When is the best time to massage your baby? The simple answer: when your baby is happy!
Look for a time to massage your baby when your baby is receptive to interaction. A good time is when your baby is in the “quiet alert” phase shortly after waking up.
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Drowsy
When a baby wakes up, they are often drowsy: eyes partly closed, clingy if they are in your arms, still a bit withdrawn.
Not quite ready for a massage!
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Quiet Alert
After a few minutes baby’s eyes tend to open wide and they begin to pay attention to what is going on around them. Their mind becomes active, even though their body is relatively quiet.
This is a great state to start infant massage!
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Active Alert
As the massage goes on, your baby will get more active. At first becoming more interactive, wiggling around and making sounds. Depending on the temperament of your baby, baby may last a few more minutes, or these may be signs that it is time to bring the massage to an end.
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Signs Your Baby is Ready to Stop
When your baby starts to look away and get restless, complains or fusses, pushes or crawls away, it is definitely time to take a break or end the massage. These signs don’t mean the baby did not enjoy the massage, they can mean they have had “enough, already” and what felt good for a few minutes is now too much, or they can indicate the baby has another need – such as hunger or exhaustion or the need for a change.
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Ending the Massage
You can stop the massage at any time by picking up your baby, giving them a hug and telling them “Thank you” for the special time together.
Often baby will be hungry after a massage, or quiet and interested in hanging out. Your baby might be active afterwards or ready to go to sleep.
Massaging every day at close to the same time will help your baby (and you) make massage a routine. Many of the hormonal and physical benefits of massage are enhanced by the regularity of massaging a baby every day.