Infant Massage:

Would you like to...

• Strengthen the bond of love and trust with your baby?
• Help your baby achieve a deeper, more restful sleep?
• Ease your baby's wind and colic pain?
• Relieve your baby's constipation?
• Improve your baby’s sensory awareness?
• Help your baby's growth and development?
• Meet with other parents in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere?

Much more than a method for relaxing your baby, infant massage is a means of communication in itself, drawing on the senses of touch, sight, sound and smell to help carers and their babies to get to know and understand each other.

Learning infant massage could not be easier. The massage strokes are demonstrated on an infant massage doll while you perform the strokes on your baby. We will guide you through each stroke carefully and review them in each class to ensure you are confident with every aspect. In addition, you will learn to relax yourself and create a calm and nurturing environment in which your baby will thrive.

Classes are most suited to babies from 1 month of age to crawling, but it’s never too late to learn.

We offer a variety of both private and group classes - in our clinic, in your home or a venue of choice.

Introductory Infant Massage Course (1 hour)

This class teaches parents/carers the basics of infant massage so they can get started at home.  Included in the course: basic massage techniques, which oils to use and the best time to massage your baby.

A great baby shower or new baby gift.

Cost:
Group booking - $29 per person (minimum of 3 parents and babies)
Private lesson - $80 in our clinic, $95 for home visit

Complete Infant Massage Course (1 hr per week, 4 weeks)

This course covers everything you need to know about infant massage.  Our program includes:

• IMIS massage rountine (massage strokes, pressure, rate, rhythm)
• positioning for baby and parent
• creating a calming environment for massage
• baby stretches (lymphatic exercises)
• timing for massage
• appropriate oils for use
• contraindications – when not to massage
• reading your baby’s body language
• nurturing the parent-baby bond
• relaxation – baby and parent
• techniques to relieve wind, colic and constipation
• infants with special needs
• adapting massage for the growing child
• opportunity to connect with other like-minded parents

You will also have the opportunity to discuss the latest research on the benefits of massage and relevant parenting issues with other parents in your class. Sharing your concerns and questions regarding your baby is easy in the relaxed, caring environment of our classes.

Young babies will benefit from being introduced to small amounts of massage over several weeks. This will allow the baby to become accustomed to the stimulation of massage and give the parents the opportunity to learn and remember the strokes correctly. The reason we teach a little at a time is to ensure that parents and caregivers are confident with every aspect of infant massage and can raise any questions the following week as needed.

Cost:
Group course - $120, 4 week course (minimum of 3 parents and babies, held in our clinic)
Private course - $150, including bonus baby massage oil (held over 2 sessions in the comfort and convenience of your own home)

* SPECIAL OFFER - Book yourself and 3 or more friends in for our complete training group course and you will receive your course for FREE

Colic Massage Course (1hour)

This session aims to help infants suffering from pain caused by wind, constipation, colic or reflux.  This course will teach you how to help soothe your baby and cope with these stressful conditions.

Cost:
Group booking - $29 per person (minimum of 3 parents and babies)
Private lesson - $80 in our clinic, $95 for home visit


Dads/partners and massage

At Birth in Balance, we encourage dads/partners to learn these easy massage techniques too. Dad’s don’t get the skin-to-skin contact that mothers and babies have through breastfeeding, so this is a great way to establish a strong bond and for them to become used to handling the baby. It also helps to give mums a break.

Benefits of infant massage

Current research clearly shows tangible benefits, both physically and emotionally.
These benefits include:

• promotes a strong bond between parent and baby
• helps baby to feel loved and secure
• parents start to become familiar with their baby's visual cues
• increases parental confidence in handling their baby
• decreases stress and tension for parents and child
• relaxes baby and helps with sleep and settling
• encourages development of flexibility and co-ordination
• promotes stimulation of immune, circulatory and digestive systems
• can help to relieve wind, constipation and colic

Infant massage is also beneficial to special needs children, as well as older children and facilitates deeper understanding and connection with their parents and caregivers.

Please click on the following links for further information:

Massage restless baby to a soothing slumber

Postnatal depsression and mother and infant outcomes after infant massage

Infant massage: communicating love through touch

Gift certificates and classes for special needs groups are also available.

To contact us with any questions, please click here.