“A healthy child makes for a happy child” … and besides one’s genes, what really contributes to the making of a healthy child? A balanced diet and exercise, right? For infants, mother’s milk is equivalent to the balanced diet and body massage to the exercise. Body massage for infants is as important  as exercise is to us. If we don’t exercise, nothing happens all of a sudden, but gradually we see the health issues arising out of it’s absence. Similarly for infants, you wont realise it’s importance until you do it (or get it done) religiously and observe the positive changes in your baby.

For massage, we need a good baby oil which should first be tested on baby’s hand for any kind of reaction. Personally, I had faced this problem when almost ‘no’ oil would suit Samarth. He would get rashes immediately all over his body. Since he was born in summer, olive oil proved to be ‘Hot’ and a famous baby oil didn’t suit him at all (due to chemicals present in it). Then Dr advised me to use ‘Coconut oil’ which is cooler, milder and very natural. But then he suggested me to switch to olive oil during winters due to cooler nature of coconut oil.

But then I wondered why do ‘infants’ need massage, when they are lying in bed all the time? Well, for one simple reason, their back muscles get tired lying in one posture for 20-22 hrs. Thus, infant in their 1st month need a masaage basically for their back. Later on, in second month, when they start pedaling with their legs and begin to move their arms a lot, it’s essential to give massage for their hands and legs along with back (as they are still lying for most of the time…) As the child grows, the duration of massage also increases from 10 min the beginning to 35-40 min at 4-5 months. At 5 months, when the child ‘wants’ to sit and stand with support, he/she needs a good oil massage for back and legs.

enjoying massage

sam with massage lady

’sam enjoying with the massage lady’

Samarth has been getting his body massage done since he was 20 days old (what a luxury!!! :) ) and I have seen significant changes in him. He was born 25 days prior to the due date and therefore weighed very less (2.75 kg only !) … he looked weak and fragile. but after starting with the massage, within no time he started gaining his strength as well as weight. Now at 5 months he can sit without support and i surely give the credit to our massage-lady who had been telling me since day one not to worry about his health, as long as she’s giving him massage. We are planning to continue it atleast for a year or when sam decides to run away from her :) .. whichever happens first! so far he enjoys it and is learning to talk also since she keeps him engaged in a dialogue throughout those 30 min. Well i think if it has worked for us, so shall it for others… Good luck!