When to start massaging a newborn baby. Basic rules and techniques of massage for babies. When to Seek Professional Massage Therapists

It has not been long since you first saw your child after it was born. His main activity now is food and sleep, only a short period of time the baby is awake. The child still does not know how to control his body, all movements are chaotic and random, the newborn also does not have the skill to keep his head upright. The arms and legs are tightly pressed to the body, while they are bent at the joints, and the palms are in the closed position (clenched into a fist). This position is the result of muscle hypertonicity, characteristic of all newborn babies.

How soon will the baby learn to control his movements? It will depend on him and on you. E. Komarovsky claims that daily massage for newborns will help relieve hypertonicity, and elementary gymnastic exercises will strengthen muscles and joints.

In a newborn baby, the muscles are tense, he cannot completely relax. Massage relieves hypertonicity and stimulates the development of motor skills

When can massage be started?

Parents often ask pediatricians a question - at what age can you start massaging a newborn? Professional massage in the clinic is carried out no earlier than 2-3 months, of course, in the absence of contraindications (we recommend reading:). You can massage a newborn yourself at home from the age of 3 weeks or when the navel heals.

The main task of the massage is to relax the clamped hands and feet. You can straighten the clamped palms and feet with the help of innate reflexes. Try to run your hand along the spine, and you will see how the baby arches. Raising the crumbs and giving the opportunity to touch the legs of the support, you will see - the child will begin to take “steps”. Putting the baby on his stomach and giving support to the legs, you will notice how he pushes off and makes attempts to crawl. Such innate reflexes last only up to 3-4 months and can be used as exercises for massaging a newborn.

It is difficult to say unequivocally when it is better to massage a newborn baby. Any physical activity, including massage, is recommended to be carried out in the morning. The stress of exercise often makes children want to sleep, but there are those who become active.

The outcome of exercise is difficult to predict, so it is not recommended to do it right before bedtime, especially if you notice that the baby does not sleep well at night. Komarovsky advises to postpone massage for newborns for a while before evening bathing.

Preparing for a massage

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While the baby is from 0 to 3 months old, the following areas should be excluded from the massage for the newborn: under the knees, in the elbow bend, fontanel, inner thighs and armpits. A relaxing massage for a baby should be done with smooth movements and it is strictly contraindicated to press hard or hit the body of a one-month-old baby - such sudden movements can cause excessive irritation of the receptors and increase the child's nervous excitement.

Basic Rules

The baby does not need to be smeared with cream or oil during the massage, but if the skin of the mother’s hands is dry, it makes sense to moisten it a little with baby oil

Adhere to the following rules when organizing a massage:

1. Komarovsky recommends maintaining a temperature regime in the room equal to 18-22 degrees.
2. For the ongoing massage procedure, you will need a changing table or any other flat, hard surface. Place a thick diaper, a thin blanket and oilcloth on top. When choosing a surface, consider its width - it should be convenient for you to turn the baby over.
3. Take care of the place for the exercises in advance. Everything that can be useful during a massage should be nearby so that you do not leave your baby. Put your mobile phone next to you too. Use a disposable diaper to protect the table from involuntary urination.
4. Prepare yourself: wash and dry your hands, remove all jewelry, cut your nails short. Use baby oil if your hands are too dry, or talc if your hands are too wet.
5. Exercise for an infant should be half an hour to an hour before meals or 45 minutes after it.
6. Accompany the massage with songs, rhymes or nursery rhymes. Such voicing will create a positive atmosphere and help develop hearing and future speech.
7. Complicate the exercises and increase the duration of classes should be gradually.
8. You need to perform all movements from the edges and move towards the center.
9. Perform movements carefully so as not to cause harm and discomfort to the child.
10. Charging time is about 15 minutes. If the child is tired or expresses dissatisfaction, an incomplete set of exercises should be carried out, but only part of it (1 or 2 exercises). At the same time, consider the sequence of classes suggested below.

Do not forget!

When doing gymnastics with a newborn baby up to 3 months old, try to communicate more with him and evoke a positive response (we recommend reading:). During classes, lay the baby on the tummy more often. Combine physical exercise with regular water treatments, swimming, and don't forget to lightly stroke your baby's entire body. Pay special attention to innate reflexes and how they stimulate movement and extensor muscle function.

Contraindications

Massage is contraindicated:

• When the temperature rises, you can not do any kind of massage. It is also forbidden for diseases of the skin (especially with purulent forms), fragile bones, diseases of the circulatory system and SARS.
• The disease in the acute stage also implies the rejection of massage procedures.
• If an umbilical hernia is detected in the crumbs, then the massage should be carried out only by a doctor or under his strict supervision due to the danger of pinching the hernia (we recommend reading:).
• The situation is similar with children with heart disease. Massage in this case is strictly under the supervision of a cardiologist.
• The increased nervousness of the baby does not allow massage procedures, as muscle tone can be increased.

Coordinate massage actions with your doctor. Do not self-medicate. Physical activity must be justified and timely, otherwise it can lead to negative and serious consequences.

A set of exercises

The complex of exercises includes smooth stroking movements, which are aimed at reducing muscle hypertonicity, and exercises based on innate reflexes. It is not necessary to complete the whole complex. It is possible to break it into pieces and spend it during the child's waking hours. Basic tricks:

• stroking - a light or slightly pressing movement on the skin of a child, without forming skin folds;
• rubbing - stretching and shifting of the baby's skin;
• kneading - the action is performed in three stages: fixation, squeezing (compression) and rolling (this technique is not recommended in home massage);
• vibration - oscillatory movements transmitted to the child by a massage therapist (at the very initial stage (at 1 month) - these are light pats).

Stroking is not only very pleasant for the baby, but also useful for its development - it gently increases blood circulation and stimulates the muscles

Part of the complex on the back

• Hand massage. Starting position (IP) - on the back. Lock the baby's left hand by inserting the thumb of the right hand into it. Stroke your hand from bottom to top from all sides. Exercise to do 10 times. Change hands and repeat.
• Foot massage (we recommend reading:). IP - on the back. Fix the right leg of the child in your right hand, while the other hand strokes the leg from the bottom up. Do the exercise first on the back of the thigh and lower leg, and then on the front. Do 10 times. Change legs and arms, massage the left leg.
• Foot massage. IP - on the back. With your right hand, take the baby's legs in the shin area. Make rubbing movements with the back of your left hand on the foot of the crumbs from the fingers to the heel and in the opposite direction. Do 10 times.
• Reflex exercise for the feet. IP - on the back. With the pad of your index finger, press on the area of ​​​​the foot under the fingers. Pressing will cause compression of the foot. Spend similar pressure on the entire area of ​​​​the outer side of the foot, moving from the toes to the heel. Pressing in this area, on the contrary, will cause a reflex "opening" of the foot. Do 5 times.
• Body exercise. IP - on the back. Lift the child with both hands, being careful not to squeeze the ribs, and gently rock from side to side. Do 8 times.
• Abdominal massage (we recommend reading:). IP - on the back. Make synchronous movements with the right and left hand, stroking the tummy from top to bottom. Do 8 times.
• Breast massage. IP - on the back. Grasp the child by the chest with your palms and fingers. With smooth movements, move from the center to the edges along the intercostal spaces, making a slight pressure with your thumbs. Do 8 times.
• Reflex exercise for the spine. IP - on the side. Swipe with light pressure with two fingers along the spine, moving from bottom to top. This action will help to bend the spine. Do 2-4 times on each side.

There are a huge number of acupuncture points on the feet, the impact on which has a beneficial effect on the functioning of internal organs.

Part of the complex on the abdomen

• Back massage. IP - on the stomach. Simultaneous stroking movements from top to bottom with the palms, and from bottom to top with the back. Do 8 times.
• Foot massage. IP - on the stomach. Take the child's left leg in your right hand, and with your free hand knead the back and sides of the thigh and lower leg. Do 6 times. Change leg, repeat.
• Buttocks massage. IP - on the stomach. Lightly pat your baby's buttocks with the back of your fingers. Do 12 times.
• Reflex crawl. IP - on the stomach. Bend the baby's legs at the knees and place your palm under the feet. Give your feet a little push so your child can push off and try to move forward. Do 4 times.

You can see how to do massage movements correctly with the help of video tutorials. Experienced doctors will show the correct execution of each exercise.

Hi guys! With you Lena Zhabinskaya! Newborn massage is becoming more and more popular. In search of a good specialist who will conduct it, people turn to polyclinics, early development centers, private offices, finally. They believe that such manipulations with their baby will help him grow up faster.

But is everything so unambiguously good in this matter, or are there situations when there is more harm than good? Or such manipulations are contraindicated in principle? Let's find out today!

The fashion for massage has gone since the mothers, who actively practiced it, began to claim that it made their babies more calm and sociable. They started doing it almost from 0 months, arguing that it was during this period that the crumbs still have poorly developed auditory and visual receptors, as a result of which he perceives the world around him only through touch.

Regular gentle strokes allow him to really develop a stable emotional state - he is less capricious and crying. Massage is also an excellent prevention of many childhood diseases that can occur as a result of inconsistency in the work of internal organs and systems.

A good example of this is the gastrointestinal tract. How many mothers have experienced constipation in newborns? But it was a properly performed massage that helped many to solve this problem.

Moreover, gentle massage movements:

• relieve tension and muscle hypertonicity;
• eliminate increased excitability;
• improve sleep;
• contribute to the development of motor activity and affect posture, physical form.

In general, massage is incredibly useful for a newborn. The only time it can harm is the neglect of contraindications to it, as well as inviting an outsider to perform it. Then the baby is afraid, naughty,. But we will talk about this a little later.

Kinds

There are three types of massage by appointment. It happens:

1. medical;
2. treatment-and-prophylactic;
3. preventive.

Each of them has its own advantages and performance features. But first things first.

Massotherapy

It is easy to guess that it should be carried out exclusively by a specialist, and this is not surprising, because it helps to get rid of many ailments, namely:

• hypotonicity, hypertonicity;
• hip dysplasia;
• torticollis;
• asymmetries of muscle tone of the body and limbs;
• congenital dislocation;
• congenital and acquired clubfoot;
• umbilical hernia;
• leg deformities;
• flat-valgus foot;
• diseases of the central nervous system.

Treatment for all these diseases with the help of massage is carried out by different techniques. All of them are owned by a specialist who can help the baby. Positive results from his sessions are observed after a few days.

Therapeutic and prophylactic

This type of massage involves kneading the entire body, with special attention paid to problem areas. What could it be? Most often the tummy and respiratory organs. Therapeutic and prophylactic massage can be recommended for colic and disorders of the digestive system, diseases of the genitourinary system, bronchitis.

Due to the fact that it has its own subtleties and secrets, only a specialist can do such a massage. After several sessions of working with him, it is noted:

• normalization of blood circulation;
• improvement of the cardiovascular system;
• elimination of defects in the muscular and skeletal systems.

A newborn, thanks to therapeutic and prophylactic massage, learns to quickly roll over on his stomach, crawl, sit down, stand on his feet, walk.

Prophylactic

The purpose of this massage is:

• improvement of blood circulation and respiration;
• improved metabolism and appetite;
• normalization of sleep and behavior, which is especially important for excitable children.

• about high temperature (37.5 and above);
• blood diseases;
• tuberculosis of bones and joints;
• severe form of rickets;
• hepatitis;
• limb injuries, open wounds and burns;
• diseases of the genitourinary system in an acute form (pyelonephritis, cystitis);
• skin ailments;
• about the age of 1 month and earlier - at this time, massage can only do harm;
• heart defects (although there may be exceptions, which are determined only by the doctor);
• bleeding;
• extensive inguinal or umbilical hernias;
• hernias prone to infringement;
• recent vaccination and upcoming.

Do not massage for colds, flu, SARS. The only exception to this rule is percussion massage, the purpose of which is to facilitate the discharge of sputum.

Tearfulness, capriciousness and the negative mood of the crumbs in general are also serious contraindications to massage. If it is inevitable, it is necessary to find out the reason for the child’s bad mood, and then, having created a favorable background and improved it, proceed to implementation.

When Massage Is Necessary

In order not to blindly follow the fashion, it is necessary to understand the norm and the deviation from it. The latter are the main factors for the pediatrician and neurologist that testify in favor of the appointment of a massage. It is recommended if:

• at the age of 1.5 - 2 months, the child does not or holds, but very poorly in the position on the tummy;
• at 4 - 5 months, he does not try to roll over on his back or on his tummy;
• at six months he does not try to sit down;
• at 7 - 7.5 months, he still sits uncertainly, every now and then, falling to one side, arching his back in an arc;
• at 8 - 9 months he cannot crawl and is not going to;
• at 9 months does not want to get up on his own, holding on to a support;
• can't even walk by the hand for a year.

All this indicates the presence of problems with muscle tone, which prevents him from comprehending something new and catching up with his peers in the development. Ideally, only a doctor can tell exactly which massage will help a particular child after an examination.

When asked at what age to start doing it, all experts confidently call 4 to 5 weeks. It is believed that at this time it is delayed, and the child finally adapts to the environment.

Meanwhile, most young parents tend to start massaging their babies at 3 months old. When contact with him has already been established, and he himself is cheerful and calm.

Rules

How to properly massage a newborn? It turns out that you need to start it with preparation.

• The room temperature in the room should be 21 - 22 degrees, and the room itself should be well ventilated.
• When exactly can you start? All manipulations should be carried out no later than one hour before meals and no earlier than 1 hour after.
• The masseur's hands should be warm. All jewelry must be removed.
• It is necessary to lay the baby only on a hard, warm surface.
• For massaging healthy babies, additional moisturizers are not needed.
• The optimal duration of sessions is 5-10 minutes with a slight gradual increase in time.

Who should do

It is quite possible for the parents themselves to perform therapeutic and prophylactic and prophylactic massages directly after a detailed study of the special literature and consultation of a specialist. This option has a number of undoubted advantages:

1. the child is not afraid and enjoys contact with his beloved mom and dad;
2. you perform massage at any time and place convenient for you;
3. you control the strength and intensity of the manipulations and can interrupt them at any time;
4. it's absolutely free.

If you prefer to invite a specialist, carefully monitor the reaction of the crumbs to a stranger. If the little one is frightened, screams and cries, such a massage will do more harm than good.

The child's psyche is arranged in such a way that he feels his mother keenly and is extremely rarely ready to make close contact with strangers.

For a visiting specialist, in most cases, your child is just a job to be done quickly to rush to the next little client, and there is no extra time to establish contact and calm down.

The stress received by a baby during a painful massage performed by someone else's aunt can adversely affect the formation of a healthy psyche of a newborn. After all, as you know, all problems come from childhood.

Therefore, if you have such a desire, do not be lazy, learn simple techniques and massage the child yourself.

Techniques and tricks

For newborns aged 1-3 months, force movements are not used. Only light strokes and kneading are allowed.

• Begin the massage with the handles. At this stage, the fingers are gently kneaded, then the palms, wrists, shoulders.
  
• After that, they move to the legs, stretching the fingers, feet, and hips in the same way.
  
• Then the turn of the chest. How to massage in this area? With gentle circular movements from the sternum to the shoulders, bypassing the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe mammary glands.
• After the crumbs are placed on one barrel, kneading the other, and so on in turn. Interestingly, in this position, he should try to arch his back, which will indicate his correct development.
  
• The final stage is massaging the head, ears, bypassing the fontanel area.

After that, the baby can be stroked all over the body.

It is important to know: in children aged 1 - 3 months, do not massage the area of ​​​​the elbow, armpit, inner thigh, under the knee, as well as the fontanel.

After the permission of the doctor, you can massage the hip joint. It consists in preliminary stroking this zone, as well as performing the “Toad” exercise, when the legs are spread apart.

If you wish, you should try the ball. The baby is laid on its surface and shaken, holding.

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Every mother should be able to massage a baby. These are mandatory hygiene procedures that are carried out daily. The general importance of massage movements for the development of the baby is difficult to overestimate. At birth, the baby has full tactile sensitivity. But at the same time, many internal organs and systems are in a state of ongoing development. To help them develop correctly will help the correct methods of massaging the child.

These procedures are useful for relieving muscle hypertonicity, developing sensitivity, improving blood flow and lymph movement, preventing umbilical hernias, strengthening muscles, improving digestion, and hardening the baby.

General principles of massage for infants:

• the procedure should begin with 10-15 minutes;
• the child must be completely undressed;
• massage is done on the hard surface of the changing table, which is covered;
• hands should be lubricated with baby cream and remove all jewelry;
• you need to monitor the child's body temperature - if the occipital region is warm, then cold fingers on the arms and legs are not taken into account;
• talk during a massage with an infant;
• increase the time of procedures gradually up to 30 minutes a day.

It is strictly forbidden to massage an infant if:

• increase in body temperature;
• digestive disorders;
• immediately after feeding;
• hernias around the umbilical ring;
• irritations on the skin;
• pustules;
• colds.

Before you begin to constantly massage a baby, consult with a doctor who monitors his condition. Your baby may need special massage techniques to correct a particular condition.

Massage for newborns from what month can I start?

Many parents are wondering from what month you can start doing massage for newborns. In maternity wards, massage for healthy, full-term babies in combination with air baths is provided from the second day after birth. At home, after discharge, massage can be done as soon as the umbilical cord stump falls off. Until this time, it is not recommended to perform any manipulations with the child's body without sufficient experience. Wrong actions of parents can lead to the development of umbilical hernia in the future.

Therefore, wait until the umbilical wound is completely healed and start accustoming the baby to daily massage. In this case, the area around the umbilical ring should be massaged gradually, starting with the capture of the skin around it. Stimulation of skin nerve receptors will help increase the muscle tone of the white line of the abdomen and reduce the risk of umbilical hernia.

Practical techniques for massaging a child

Let's start massaging the baby. To do this, we warm the air in the room to 25-28 ° C. Be sure to wash your hands with baby soap, remove all jewelry. We warm our hands to body temperature. Carefully lay the baby on the changing table and gradually undress. It is best to do massage immediately after waking up the child from sleep and recovering his natural physiological needs.

When the child is undressed, begin to slowly stroke the feet in the direction from the big toe to the heel. It is recommended to carefully knead each finger. There are a large number of reflex points on the foot that stimulate the work of internal organs. Be sure to talk to the child during the procedures, tell him stories, go songs.

• massage the legs with light stroking movements, in the direction from the foot to the inguinal region, avoiding touching the inner surface of the thigh and groin area;
• straighten each leg of the child several times, lift the baby and try to put him on his legs, but at the same time keeping the weight of the body on your hands;
• massage of the handles consists in stimulating the palms for unclenching and a grasping reflex - spread the child's palm, massage the fingers, provoke the child to grab your fingers. After that, by stroking and lightly patting, massage the inner and outer surfaces of the forearm, shoulder girdle;
• turn the child on the tummy and massage the back, gluteal region with circular stroking movements clockwise and against it - avoid pressure on the spinal column and neck;
• we complete the massage by turning the baby on its back and lightly stroking movements along the front chest wall, then place your palms on the baby’s tummy and gently knead it with soft circular motions.

How to massage the abdomen with colic?

In infants, at the time of birth, the digestive tract is in a state of ongoing development and restructuring for a new source of nutrition.

In this regard, specific problems can often arise, which are:

• intestinal colic;
• bloating;
• violation of the act;
• decrease in appetite.

You can help your baby with regular massage of the tummy. You can make a massage with colic only if you have accurate information about the absence of a congenital in a child. To do this, you need to consult a doctor.

In the absence of contraindications, massage of the tummy, laying the baby on the stomach will help normalize the process of intestinal development and prevent the development of negative symptoms. If problems have already arisen, try to make a mass of the abdomen with colic. In some cases, this technique helps. For this:

• bare the tummy and legs of the baby;
• put the child on his back on a hard surface;
• bend the child's legs several times, pulling the knees to the front of the abdomen;
• in circular motions clockwise, massage first the upper abdomen, then the lower ones;
• with soft pressing movements, go along the entire course of the intestine - you should start from the right hypochondrium along the diaphragm, then going down and rising around the navel to the stomach area.

Repeat all these mass child techniques 3-5 times. Finish the procedure by laying the baby on the tummy for a few minutes. Combined with other treatments your doctor may suggest, this should help relieve colic and possible bloating.

Each child is born with bent legs and arms, and his fists are securely clenched. The motor activity of the crumbs is erratic and chaotic. This condition is quite normal, it is called in pediatrics "physiological tone." To help the child quickly eliminate this tone, young parents should know how to massage a newborn.

Massage is a daily procedure that complements the full care of a newborn. It has a beneficial effect on the overall health and well-being of the baby, strengthens the emotional contact between the child and parents. Regular massage improves the conditions for the normal development of the child.

Children's massage, depending on its direction, can be divided into the following types:

• medical;
• treatment-and-prophylactic;
• prophylactic.

How to properly and how often to massage a newborn depends on the diagnosis. Depending on this, specific methods of massage are used to eliminate the pathology. But good results can also be seen simply from physical effects on the skin of the child and his muscles after just a few sessions.

Therapeutic and prophylactic massage is based on the impact on the entire body area with an obligatory emphasis on problem areas. As a result of the procedure, blood circulation processes are improved, the work of the heart and blood vessels is normalized, and the pathological conditions of the muscular and skeletal systems are corrected.

This type of massage is used for problems with the digestive system, diseases of the respiratory and genitourinary spheres. This type of massage is practiced exclusively by a specialist. Preventive massage contributes to the development of the baby's motor activity.

With this procedure, the child learns faster:

• turn on the tummy;
• crawl;
• sit down;
• get up on your feet;
• walk.

Preventive massage is also useful for normalizing the functional activity of the digestive tract, since it can eliminate intestinal colic in a newborn, which are the result of the physiological immaturity of the children's intestines.

Preventive massage performs the following tasks:

• normalizes blood circulation in tissues;
• improves the breathing process;
• stimulates metabolism;
• improves appetite;
• soothes and improves sleep in restless children.

Therapeutic and therapeutic and prophylactic types of massage are recommended to the child by a doctor, such procedures are carried out within the walls of a medical institution or, if parents wish, at home. Preventive massage can be done to each child, if there are no specific contraindications.

The benefits of massage

Human skin is permeated with many receptors, which, against the background of an irritation reaction, send certain signals to the brain. Thus, the activity of the nervous and other systems of the body is stimulated, since the massage covers the most receptors.

Massage improves blood circulation, beneficially affecting almost every organ in the child's body. That is why preventive massage is highly recommended by pediatricians from the first year of life.

In a newborn, vision and hearing are not fully formed, so they primarily perceive the surrounding space with the help of tactile sensations. It turns out that massage forms the primary emotional state of the baby and the ability to perceive the world around him.

Pediatricians believe that massage is useful precisely as a prophylactic against many diseases. Massage has a positive effect on the state of the baby's immune defense, protecting him from colds and viral infections.

In addition, massage normalizes the functioning of the digestive tract, eliminating such unpleasant conditions as constipation and colic in a child. It is impossible not to note the positive effect of this procedure on the musculoskeletal system.

Indications

When should you start massaging a newborn, in what cases is it prescribed?

Let's list these states:

• hypotrophy;
• foot deformity (valgus, flat-valgus);
• tremor of any part of the body;
• residual reflex reactions;
• lesions of the central nervous system;
• cerebral palsy;
• chest deformity;
• leg deformity (curvature);
• flat feet, clubfoot;

Also, massage with a therapeutic and therapeutic and prophylactic purpose can be prescribed in the complex treatment of bronchial asthma, pneumonia, fractures and injuries of the limbs, etc.

Contraindications

It is impossible to carry out procedures of any massage effect if:

• the child has an elevated body temperature;
• the skin is affected by a pustular infection or damaged;
• increased fragility of bone tissue;
• there are diseases of the blood and the cardiovascular system;
• the baby is sick with SARS.

If the child has an umbilical hernia, then only a specialist should carry out massage, since there is a high risk of pinching the hernia. Children with heart disease during the massage should be observed by a cardiologist. You can not massage if the child has increased nervousness, as the hypertonicity of muscle tissue may increase.

At what age can massage be started and how often should it be done?

Many young mothers are interested in, at what age and what kind of massage can be done to newborns? The first sessions of preventive massage can be started from the age of two weeks. But until the child is at least 1.5 months old, massage should be carried out in the form of simple strokes. Later, when the child is 3 months old, other massage techniques are carefully introduced - rubbing, kneading and patting.

How often to massage a newborn baby? It all depends on the presence of contraindications. If the child is healthy, then massage is prescribed for him in courses of 10 procedures every 3 months. According to individual indications, the doctor can condense the standard scheme, reducing the interval between courses to 1 month.

Basic rules and features

The nuances that must be considered when massaging a child:

• During the procedure, the temperature in the room should be 18-22 °.
• The massage is performed on a flat surface covered with a flannel blanket, oilcloth and a diaper. The surface of the table should be wide enough so that there are no restrictions when turning the child over.
• The place of the procedure must be equipped with everything necessary so as not to be distracted during the procedure by missing items.
• Manicure, long nails, jewelry on the hands - all this is incompatible with massaging a newborn. The extra risk of injury to a small child is useless.
• When can I massage a newborn? It is better to choose a time 1-2 hours after feeding, and also make sure that the baby is not tired and sleepy. Hunger and fatigue will cause the child only negative emotions when performing a massage.
• During the procedure, you need to talk with the baby, at the same time forming his hearing and speech skills.
• The time of the massage can be gradually increased, as well as complicating the techniques used.
• Movements should be measured and not cause discomfort to the child. One session is enough for 15 minutes.

Step-by-step instruction

How to give a massage to a newborn? Consider the massage procedure in stages:

• Step one. We start with the hands of the child. Separately, massage the fingers, gently unclench the fists for massage and stroke the palms. Then we move on to the wrists and go up to the forearms, without affecting the armpits.
• Step two. We pay attention to the legs. Separately, massage the fingers and the feet themselves. Then we move with light upward movements towards the inguinal region. We do not touch the knees and the area under them.
• Step three. We stroke the tummy near the navel in a circular motion. We close our hands along the midline of the abdomen, make movements with our palms up and down, without touching the intimate organs of the child.
• Step four. Massage in the direction from the chest to the shoulders, and vice versa. We do not touch the mammary glands.
• Step five. The child is placed on the stomach, we begin to massage the neck. The movements are careful. If the child wants to raise or turn his head, stop the massage.
• Step six. With smooth movements from the lumbar to the shoulders and from the spine to the sides, we massage the back. We do not touch the spine. The butt is stroked in the direction from the outer surface of the thighs to the coccyx.
• Step seven. We spread the baby on the left side, with our hand we draw along the spine from the sacrum to the head. We do no more than 3 movements and repeat the same on the other side.
• Step eight. The child returns to the starting position, we begin to massage the head, excluding the fontanel area. We finish the massage with light stroking movements.

Massage will be useful even for the strongest and healthiest newborn babies. Indeed, during the procedure, not only the immunity and general health of the baby are strengthened, but also attention is paid to his communication and emotional skills. And this means that such a child will not have a chance to lag behind their peers in physical or psycho-emotional development.

Useful video about newborn massage

However, for the adult world, it is too undeveloped and weak - and to a large extent, massage for newborns can contribute to its development.

Varieties of the procedure for babies

As with adults, massage for the smallest can be:

• medical;
• treatment-and-prophylactic;
• and preventive.

Massotherapy

The first of them is used if the child has certain serious neurological problems, as well as defects and diseases of the musculoskeletal system. It is recommended that it be carried out only by certified, professional children's massage therapists who have experience working with infants suffering from:

• prematurity;
• chest deformity;
• scoliosis;
• flat feet, clubfoot or other types of deformities of the legs and feet (dislocations, valgus, etc.);
• curvature of the neck ();
• hip dysplasia;
• (or other lesions of the central nervous system);
• tremor or the presence of so-called "residual reflexes of newborns";
• hypotonicity (or, conversely, hypertonicity) of the muscles;
• rickets;
• hypotrophy and some others.

Sometimes other types of diseases can become an indication for massage (used as an adjunctive therapy), for example, bronchial asthma, as well as constipation, gas and colic in the abdomen, etc.

Preventive massage

This view, on the contrary, can be carried out by parents on their own, at home - of course, subject to the exact and correct implementation of the recommendations of specialists (including such as the famous therapist, Dr. Komarovsky). A significant help in this mom and dad will be numerous videos of preventive complexes posted on the Internet, as well as photos of individual postures and hand positions during massage.

How useful is this, the simplest type? Its results are:

• increase the immunity of the child;
• stabilization of the nervous system (tactile connection with the hands of parents reduces the production of cortisol in the child’s blood, also called the “stress hormone”);
• as a consequence of the previous paragraph - healthy sleep and reduced excitability;
• normalization of metabolism (and, therefore, a healthy appetite);
• improving the functioning of the respiratory and circulatory system.

Therapeutic and preventive massage

The therapeutic and prophylactic variety of massage (as an intermediate between its previous types) falls part of the functions of both the first and second. In this case, the baby's body is massaged as a whole, but more attention is paid to problem areas. Since knowledge and experience are absolutely necessary for this, it is recommended to entrust its implementation to specialists. Such a massage has a beneficial effect on literally all the fundamental systems of the body - digestive, genitourinary, respiratory, circulatory, cardiovascular, etc.

Separately, it should be noted its important role in the development of motor abilities of young children. Thanks to regular massage and the alternation of strengthening and relaxing the muscles, they crawl more often and faster, they begin to sit down and walk earlier.

Contraindications

At the same time, not only therapeutic, but also other types of massage are useless, and sometimes directly contraindicated, when (and if) the child has:

• increased nervousness (in this case, the increased risk of developing into a hypertrophied state);
• problems with cardiac activity (only a pediatric cardiologist has the right to allow massage procedures in such circumstances);
• umbilical hernia (in the absence of professional experience, a non-specialist may accidentally contribute to its infringement);
• any disease in the acute stage;
• heat;
• diseases of the circulatory system:
• some skin pathologies (primarily of an inflammatory nature).

In other words, there should be no “amateur activity” in this matter.

The main advantages of baby massage

Basic rules of baby massage

• Association with age. Given the underdevelopment of the skeleton and muscles of newborns, it is allowed to start the first massaging procedures of muscle tissues only from 3 weeks of age. Up to 3 months it is forbidden to touch the fontanelle area, the inner bends of the elbows and knees, the hips (on the inside) and the armpit area. Up to 6 months, patting, even light blows and pressure, is highly discouraged.
• Temperature conditions. In the room of the house where a naked child is being massaged, the temperature should be maintained within 19 ° C - 23 ° C. The fact that massaging movements warm up the body is not an argument in this case - since such a statement is true only for an “adult” massage, with its active rubbing, pulling, pressing and other power movements. If your baby starts to freeze, he may have hiccups and a cold nose. In this case, you must either complete the procedure, or take care of providing a higher temperature in the room.
• Massage surface. It can be either a special changing table or any other stable piece of furniture, the surface of which is absolutely flat, large enough and located at a height convenient for massage.
• Preparatory procedures. The massage surface should be covered with a thin blanket or diaper, and all the necessary items (oil, milk, napkins, mobile phone) should be placed at arm's length. Do not forget that during the procedure, babies also tend to write.
• Hands. Adults (especially mothers) will definitely need to remember about the condition of their own hands. Long nails are not suitable for massage, and jewelry is excluded on the fingers. And, of course, the hands must be perfectly clean.
• Time. You should not massage immediately before or after a meal, as well as a baby who has just woken up or, on the contrary, tends to sleep. The ideal option is the time approximately in the middle between two feedings or after bathing (the whole procedure is about 15-20 minutes).
• Communication. Combine massage with communication. Sing songs to your child, talk to him - and you will get the result of "3 in 1" (strengthening the baby's muscles, developing his hearing and positive mood).

Important! Massage exercises should become more difficult over time, and the duration of the procedure should increase. All movements along the legs, arms, back and tummy are only of the stroking type and are directed from the bottom up.

Baby massage technique

How to massage a newborn? Following the following order.

• Handles - massage begins with massaging the fingers and palms, then goes to the wrists and further to the armpits (we do not touch the armpits and elbows themselves!).
• Legs - first of all, the fingers and foot are massaged, then the calf muscles and the outer surface of the thighs to the groin (the ankles and the area around the knees are inviolable!). Important! The limbs during the massage should be half-bent!
• The tummy is first stroked in a clockwise circular motion. Then - from the navel area with one hand we slide up, and with the other, at the same time, down. In this case, the genital organs cannot be touched.
• Chest - massaged from the middle to the sides, and then to the shoulders. Do not touch nipples.
• The neck is gently stroked from the bottom up, while the child lies quietly on the tummy.
• Back - first, the arms are parallel to the lower back to the shoulders, then from the center of the back to the sides. The spine is not affected.
• Ass - stroked from the outside of the thighs to the coccyx.
• Sides - after carefully laying the baby on one side, the hand is led from the sacral region to the head. Then the same is repeated with another barrel.
• The head is ironed in a circular motion, with the exception of the fontanel. It also does not hurt to massage the ears.
• Completion - soft stroking of the entire body.

Lacrimal canal massage for dacryocystitis

One of the most unpleasant, but quite common diseases in infants, is dacryocystitis. Its consequence is inflammation of the lacrimal canals and the accumulation of pus and mucus in them. Massage of these tubules can be of great help to the child, and this procedure is carried out as follows:

• Hands are washed in the most thorough way (no manicures with long nails - and it is best to use sterile gloves at all).
• The index finger is carefully placed in the inner corner of the eye, after which the fingertip is rotated towards the bridge of the nose.
• The lacrimal sac begins to be squeezed VERY carefully (mindful of the extremely weak children's cartilage), in order to extract the accumulated pus and mucus from it.
• Furacilin is dripped into the eye (using a preheated solution of 1 to 5000).
• Oozing viscous suppurations are removed with a sterile cotton swab.
• The massage of the nasolacrimal ducts continues with sliding movements along the bridge of the nose (this is how internal mucopurulent adhesions are squeezed out).
• Such a movement ends again on the lacrimal sac in the corner of the eye - with a push breaking through the film that holds the contents of the sac.

Such a complex of neat massaging movements is repeated 4 to 6 times.