Fragile and vulnerable, your baby's skin is also rich in unique cellular resources that must be protected. Every day, it requires specific care to maintain its health and comfort. Discover our tips for taking care of your baby's skin.
A great source of well-being and relaxation, the massage It has many benefits for your baby: it promotes their development and helps them become aware of their body, it calms them and prepares them for sleep, and it can also help relieve minor tummy aches. Finally, massage is a lovely a moment of tenderness and complicity with you .
Discover our tips for massaging your baby and get started!
The massage ritual
The right conditions
• You can massage your baby from birth up to 3 years old, or even later if he/she continues to enjoy these moments.
• Choose a quiet moment when you are fully available to be able to serenely devote yourself to the massage without being interrupted.
• Settle into a warm (around 26°C) and quiet room with dim lighting.
• Place your baby facing you on a towel or blanket, on a bed, a changing table or on the floor on a soft rug.
• Your hands should be clean and warm, your nails short.
• Remove anything that could snag your baby's skin, such as your jewelry.
• Use a massage oil Specifically formulated for babies. Coat your hands and rub them together to warm the oil before touching your baby.
• Your baby's skin should be healthy and not irritated.
• Avoid massaging your baby if he or she is sick, and immediately after bottle or meal.
The right actions
Massage is different from caressing: your touch should be warm and gentle yet firm, using stimulating and enveloping pressure. You can extend the session up to 30 minutes if your baby seems to enjoy it. However, they may be reluctant at first: in this case, stop after a few minutes and offer another massage the next day or a few days later.
You can use the following techniques to massage your baby:
• Start by gently massaging his shoulders, beginning at the neck, then move down along his arms, remembering his hands and fingers.
• Then, with your hand flat, massage the chest and abdomen in clockwise circles: place your hand across under her breasts and move it down gently, then repeat with the other hand. Do not press hard; the weight of your hand is sufficient.
• Hold your baby's foot with one hand, and with the other hand, massage from the calf to the thigh, then to the hip.
• Place their foot between your hands and gently massage from toes to heel. Move back up towards the toes and massage them one by one, then gently stretch them all together upwards.
• For the hands, massage the center of the palm with gentle, circular movements, then gently stretch each of the fingers.
