Oil Massage for Babies

“Massaging your little one is one of the most enthralling way to express the love for both mom and baby”

As your newborn will be very delicate and tender soon after his birth, avoid massaging him for at least the first three weeks. We can start massaging after that and it’s more important as it helps for healthy skin and good bonding between baby and mom. The routing of massaging the baby can start after that as it helps the baby not only have a healthy skin, but also develop a stronger bond with his mom.

Massaging before bath can help the baby have a relaxed and sound sleep as well. May be, there is a high chance of him feeling the coziness of his mom’s womb again. As a mom, you can explore and choose the right way, right time and right type of oil to massage your baby.

baby oil massage

Many research studies have proved that the touches of mom on her baby make him calmer and aids in giving more comfort, which in turn, could help him have a better mental and physical growth during those early years.

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Benefits of Oil Massages for Babies:

How does massaging helps the baby?

The way a good body massage relaxes and refreshes the mind and body of the adults, it can result in similar results on the babies too.

Apart from that, oil massages can help improve blood circulation, can help maintain normal body temperature, can help in proper digestion, can make him sleep well, can improve skin health, can support bone health and growth, can improve muscle development and also neurological development.

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Moreover, a mom massaging her baby regularly helps the two connect more and thus, in developing a thicker bond between them.

Tips for Oil Massage for Babies

Babies should be massaged placed on the floor, not on an elevated or higher positions, to avoid unnecessary accidents.
Be aware of which oil you are using and be alert after using for the first time
Be gentle while rubbing the oil on a newborn
Be hygienic while applying the oil using your hands
Be quick to give a bath to the baby after the oil massage, don’t delay for a long time after applying.
Be informed of massages and massaging babies before you start off

Which oil is best for massaging babies?

Oil massage is good for both the new mom and her newborn. But, one should be careful in choosing the oil, which is right for baby’s skin, as it would be too tender.

If the skin is extremely dry or if the baby has problems like eczema, then you must talk with dermologists/skin health experts before starting the oil massage for the infant.

The pure coconut oil is the most commonly used oil in most Indian households for infants, one reason being it generally suits all skin types without having to worry about side effects.
Second comes olive oil.
Jojoba oil and Almond oil are also recommended ones, but these oils are to be used only after three months of birth. Avoid using any mineral oil for the baby.

It is a common occurrence that there may be a combination of oil used traditionally by families for generations. This is very common in Indian families. Also, there might be practices of not applying or massaging oil on certain days and months. Some reasons of the beliefs are inclined with genes as well. Hence, make sure you take up advices from elders in the family as well in choosing the oil apart from what you learn from other sources.

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When to start Oil Massage for babies?

You should primarily wait for the umbilical stumps to fall off completely from the baby for starting with the body massage. Roughly, at least after 20 – 30 days from birth can be considered for the first body massage.

Without starting off with anything blindly, you should learn and know about our baby’s body condition, his body temperature, his skin type, his birth weight as the newborn should be able to take the massaging and what is more important is the weather of the place you are living in.

When to avoid the body massage for babies?

If your baby has very low birth weight, avoid oil massages until the normal weight gain.
If your winter is very cold, then wait till the weather improves. Avoid massaging during cold weather, at least for the full first month.
If your baby’s body temperature is naturally cool, then you must not start with Oil Massage at least for the first two months.
If the baby is given vaccination, the oil massage should be avoided for the three following days, as it may increase the chances of viral infections.
If the baby is running high temperature, the oil massage must be avoided as the recovery would become strenuous.