Massage tips

Baby massage tips
# Make your strokes gentle but not ticklish. With soft and gentle touches the baby massage flows from the head to the toes. Tenderly begin on the head and then move to the face, shoulders, arms, hands, chest, stomach and down to the legs, feet and toes.
# Follow your baby's mood signals about when to stop the massage. If the baby wants to change position let him or her do so. A baby massage can comfortably last anywhere from 10 minutes to 30 minutes, depending on his or her mood.
# When you gently massage your baby’s body parts, you may want to cover the areas of the baby’s body that are not being massaged with a second towel to avoid baby from getting a chill. Run your fingertips lightly over the body using circular motion. Avoid massaging your infant’s navel area, if the cord hasn't completely healed, avoid pressure on the spinal cord and avoid the genitalia area.
# You can hold under your baby’s knees and gently press the knees up toward his or her tummy. This position can help your baby to expel gas. Massage the scalp in small circles with your fingertips as if you were shampooing.
# Following the massage, wash your baby’s hair with a natural baby shampoo. This may require two washes to remove all the oil.
# Make it a good habit to give your baby a baby massage as part of your baby’s pre-bath schedule. After the massage, caress your baby and then give your baby a warm bath.

Baby care-baby massage

baby massage

Since skin is the largest organ in the body, touch is extremely important. The following preparation and useful techniques can assist you in giving your precious baby a spa experience!

How to start

You will need: 2 soft towels, a clean diaper, natural baby massage oil & little baby! Begin the baby massage when you and your baby are in a relaxed, calm state. The best time is usually before your baby’s bath, at least a half hour after the baby has eaten. Sit comfortably on the floor with the soles of your feet together and form a diamond shape with your legs. Be sure to select a place without drafts and make sure the room temperature is a warm 78 degrees. Then drape a soft towel over your lap. Undress your baby, just leaving on a clean diaper and rest your baby on the towel over your legs so your baby will feel comfortable and secure. Cradle your baby’s head with your feet. Then put some baby massage oil on your clean hands and rub them together so they will be soft and warm before you start. Your baby will not be happy if he or she receives a massage from cold hands! Then using massage oil for baby, begin with long gentle strokes from your baby's head to his or her toes. If you find that your baby responds well to the massage, proceed to gently massage your baby’s body section by section. If your baby does not cooperate, simply massage him or her at another time.

While you massage your baby you may want to softly talk, hum, sing and/or play healing meditation music during the massage. To further bond with your baby, give your little one eye to eye contact during the baby massage.

massage for baby

ayurvedic massage for baby
Baby massage has a long tradition in India. Just after birth, a cleansing massage is done with a soft wheat-dough ball, to which a little almond oil and a dash of turmeric is added. Just before rubbing the ball is dipped in a bit of almond oil. This practice is continued for the first six days after birth, before the bath. It enhances circulation, helps in the expulsion of toxins and aids the digestive system of the baby.

On the seventh day after birth, actual baby massage with the dough ball starts and this goes on every day for 3 weeks. The dough ball should be dipped in oil every now and then, which helps to keep the 3 proper balance.

Massage with the hands begins when the infant is one month old, when the baby's body has become strong enough. The baby massage is continued every day for 3 months, during which the most time is spend in massaging spine, back, neck, waist, hands and feet, because these parts need to gain strength to support the body.

Baby massage

best baby massage

Choose a moment in which you and your child are relaxed and calm. A half hour after the baby has eaten is recommended.

Be sure that the room temperature is warm (78 degrees Fahrenheit). Undress the baby completely, if the weather is cold or humid cover the areas of the baby's body that are not being massaged.

Put the baby on a soft surface so your baby will feel comfortable and secure. Keep some little pillows handy.

It is a good idea to put some cream on your hands and rub them together so they will be soft and warm.

Basically the massage flows from the head to the toes. With soft and gentle touches you will work on the head, face, shoulders, arms, chest, stomach and legs.

While you massage your baby look tenderly at him/her. Doing this you stimulate all the senses of the baby and establish a more intense visual and tactile communication. Feel free to speak to your baby, do not inhibit yourself.

Remember that your touches should be tender do not make mechanic motions. Try to be flexible by not keeping a rigid routine.
Baby head massage
Touch the forehead, temples and the base of the cranium
Eyebrows and eyelids
Nose
Cheeks
The area around the mouth
Ears and surrounding area

BABY CARE- BABY GROWTH

This program was designed to complement the learning experience of students who had followed a child through the first year in the lead program of the series, Child Growth & Development in the first 12 months of life.

Between the ages of 1 and 4, the major developmental changes in children occur in the areas of cognition, language and social interaction. These changes are less visible than the physical changes (predominantly development of motor skills) that occur in the first 12 months of life.
To address the increasingly complex nature of cognitive and language development, the program has been designed around a series of cases that highlight specific developmental milestones, for example, language delay at 2 years, and school readiness at 4 years of age.

The case scenarios are used as entry points to further health and family topics such as nutrition, injury prevention, toilet training, behaviour modification and school readiness. In addition, the program uses movies of different children to demonstrate the individual variations of normal development.

baby food

Baby food

Chop the apples roughly and place in a saucepan.
Pour in about one inch of water - (you could use apple juice instead, but this will contain sugar).
Bring the apples to a boil, then reduce the heat.
Cover and simmer slowly until the apple chunks are tender .
DON'T cook the apples to the point where the mixture actually looks like applesauce! Cooking it this long will cause it to be watery and tasteless.
Instead, remove the apple chunks from the pan and either puree them or mash them well. Thin with a little cooking water if necessary.
Sprinkle with cinnamon and nutmeg and serve warm or - as a soothing treat for teething babies - nice and cold.

best baby care

All things are not created equal and that includes veggies. During his first year of life your baby will grow faster than he ever will again. Think of it this way. If you currently weigh 130 lbs and you were growing as fast as your baby is growing then you’d weigh 390 lbs by the years end. That’s a lot of growing. Babies need great nutrient rich choices (made by you) to accommodate their metabolism and growth rate. For instance a baby requires more Vitamin C, Vitamin A, and Calcium per pound of body weight than an adult male.

Luckily there are many power packed veggies to choose from for your baby. Sweet potatoes, pumpkin, broccoli, and carrots are full of vitamin A (beta-carotene) which is vital to healthy eyesight, normal cell development, immune defenses and more. Nerve and muscle processes both rely heavily on thiamin and green peas are a good source. Red sweet peppers, green peepers, and broccoli contain high amounts of vitamin C, an antioxidant which also assists in iron absorption. Calcium is an integral part of bone structure and plays a major role in blood clotting, maintaining blood pressure and much more. Broccoli, lima beans, soybeans, and squash are healthy choices if you’re aiming for calcium.

Vegetable Preparation & Serving

Cooking up a batch of vegetables for your baby can save you money (those tiny jars don’t come cheap) and can save your baby nutrients. Commercial baby foods are perfectly safe but some have added water, starch, or sugar which can dilute the nutrients your baby is receiving. Plus you can quickly whip up a batch of veggies while you cook for the rest of your family.

To make babyfood at home all you really need are fresh or frozen vegetables, a knife, and a fork. If you make a lot of homemade babyfood you could invest in some kitchen tools that make life easier such as a blender, babyfood grinder, food mill, or food processor. To make babyfood just pit and peel vegetables, cook in microwave or on stovetop until very tender, and mash up. To create a purée style food with only a fork you can mix in small amount of breast milk or formula until it’s the right consistency. Freeze homemade babyfood in ice cube trays and pop one or two cubes out per serving. You can save babyfood in the freezer for one month and freshly made in the fridge for three days.