Since you’re reading this, perhaps you already realize how necessary touch is to human biological and emotional health. As infants, our experiences  chiefly define who we perceive ourselves to be. When we are young, our experiences create a map of our world, a map we use for the rest of our lives, even when many of the variables of our social landscape change later on.

Infant Massage is a demonstration to a child that he is cherished, has a special place, and can identify himself as part of the family life around him. This can be life-giving and life-sustaining, assuring the safety and support to be oneself. It is perhaps our innate realization that nurturing our young will make happier kids. It can be a practical and magical experience in the life of a child, as well as that of a parent.

Infant Massage is not just about massage strokes, and certainly not just about doing a lot of them. It is about parents going slow and observing and learning infinitely more about who their child is. It's learning what their child likes, and how and when to effectively deliver it. It's developing parenting skills to readily adapt to what presents itself next in an infant or child's unfolding development, and both creating and revising a baby's touch menu as the needs and preferences continue to change. It is also about facilitating parents to be mindful in the present moment with their child.

Infant massage has the general effect of normalizing many conditions including but not limited to:
Helping to normalize muscle tone
Assisting in pain relief
Assisting in increasing vocalization
Encouraging mid-line orientation
Improving sensory integration
Assisting in relaxation
Helping baby to sleep deeper and longer
Helping to stimulate circulatory and GI systems
Helping to relieve colic or “gassy spells”

And...it is a profound practice that builds and improves relationships and is normalizing for the family, which can be a great relief for the family of the child with special needs.

Each baby is different from any other person, and can be better understood and cherished for his uniqueness by individualizing massage that works just right for him at that moment. We have always known that parents know their babies better than anyone else, and many parents have an innate “felt-sense” of what is happening with their kids... an almost mystical knowing of their baby’s state of well-being. It is optimum that parents learn to massage their own children, and that they become their children’s entrusted and most competent advocates.