Getting started with baby massage:

• Massage can be soothing for babies. Make sure the room is warm, your baby is quiet, well-rested, and alert, and you are relaxed. Try massage after a nap, when your baby is being changed in the cot, or after a bath. You can do a massage for 10-30 minutes.
• Smooth a few drops of baby massage oil or sorbolene cream into your warm hands and massage the soles of the baby’s feet. Use firm, gentle, slow strokes from heel to toe. Always keep one hand on the baby.
• Do long smooth strokes up the baby’s leg. Massage from the ankle up to the thigh and over the hip. Massage both legs at once and one at a time. Avoid the genital area.
• Hold the baby’s leg under the knee and gently press it towards the tummy to help release wind.

Upper Body Massage for Babies:

• Start upper body massage with your hands on the baby’s shoulders. Make gentle strokes towards the chest.
• Massage baby’s arms by stroking from shoulders down towards wrists. Try not to get oil on the baby’s hands. If you do, wipe baby’s fingers clean before baby sucks them.
• If the baby’s tummy feels soft, massage it with circular, clockwise strokes. If the baby gets unsettled, go on to the next step. Avoid the belly button area if the baby’s cord has not healed.
• Do not put pressure on the area between the baby’s nipples and tummy.

Face and Back Massage for Babies:

• Use your finger pads to massage the baby’s face. Stroke from the middle of the baby’s forehead, down the outside of their face, and in towards their cheeks. Massage the scalp in small circles.
• If the baby is still relaxed when you have finished massaging the front of their body, you can turn the baby onto their tummy and use long, smooth strokes from head to toe.
• Use a soothing touch. Stop the massage if your baby seems uncomfortable. Avoid massage if you are very tense, or if your baby is upset. Make sure your fingernails are short.