Easy Peasy Baby Squeezie

The first thing I want to write is ‘you’ve got this’. So many parents are nervous about doing the wrong thing or hurting their babies while giving them a massage, but you have dressed and undressed your baby, given them a bath, changed their diaper, rocked them, fed them, kissed and cuddled them all without hurting them. You’ve got this!

Here are a few things to think about when preparing to give your baby a massage: checking in, time, place, permission.

Most importantly, check in with yourself before you give a massage, has your day been one that has been over busy, or are you feeling frazzled? Take a few breaths for yourself before you start to give your baby a massage, or if you aren’t feeling up to it, leave it for another day. When we want to connect on this level of touch, we are really communicating, as best we can, how much we love our baby and the reciprocal joy they bring to our lives. Giving yourself a few moments to connect to your own inner love and joy makes it easier to transmit that feeling to your baby.

It is also important to make sure that you have the time to commit to a massage. Not only is it a connective and bonding process, a massage will also put a lot of information into your baby’s system. Making sure there is time afterwards, to not rush the moment, to cuddle with your baby, is just as important as the massage itself. Make sure they are clothed in the things they are going to sleep in. After the massage you don’t want to wake them up to put on their jammies.

The rest of the magic moment, set out to decrease stimuli: dim lights, calm household, very quiet music in the background. You will be adding stimulus to their bodies through touch, so having a calming external environment is helpful.

We want to ask and receive permission from your baby. If your baby’s nervous system is overloaded then it would be better to wait for a calmer time. What does asking your baby look like? Make eye contact, smile and simply ask “are you ready for a massage?”. Some people rub their hands together at the same time, you are putting an action together with a phrase and through repetition your baby will know what to expect. If your baby continues eye contact, smiles or reaches toward your hands, they are saying ‘yes’!

For this introduction to baby massage I wanted to think about a sedating massage. The kind that soothes your baby and calms their sympathetic nervous system (flight, fight and freeze) and brings on their parasympathetic nervous system (rest and digest). Starting this massage while your baby is in an awake and alert state is best, as you carry on with the massage they will become more relaxed. The more often you do this with them, the more they learn what to expect and it can become a tool to help calm your baby when they are upset.  

As they are clothed we won’t use oil for this treatment.

Start at their hips with one hand cupping the left and the other cupping the right gently squish your hand together to compress their hips together. You are going to count in your mind for 3-5 seconds of slow compression and 3-5 seconds of release. During the release remain in contact with your baby, do not take your hands off their body, just slowly release the pressure. Repeat 5 times.

Let your hand slide to the top of their thighs, give a 2-3 second light squeeze repeat 2-3 times, move down a bit, another few squeezes, surround the knee, squeeze, their patella is not yet fully formed so be gentle with the knee cap, try to avoid direct pressure on it.

Calves in two parts, upper calf squeeze 2-3 times and lower calf squeeze 2-3 times.

When you come to their ankles, you will switch to doing one foot at a time, cup the heel of their right foot in your left hand/fingers and use your right hand flat fingers on top of their foot and your thumb on the bottom. The heel you will hold as a stable base and the other hand will slowly rotate the mid-foot on the heel, clockwise 5 time and counterclockwise 5 times.

Staying with the right foot and let your fingers rest on top and let your thumb apply pressure to the bottom of their foot. Give pressure from their heel towards their toes, press, press, press, repeat from heel to toes 3-5 times.

Move along to the toes, if you have sleepers on that have the feet attached, don’t worry, you will be able to feel each little piggy through the fabric. Squeeze each little toe starting from the big toe to the pinky.

Switch to the left foot and repeat the same sequence, heel and mid-foot, rotate 5 times clockwise and then again counterclockwise. Pressure from heel to toes, just on the bottom, lastly the lovely little pinkies, big toe to small toe.

You can repeat the above sequence as many times as you and your baby like, all in all it will take you about 4 or 5 minutes to complete the legs and feet.

Enjoy these special moments of connecting with your baby.

Gaelen Gibson, RMT

I’ve been a registered massage therapist for over 25 years and I love working with women and babies. My goal is to support the most vulnerable and most valuable of our population by helping families become more integrated through breastfeeding support, through touch and by promoting self-care.  

Knowing how breastfeeding is supposed to work and understanding the skills that the infant must bring to the table (pun intended) in order for successful breastfeeding is complicated and super rewarding. Supporting families to become successful at this initial and very crucial stage helps set a foundation for them to understand their infant’s needs and figure out how to meet them throughout life.  

Website: www.gaelengibson.com

Instagram: gaelengibsonrmt

Phone: 604-558-2229