. This way you will encourage the palm to open. Stretch your fingers, draw a circle on your palm, and draw out your thumb. The more often you do this, the faster your baby will rise to a new level in development - he will be ready to pick up a toy.
Rub and knead your child’s feet and toes. In this way you stimulate many active points on the foot, and, therefore, activate the work of various organs and systems.
Knead the baby's ears for 30 seconds each, gently and carefully pull the earlobe down 10-15 times. All these actions are aimed at increasing overall immunity.
Bring your baby's hands and feet to surfaces of different textures. Tap, stroke your hand and foot on a hard surface, touch a warm, cool, wet, dry surface, commenting on your actions. At the same time, the baby receives a colossal amount of information for development.
Make smooth movements with your child up and down, back and forth, in a circle. Movements should not be sharp or fast! Such vaping is very useful, as it produces mild vestibular stimulation, which has a beneficial effect on brain development.
Carry your baby around the house, telling him what colors surround him, what smells, what objects.

Foot massage

Grasp the child's left leg in the shin area with your left hand. Index and middle fingers Place your right hand on the back of your foot, creating support. With the thumb of your right hand, begin to rub the sole - from the heel to the toes and back. Draw a figure eight or seven on the sole several times.

Press the middle of the foot under the toes - the toes will bend; Without lifting your finger, move along the outer edge of the foot to the heel and press on the middle of the heel - the toes will straighten. This is a kind of gymnastics for the fingers.

Rub the outer edge of the foot, knead (draw a spiral) there, then do the same on the inner edge of the foot. Stretch each finger. Rub and stretch the arch of your foot and Achilles tendon. Be sure to lightly tap your foot on the surface of the table - this leads to a decrease in tone in the leg. Next, proceed to massage the entire limb.

Foot massage

Stroke the leg from foot to groin area along the front, side and back surfaces 6-8 times. At the same time, go around the kneecap. Now place your relaxed palm on the front surface of the leg and make a slight vibration. Then, with two or three fingers of your right hand, lightly tap the outer surface of the leg, while moving your hand from the foot to the hip joint.

Repeat this movement 3-4 times. After this, repeat stroking and vibration several times. Always end your foot massage with stroking. Do the same on the right leg, while trying to hold the right leg with yours. right hand, and massage with the left.

Then take the baby by the left arm and leg and carefully roll him onto his tummy. Don't be afraid, even a baby a few days old will never suffocate in a prone position. The child will definitely turn his head to the side so that he can breathe freely.

Stroke the right and left legs from the heel to the buttocks several times. Stroke from heel to axillary area along the side surface of the body on the right and left several times. Take the baby's right hand at the wrist and right foot and pull the river a little up and the leg a little down, that is, stretch the baby. Do the same on the other side.

Repeat this stretch several times. This exercise is very useful for babies in the first weeks of life. Then move on to massaging the buttocks.

Buttocks massage

Stroke the palm of your right hand several times, first one buttock, then the second hip joint towards the anus. Lightly pinch your buttocks. Stroke again on the right and left. Use your palms to lightly spank your buttocks. Finish everything with stroking. If the baby does not refuse to lie on his tummy, proceed to back massage.

Back massage

pat right palm the right half of the back from the lumbar region to the shoulder. Do the same with your left palm. Alternating movements, right and left, repeat stroking several times. Then stroke the baby's back from the buttocks to the head back side brushes, and in reverse direction, from the head to the buttocks, - with the palm. Repeat this movement several times.

Stroke with your palm from the spine to the side surface of the body on the right and left at the same time. Finish everything by stroking from the lower back to the shoulders. Now you can turn the baby back onto his back and begin massaging the abdomen.

Abdominal massage

We start by stroking clockwise 5-6 times. Then we do counter stroking. We place our hands on the child’s stomach as follows: the palm of the right hand is on top of the left half of the abdomen, the back of the fingers of the left hand is below right half belly. And at the same time we stroke with the palm down and the back of the fingers up. We repeat 5-6 times, this movement improves intestinal motility.

You can stroke the oblique abdominal muscles. Place the fingers of both hands under the lumbar region and point your hands towards each other, from top to bottom and forward, fingers connecting above the navel. Repeat 5-6 times.

To prevent an umbilical hernia after two weeks (after the umbilical wound has completely healed), pinch the skin around the navel several times a day, gather the navel into a fold with two fingers (the navel must go inside the fold) and be sure to twist the skin umbilical knot. To do this, place the pad of your thumb on the navel with the nail down, lightly press your finger against the navel and, without lifting it, turn your finger with the nail up. The movements are performed within 1 second and so on 10-15 times in a row.

Breast massage

Place two fingers of both hands on the middle of the sternum. Make stroking movements with both hands simultaneously towards the right and left shoulders (draw a “tick” on your chest). Also use two fingers to make circular movements around mammary glands(draw circles). Then run three fingers along the intercostal spaces from the end of the sternum to the side surface of the body on the right and left (comb chest). Repeat the movements several times.

Hand massage

Place the thumb of your left hand in the baby's left hand, clasp the forearm with the rest of your fingers, and turn the baby on his side. To make the hand relax, make a right light by hand tapping or vibration. When the handle relaxes, try to straighten it. Grasp the left hand with all the fingers of your right hand and stroke it several times from the hand to the armpit. Repeat tapping and vibration several times. Stroke primarily the outer surface of the handle. Then start massaging the hand.

Hand massage

Stretch each finger, move your thumb outward, stretch the tubercle of your thumb, and draw a circle on your palm several times. Shake the brush, move it across the surface, tap the brush on different surfaces.

If you can't do the whole massage at once, don't worry! Start with individual parts bodies. First, massage those that the baby likes - as a rule, these are the legs and buttocks. Then, after a few days, start massaging areas that are not very pleasant for the child (back, chest, tummy).

Children especially do not like hand massage. But it is extremely important to do it, since usually the tone of the hands is greater, and by two months the baby should already be pulling a fist into his mouth and holding the toy placed in the handle. These are all stages of development and they must be completed on time.

Very gradually, but EVERY DAY, get your child used to massage. First, you can break the lesson into several parts (and do them throughout the day). But by the month and a half, try to do the entire massage, without any “crushing”. During classes, actively communicate with your son or daughter, praise the child, talk kindly, and keep him in a joyful mood.

Massage for a child must be combined with gymnastics, with exercises on a large gymnastic ball and swimming in a large bathtub from the first weeks of life. Only such a complex will give your baby powerful healthy foundation for life. Good luck and health to you and your children!

The embryonic position of infants indicates a sharp hypertonicity of the limbs. Their arms are bent, their fists are at chest level. The feet follow the shape of a crescent, the legs are bent and slightly spread apart. The baby's head is slightly thrown back.

At the age of one month, the baby tries to move in a horizontal position and hold his head from the position of lying on his stomach.

General principles of massage for a one-month-old baby

The child’s body is constantly growing and developing intensively, so it requires massage and physical exercise from birth, especially with hypertension.

Thanks to the plasticity of the body, even a slight but systematic impact will have a beneficial effect on the child, will help in the development of not only healthy child, but also with malnutrition, rickets, torticollis, flat feet, pneumonia and other abnormalities.

How to properly massage a newborn baby

Massage promotes active growth of body weight, improvement of skin turgor, normalization of muscle tone, increase in the range of motion in joints and improvement of emotional state.

Massage for children aged one month should be done to influence the body with the same mechanism as on the body of adults: humoral, reflex and mechanical.

Streams of impulses entering the central nervous system activate emotions and develop the child’s speech. Massage can cause pleasant experiences in infants, so when stroking the legs and abdomen, the first speech reactions, cooing, appear. Massaging a one-month-old baby in the abdominal area helps relieve gas.

It is necessary to make massage movements to a one-month-old baby from the periphery to the center. The lower limbs bend slightly and move from the foot to the inguinal glands. The upper limbs are massaged from the hands towards the shoulder. The abdomen is stroked from the projection of the liver along the intestines (clockwise). The genitals should not be touched.

It is necessary to make gentle and light massage movements on the skin, since the mass of a child in relation to the surface of the skin is much less than that of an adult.

Important: massage on inner surface It should not be done on the baby’s hips to prevent the appearance of sexual reflexes. Patting is not performed in the area of the kidneys on the back.

The massage stimulates the baby's independent movements associated with extension. Therefore, it is necessary to relax the flexor muscles of the limbs in order to reduce hypertonicity, which is pronounced from birth. When massage, it is necessary to take into account the protective and reflexes of the skin and muscles, to carry out movements actively, without affecting the flexor muscles.

Massage technique

A one-month-old baby is given a stroking and rubbing massage to relax the flexor muscles, following the following sequence:

position on the back - arms, then legs;
in the position on the stomach - stroke the back;
position on the back - stroking the stomach;
then they work on the feet: stroking, rubbing and using exercises (reflex movements);
use reflex extension of the spine and make turns to the left and right side;
Next, you need to lay it on your stomach to stimulate reflex crawling.

Before the massage, the child should be bathed in a decoction of the string, and positive emotions should be enhanced through constant communication.

How to massage the chest and back

Important: you cannot apply pressure on the chest with your fingers.

Lightly stroking the spaces between the ribs from the center of the sternum to the sides is performed up to 4 times. Then the baby is placed on his tummy and the back is massaged with stroking movements of both palms from the neck to the buttocks, then with the back of the palms from the buttocks to the head up to 8 times in each direction.

How to massage your head

Gentle rotational strokes are performed on the head with your fingers, directing movements from the crown to the forehead, without affecting the fontanel. Then they move from the top of the head to the ears and back of the head.

Lightly and gently press on the face with your fingertips and stroke the forehead from the center to the temples in slow circles. A figure eight is drawn from the center of the bridge of the nose around both eyes. They start from the left eyebrow to the outer corner of the eye, then along the lower left eyelid, moving to the right eyebrow across the bridge of the nose along the eyebrow to the outer corner of the eye, then move to the lower right eyelid, etc.

Fingers run along the edge of the bony cavity from the nose around the eyeball. The cheeks are massaged from the nose to the ears in semicircles, slightly rubbed around the mouth, jaw and chin.

The neck is massaged by stroking the sides, then from the neck to the shoulders. Then - the back surface of the neck from the back of the head to the trapezius muscle.

How to massage hands

For 1-3 minutes, superficial, planar, rake-like stroking of the handles is performed. The mother stands at the child’s feet, places the thumb of her right hand in her left hand, grasping the wrist joint with the remaining fingers. With the left hand, moves towards the shoulder from the fingers, massaging the flexor muscles, repeating up to 8 times.

Massage the right arm should be done with the right hand, and with the left hand, support the half-bent left arm. After 15-20 days, sawing and hatching are used for grinding.

How to massage your feet

The mother places the baby with his legs on his back. She slightly lifts and supports the leg with opposite hands (right leg with her left hand and vice versa). You need to massage your leg in a slightly bent position and place your foot on your palm.

The second hand directs stroking movements to the groin from the foot, using the outer and back surface of the leg, repeating up to 8 times. A little later, when there is no muscle hypertonicity, a rubbing movement is added.

Hold the shin or thigh with one hand, and smooth the buttocks with the other hand: with the palm or palmar surface of the fingers, repeating up to 8 times.

The baby should be grabbed by both legs in the area of the ankle joints with one hand, and the second hand should be used to lift it up to 4 times. In this case, the palm is placed under the chest. The goal is to perform a reflexive arching of the baby’s back.

How to massage feet

With the cone of the thumb, the mother presses along the entire foot towards the heel from the toes in order to reflexively straighten them. Using stroking and rubbing techniques, you need to make circles on the foot and apply light pressure. Then you need to press on your fingers (one at a time), while simultaneously performing circular movements using your thumb and index finger.

Important: to prevent the child from crying or protesting during the massage, it is necessary to: heat your hands, lubricate them, eliminating any roughness. Do not massage on an empty stomach or during a cold or illness. internal organ. Abdominal pain caused by flatulence is excluded. Do not massage too intensely, as it may cause pain.

Massage to eliminate colic

Relieve a baby from colic by massaging the tummy half an hour after feeding. If there is no umbilical hernia, place your fingers with pads at the navel and move without pressure along the intestine, that is, clockwise. Carry out along the projection of the liver and end in the solar plexus. To avoid colic, light percussion (stocatto) is performed as food moves through the intestines to enhance peristalsis and remove gases.

Massage to relieve constipation

On the tummy, light compression of the skin and muscles along the intestine is performed, light percussion with a finger, and light vibration with two fingers. The child is turned on his tummy and stroking and rubbing movements are performed in the lumbar area, sacrum and buttocks. They move along the buttocks clockwise, then counterclockwise, from the center to the periphery and vice versa.

All parents have heard about the benefits of massage for infants. Even during pregnancy, many expectant mothers and fathers purchase massage oil and baby cream in advance in order to massage the baby after he is born. But now the discharge is left behind, and young parents are somewhat confused - when should they do a massage, how to do it so as not to harm the child, and should it be done during the newborn period? We will try to answer these questions within the framework of this article.

Do I need to massage?

At first glance, a newborn, who is only a few days to a few weeks old, does not need massage at all. All he obviously needs is food, mother’s presence and healthy and long sleep, which takes up to 22 hours a day. However, this is a misconception.

If you undress a newborn and carefully look at his body and limbs, then with the naked eye, even with complete absence any initial medical training its consequences are visible long stay in the mother's womb - muscle hypertonicity. The baby's arms are clenched into fists, which open very rarely, slightly bent at the elbows and not fully unbent, legs bent in knee joint, it is also not possible to straighten them completely.

A newborn (and the neonatal period, let us remind you, is considered to be from 0 to 4 weeks) cannot hold his head, cannot turn it towards sounds. Even the movements of the eyeballs are still chaotic. The undressed newborn waves his arms and legs completely arbitrarily, without controlling their movement in space.

Home massage at this age is designed to help relieve increased muscle tone, help the child relax somewhat, and better control his movements. Massage helps improve blood circulation, strengthens the immune system, normalizes sleep and appetite, and helps the baby grow and develop more harmoniously.

Characteristics and type of massage

Massage for newborns is a very special type of procedure. Of course, it can be done professional massage therapists who have skills in working with newborn children. However, you should not rely on a children's clinic. They usually conduct massage sessions for older children, and it is undesirable to carry a newly born person with weak immunity to crowded places, especially to a clinic, where several not-so-healthy people gather in one square meter.

Calling a specialist to your home is an option for the fairly wealthy married couples quite acceptable, because sessions for such little ones are an expensive pleasure.

The best option, and the famous pediatrician Evgeniy Komarsky completely agrees with him, massage yourself at home.

Massage belongs to the group of classic massage sessions. Essentially, it is relaxing and restorative. Massage techniques are quite simple and can be mastered by any mother and even father if he decides that he would like to massage the baby himself. Dr. Komarovsky emphasizes that in the hands of a paid, expensive professional with a diploma infants they cry often. Not from pain, but from the loss of connection with the parent, because babies at half a month, at 1 month, need tactile contact with their mother, to whom he has become accustomed for nine months intrauterine development, which feeds him and gives him a feeling of security and peace. Maternal massage, Komarovsky believes, can bring significantly more benefits than a massage performed by the best professional massage therapist.

A mother can fill a therapeutic and preventive session with love, turn it into precious minutes of communication with the baby; this, no matter how much she wants, can never be given by a stranger, no matter how eminent a professional in his field he may be.

A classic relaxing massage involves three types of techniques - stroking, rubbing and kneading. Each massage session should begin with gentle gentle stroking and end with kneading individual muscles and their groups. For a child who tolerates the sessions with pleasure and ease, you can add a fourth technique to the three basic techniques - vibration tapping with your fingertips.

Acceptable age

Many parents are interested in whether there are age-related restrictions. There is none of them. The only limitation that must be taken into account is the unhealed umbilical wound. It is recommended to start doing massage when the clothespin with which you returned from the maternity hospital completely falls off and the umbilical wound heals. In some cases, it is possible to massage the umbilical wound, but only if the child is already 3 weeks old and has no contraindications, which we will discuss below.

Some believe that partial massage (only the limbs) is possible from the first day after returning from the parental home. There is common sense in these statements.

If you really want to start, you can start as early as possible, but on the condition that the child, after returning from maternity hospital The pediatrician examined him at home and found no reason to ban such activities.

General rules

There are quite strict rules that must be followed if you decide to start giving your newborn a massage. Parents should familiarize themselves with them first:

Carry out a massage in the first half of the day, since a session carried out before an evening swim can disrupt a child’s normal night’s sleep - increased blood circulation has a stimulating effect on the child. nervous system baby.
The air temperature in the room where the child is being massaged should not exceed 22 degrees Celsius. Parents may find it too cold. This is wrong. Skin the child and some features of his thermoregulation, which we will not delve into now, require exactly this, optimal air temperature for the healthy development of the toddler.
Massage is best combined with gymnastics and exercises. At 1 month of life, when the neonatal period ends, you can add cool (27-30 degrees in water) baths to this therapeutic and prophylactic complex as the first step towards hardening and strengthening the immune system.
You can, in principle, do without cream or oil, but if the skin of your mother’s hands is dry, it is best to use a special baby lotion. massage oil or baby cream. It is better to avoid Vaseline oil, since it is a product of petroleum processing and leaves a rather dense film on the baby’s skin, which does not allow the skin to breathe. The oil must be hypoallergenic and approved for use in children from birth. It should not have a strong smell or contain dyes.

The soft surface of your bed or sofa is not suitable for the session. It is best to massage a newborn on a flat and hard surface - on a changing table, for example. If you don’t have such a table in your apartment, you can use an ordinary table - kitchen, dining, after covering it with a thick flannel diaper, oilcloth and a thin diaper on top. Even if the baby pees during the session, urine will not leak through the oilcloth layer.
Try to equip the massage place in such a way that you do not be distracted from the baby during the process, do not leave him alone even for a second, do not turn away to take something or put something down. It is the falls of infants from the changing table that are considered the most dangerous and traumatic, since the height of the table is quite high.
You need to do a massage only with clean hands, without manicure, long nails, rings and bracelets, because the child’s skin is very thin and vulnerable. Make sure that your hands are warm, otherwise the massage from the first touch will cause discomfort to the baby and cause persistent rejection.
Choose the right time for the session - immediately after a meal, a massage can cause profuse regurgitation, and before the next meal, the baby will be hungry and completely in no mood for any procedures or manipulations.

The optimal time is 45 minutes after meals or an hour before the next feeding.

The session time should be increased gradually, as well as the load. It is better to start with 3-4 minutes and gradually increase to 10-15 minutes.
Do not conduct the session in deathly silence. Use this time to simultaneously develop the child, his senses - hearing and vision, read poems and nursery rhymes, talk to the baby, sing a song, turn on classical music.
The child should like everything that happens. If something bothers him, if he starts to be capricious or cry during the massage, refuse the session and postpone it for another day. Doing a massage through “I don’t want”, under the heart-rending roar of a child, is not only not useful, but also very harmful to the health and development of the child.
Perform a massage only on those days when the child has slept well, when he has eaten normally, when he is completely healthy and cheerful. If you have fever, diarrhea, nausea, or excessive regurgitation, you should not perform a massage.

Following these simple rules will ensure comfort for both mother and child.

Preparation

So, you have decided to give your newborn son or daughter the first massage session. Prepare everything you need in advance. You will need:

massage oil or baby cream;
clean diaper or disposable diaper:
wet wipes (wipe the child if he wets himself so that the urine does not irritate delicate skin crotch).

Heat the oil slightly - it should be warm. Place the cream in for a few minutes warm water for the same purpose. Warm your hands. Lay out the diaper and place massage products and napkins open next to it. Check the room temperature, close the windows to avoid drafts.

Only after this, undress the child and begin a set of activities, after making sure that the child has no contraindications.

Contraindications

Common sense parents and knowledge of conditions and diseases that are not compatible with the massage procedure will help protect the child. Under no circumstances should massage be performed on a newborn at home or on your own without the knowledge of the doctor and his supervision in the following cases:

viral disease, ARVI, influenza;
high or elevated temperature;
congenital anomalies of bone structure, hip dysplasia, anomalies of other joints;
inflammatory dermatological diseases, especially if they occur with the formation of cracks in the skin and pustular elements;
umbilical hernia - exposure to such a pathology can cause pinching of the hernial sac;
congenital heart and vascular defects;
hydrocephalus;
severe prematurity and weakness.

In the case of heart ailments, sessions are carried out exclusively according to a doctor’s indications and under the supervision of a cardiologist; massage for children with umbilical hernia, hydrocephalus and premature babies should also be carried out by medical specialists if indicated. In this case, the parents’ desire to strengthen the baby and develop it will not be enough.

Exercises and technique

All exercises should be carried out with light touches, without causing pain or discomfort to the child. Stroking should be gentle and careful, rubbing should not leave red marks on the child’s skin, and kneading should be done superficially, using the finger touch method. More persistent and deeper movements while toning the muscles will feel quite painful.

Start the complex with a group of exercises in a supine position, move on to a prone position and finally return to a supine position. So, let's begin.

On the back

Undress the baby, remove the diaper and let him lie naked for a few minutes - an air bath will help him adapt to the air temperature. Start with light stroking of the whole body, make sure that the child finds them pleasant. Then move on to massage your arms and legs. With one hand, take the baby’s hand and fix it in one position, with the other hand, gently stroke it from the fingers to the shoulder and down. This must be done at least ten times, after which the second hand is massaged in the same way. Then move on to the legs.

Take one leg in your hand and grab it by the shin; with the other hand, begin stroking and lightly rubbing first the back, and then the front, from bottom to top. The reception is carried out ten times, after which the second leg is massaged identically.

Take both legs in your hands so that the baby’s feet are in your hand, with your other hand, move your palm from the heels to the toes and back at least ten times. Complete the foot massage by lightly pressing with the pad of your finger under the baby’s toes - the feet will reflexively “unfold”.

After the massage of the limbs and feet is completed, move on to the stomach. You need to massage your tummy in a circular motion, avoiding touching and getting oil or cream into the area umbilical wound. Try to “write” circles clockwise - this exercise is useful not only for strengthening the abdominal muscles, which will come in handy later when the baby starts to roll over, but also as a preventative and treatment for infantile intestinal colic. In total, you need to make at least 10 circular movements.

Then you should start massaging your chest. Thumbs Make synchronous movements with your hands from the center of the sternum to the ribs with slight pressure. The reception is carried out at least 10 times.

Complete the set of exercises on your back with light finger taps throughout your body.

Try to avoid touching and massaging the armpits, popliteal folds, groin area, and genitals. Carefully turn the baby onto his tummy.

On the stomach

Start with a back massage. Swipe the backs of both hands ten times from top to bottom and bottom to top. Pay attention to your shins. They are stroked and rubbed with gentle gentle pressure so as not to cause convulsive activity of the lower extremities. When massaging your back, avoid massaging the collar area - the baby is still too small for this. It is enough to limit yourself to lightly stroking the shoulders. Do not rub or massage the vertebrae. All movements of the mother should occur along the spinal column to the right and left of it, but not in the center.

Provoke crawling - place your palm under the baby’s feet, first bending the legs at the knees, and lightly press on them - the baby will reflexively move the body forward.

Finish the back massage with light pats on the buttocks and move on to massage the side muscles. To do this, turn the child on his right side, holding the body with one hand, and stroke his side from top to bottom with the other. Then run your finger along the vertebrae - the baby will reflexively straighten his back. Repeat the exercise no more than 2-3 times, turn the child on the other side and do the same. Return the child to the starting position lying on his back. Pet him, calm him down if he is agitated. Don't rush to dress your baby. Let him remain naked in the air for a few more minutes.

Mothers who are determined to understand all the intricacies of newborn massage should first familiarize themselves with the work of professionals and see how specialists perform such a massage.

The massage we described above is classic and is designed for healthy babies. When asked what distinctive features characterized by massage for clubfoot, hypoxia, birth trauma, only a doctor can answer - in all these cases he will have his own nuances that only a specialist can take into account.
The impatience of young mothers who want to use all the arsenal they have purchased for their baby as soon as possible is quite understandable, but it is not worth giving a newborn a physical therapy session or training him from the first days of life on a fitball. Favorable time there will be time for such activities.
Monitor your child carefully after the massage session. If his behavior and well-being worsen, temporarily refuse massage and return to it only after everything gets better, or consult a pediatrician.
Never start a massage if the mother herself is in a bad mood. The newborn, despite the fact that the umbilical cord was cut off in the maternity hospital, continues to be on an invisible, subtle spiritual connection with the parent. Her Bad mood and anxiety will definitely be noticeable for him, and the massage will not be a joy.
Don’t be afraid to massage yourself - it’s quite difficult to injure a child during a massage if everything is done correctly. In any case, in the practice of pediatric traumatologists, such cases are very rare.
You should not rely on reviews on the Internet. For some children, massage helps them grow and develop faster; other parents say that they did not feel much difference after a course of massage (from 10 to 14 days with a break of two weeks).

The benefits are obvious, but their manifestations are quite subjective.

To learn how to massage a newborn, watch the following video.