Massage for baby for months to a year
How can we stimulate the physical development of crumbs in the first year of life? Daily massage and small gymnastics will help us, which will prepare the child for an independent transition from one state to another. The simplest wellness course for massage and gymnastics can be mastered by any mother and carried out as a preventive measure daily at home.
What is important to know about newborn massage
1. Classes should be held in a well-ventilated room. Recommended 45 minutes after eating. It is advisable to conduct classes in the morning. Since the baby at this time has more strength and energy.
2. Classes are best done on a flat hard surface, at home it can be a regular table or changing table. Pediatricians recommend practicing with nudity, so the child with the massage will be a little tempered. Your hands should be clean and always warm, heat them with warm water or rub your palms against each other. And also pay attention to manicure and jewelry that can scratch or damage the baby. Use baby cream or baby oil.
3. The duration of the session depends on the patient. The first lessons, if the baby is not opposed for no more than 5 minutes, then gradually introduce new exercises and the session time accordingly increases.
4. Prepare everything you need nearby: clean drinking water in a bottle, replaceable diaper or diaper.
5. It is recommended to start the massage no earlier than 20 days after the child arrives at home.
6. The child should be healthy and in a good mood. It’s better not to force a capricious child, anyway, there will be no benefit from such an activity.
7. Do not rush the child to do certain movements ahead of time. All children are developing at their own pace and yours is no exception. If the child does not have any deviations, he will sit down, crawl and begin to walk. Your task is only to stimulate it a bit and strengthen the muscle corset, but not run ahead of the engine. Excessive haste can lead to various disturbances both in posture and in the formation of bones and skeleton.
8. If the child burst into tears, immediately stop exercising.
9. During gymnastics, communicate with the baby, sing, read nursery rhymes, talk with him.
10. Use toys for distraction and stimulation.
11. Observe the baby, his mood and condition.
The physiological sequence in the development of the movements of the child should be as follows:
1. raising and holding the head;
2. torso turns, flips from one position to another and vice versa;
3. seat;
4. independent change of position: sitting – lying and vice versa crawl;
5. standing with support, then without it;
6. walking with support;
7. walking without support.
Sometimes baby can skip some stages, this is not considered a deviation from the norm of physical development.
The benefits of massage for a baby
All pediatricians will tell you that children who daily engaged in gymnastics and massage develop much faster physically, they have more stamina and strength, less prone to stress and colds.
If the child receives a massage in compliance with all the recommendations above, your baby will receive undoubted benefit from the classes, namely:
- Stimulation of the skin. Touching helps the development of the motor and sensory parts of the brain responsible for movement.
- Develops musculoskeletal and cardiovascular systems.
- Strengthening the muscle corset.
- Children sleep harder and longer.
- Improving appetite, digestion, stool normalization.
- Colic decreases.
It is categorically contraindicated to massage with a child if:
- fever, runny nose, diarrhea, vomiting.
- with rashes and redness, itching of the skin.
- if the child does not want to engage, she is naughty, crying.
- children under 3 months of age should not be massaged on the fontanel on the head, under the knees, elbows, armpits, and the inner thighs. Clapping and pulsating, pressing movements are also contraindicated, which is associated with a large muscle tone, which will only aggravate it.
Monthly baby massage
Always start with handles and move to the shoulders, then go down. Preparatory exercises should be done before any exercises, regardless of age:
1. Stroke the handles from the tips of the fingers (each finger) to the shoulders
2. Stroke the legs like handles
3. Stroke the tummy around the navel with the palm of your hand clockwise. This helps to normalize digestion.
4. Stroking the back from the lower back to the shoulders, and back from the spine to the sides. The spine itself is not massaged.
Massage the baby in 1-3 months
At this age, massage is very short-term and comes down to preparatory exercises. It is important to consider that when massaging the pens you do not need to press on the palm itself, as there is a grasping reflex.
The child of the first months of life has a strong tone of the arms and legs, and massage is aimed at this, as much as possible to relax the muscular system. And every day you will notice how the baby opens his small hands.
Put the baby on the tummy and use your hands to create support for pushing away with your legs. This posture contributes to the discharge of gases and the raising, holding the head for a few seconds.
1. Tummy massage clockwise
2. Foot massage and foot reflex exercise
3. Reflex crawl
Massage the baby in 3-5 months
Massage at this age is aimed at strengthening the muscles of the cervical spine and general – strengthening exercises. Repeat the old exercises and add new ones. The hypertonicity has almost passed and the time of classes can be extended up to 20 minutes if the child behaves well.
1. We help the child raise and hold his head, laying it on his tummy and place a bright or attractive toy in front of the child.
2. Move the arms to the sides and cross them on the chest
3. Handles up and down, together and alternately
4. Bending and unbending legs together and alternately
Massage the baby in 5-7 months
In this age group, children sit down on their own and can change position: lying-sitting and vice versa. We strengthen the abdominal press and lumbar. We prepare the baby to crawl.
- All preparatory exercises can now be performed in a patting mode. Slap your fingertips lightly.
- Turns from back to stomach, left and right.
- Laying on the stomach with support on the elbows and holding the head while trying to crawl.
- Circular movements of the arms, bending the arms in turn.
- Bike legs, bending – unbending legs together and alternately.
- Pull on mom’s fingers from a lying position to a sitting position.
Massage the baby in 7-9 months
The baby crawled or trying to do it. We continue to strengthen the lower part of the spine and legs. The child is trying to get up at the support. We also need strong hands to keep ourselves on a support when falling. We rehearse walking.
1. Circular motion of the hands
2. Crossed kicks left and right
3. Stomp legs
4. Raise the legs at an angle of 90 degrees
5. Circular leg movements in the hip joints
6. Bring the handles to the sides in a supine position
7. Walking on all fours, hold the lumbar. Loin should not fall
8. We hold the child under the arms and walk legs on the table
9. Turn from one side to another and back. From back to stomach in both directions.
Massage the baby in 9-12 months
We complicate the exercises and introduce the rings. We repeat all previously used exercises and introduce new ones. All muscle groups work. The child is preparing for independent walking.
1. Bring the handles apart and cross. The child at the same time clings to the rings.
2. We lift the baby by the hand from a prone position on the tummy. The child holds on to the rings
3. Slopes
After classes, the child may cry, give a drink and hold it against his heart, he is very tired. It is recommended to feed no earlier than 20-30 minutes after the massage.
Massage for newborns from the first days of life “gives” the baby good health, strength and endurance. In addition to the beneficial effects on the body, the baby receives a pleasant and gentle touch of his mother. It is with these touches that a close relationship is established between mother and child