Infant Massage Instruction Classes:
Enhance the bond between you and your baby through nurturing touch! Learn how to massage your baby (even newborns!) to help with bonding, communication and health. I am a certified infant massage instructor through the International Association of Infant Massage (www.iaim.net). I currently offer private and semi-private sessions that are held in the comfort and familiarity of your home.
Touch is the first sense to develop in utero
and it is the last sense to leave us before we die.
Human beings cannot survive without touch,
it is a basic need.
With healthy touch, the human infant not only survives,
but thrives.
The Infant Massage Program: The goal of the program is for you as parents/ caregivers to learn and practice massage on your child so that by the end of the course you feel confident in what to do and you are able to integrate massage as a normal part of your routine.
I currently offer private and semi-private sessions that are hosted in the comfort and familiarity of your home.
The full program is 3 sessions (The session are about 30 min each, but allow a 45 min time slot to allot for breastfeeding, diaper changing and general “baby time”). Each session covers different body parts. We also go over specific topics about bonding, communication and ways to “troubleshoot” different baby concerns using massage.
Fees:
Private (single family) $210 for all three sessions ($70 per session)
Semi-private (2 families) $150 for all three sessions per family ($50 per session)
A “family” is 2 parents/ caregivers and up to 2 babies under 1 year of age (twins welcomed!).
Does your baby have a special need? Do you have a special family situation? Private classes can be tailored to best suit your baby and your needs.
Do you have Naturopathic Insurance coverage? Then your massage sessions may be covered. Inquire for more information!
Why Infant Massage?
Babies are born with the capacity to have experiences and to express themselves. Experiences through their senses are taken in and processed by their nervous system and have an effect on their whole body. And while we as parents, caregivers, observing adults might simply see a baby doing “baby stuff” like looking intently at a colourful object, listening to our voices, grabbing an object or noticing the scent of something, these experiences are how a baby learns. Massage for a baby is a multi-faceted experience: The nurturing touch, the movements, the eye-contact, your smell, your voice and the dedicated time for just the two of you provides your baby with all sorts of sensory, physical and emotional stimulation that is highly beneficial for both of you.
Through massage you learn a lot about your baby too. You learn how your baby communicates and responds to you, you become in tune with your parental instincts, you learn ways to soothe your baby when needed. You and your baby strengthen a mutual bond based on trust and respect.
What are the Benefits of Infant Massage?
More and more is being understood about the positive effects on nurturing touch and massage on babies.
Benefits for your baby:
The interaction between you and your baby increases bonding, secure attachment, verbal and non-verbal communication, pre-language communication, body awareness, feelings of love and respect.
Massage stimulates many body systems that can improve their function such as the circulatory system, digestive system, hormonal system, immune system, lymphatic system, nervous system, respiratory system, coordination and balance, language development, muscular development and tone, growth, connections between neurons. Quite simply, massage can improve and maintain good health and well-being in your baby.
Massage can help with common baby conditions such as gas and colic, constipation, indigestion, excess mucus, chest colds, growing pains and muscular tension, teething discomfort, hypersensitivity.
Massage provides relaxation for your baby which can be seen as improved sleep patterns, normalized muscle tone, increased flexibility, better coping mechanisms, better self-regulation, being more calm overall, reduced stress levels and stress hormones, less sensitivity.
Benefits for you:
Massaging your baby can help improve your parenting skills and instincts, improve your self-esteem and confidence as a parent, improve bonding, decrease of stress hormones, increased relaxation hormones, lower blood pressure, improve sleep, improve lactation and breastfeeding, decrease postnatal depression and provide involvement in baby’s care by both parents, siblings and caregivers.