Infant massage is a preventative program that provides touch right from the start. Understanding and beginning touch early in life can improve the quality of parenting and family life and promote the well-being of the infant. Infant massage contains some critical elements of bonding as eye-to-eye contact, smiling, soothing, vocal sounds, loving touch, caressing, smell, and mutual interaction. Studies show that bonding increases a parents feeling of attachment as well as the desire to nurture and care for their infant.
Benefits for the baby
- Emotionally nourishes the baby
- Begins a loving intimate communication between the parent and the baby
- Helps to strengthen and regulate the baby’s primary systems
- Reduces gas and colic and allows the baby to sleep better.
- Helps the baby to relax and release the tensions of daily stimuli
Benefits for the parents
- Better understanding about the baby’s cues of responsiveness
- Increases confidence and handling skills
- Greatly improves the bond of affectional attachment
- Enhances communication and emotional ties
- Provides a means to develop quality interaction time
- Helps to relax and listen to their baby
- Massage becomes a perfect avenue for conversation as the child gets older.
Qualifications for this prevention program supported by the Children’s Trust Fund are:
- Teen parents
- Families with risk factors associated with child abuse and neglect (for example, as identified on the Newborn Risk Assessment Screen).
- Fathers of infants will be encouraged to participate.
- This intervention project does not have income guidelines.
For more information on this program, contact Sherelene at 660-826-4400, ext. 230.
