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Nurturing Nannies – Baby Massage

Lucy Johns, from Lucy’s Angels Baby Massage, has written for us this week about the benefits of taking your little ones to a baby massage class:

If you’re a nanny with a very young baby as your charge, finding a local baby massage class to go to could be a wonderful activity for you to do, benefiting you, the baby and indeed the whole family.

Imagine being able to calm a fretful baby, relieve a snuffly nose, ease tension from teething or pain caused by constipation or colic – lets face it, all common complaints you’re going to have to deal with on a daily basis. How fantastic to have these skills at your fingertips.

Many nanny agencies are realising the positive impact of having this skill as part of your package. The infamous and formidable Norland Nannies who produce the creme de la creme of British Nannies teach their students baby massage as part of their academic childcare qualification and career preparation. Peekaboo Nannies in London advise on their website ‘Improve your CV, parents love nannies and maternity nurses who have this skill’.

As well as being able to relieve common childhood complaints, baby massage is a powerful bonding tool and a fantastic way to get to know baby’s little body; where he tends to hold tension, what he likes and doesn’t like. You’ll discover lots of things very quickly about your new charge and he in turn can confidently form an attachment to you through that gentleness, love and trust that you’re offering him.

Suggesting taking your charge to a baby massage class to some parents could stir up a few conflicting feelings, but if they were hesitant one could emphasize the benefits of returning home to a relaxed baby after its bath and little massage and offer to show them what you had learnt so they too could also be as involved.

There are hundreds of playgroups and activities for the older baby and child, but not so many for the young baby, so this could be a really lovely option for one of your mornings activities. Classes tend to be taught as a four or six week course and cost on average between £40 and £60 depending on the area. You’ll find that they are generally for babies aged between six weeks and six months. They’re a great place to meet other parents and carers in the area and good for networking and finding out local information and tips.

So, go for it nurturing nannies! A wealth of reasons to check out your nearest class or course and become even more of a supernanny than you already are.

“Hello again! So, how are the precious bundles? Very possibly a little snuffly and congested as the season changes? Well despair not, as you have healing power at your fingertips! With some essential oils and by gently giving baby a bit of a steaming in the bathroom, you can try some of these strokes before reaching for the Calpol.

‘Pitter Patter Raindrops’: Relax your hands at the wrists and tap your fingers firmly but gently all around the chest area. This simple but powerful technique greatly helps to clear the mucus on the chest.

‘Tiny Toes’ Congestion in the chest and sinuses can be released indirectly by working on the feet. Gently roll each toe between finger and thumb from the base and gently giving a little squeeze and a pull at the tip. Here you are stimulating the reflexology points for the head and the sinuses and these strokes are really productive on babies.

Massage can be used as a wonderfully effective tool in aiding relief from common infant ailments, but it also has a profound effect on the entire baby on an emotional and spiritual level. The Taoist massage in particular strives to encourage inner energy flow, and as they ascribe spiritual qualities to each of the vital organs, once these are balanced so is the child. This next stroke from my little book is a favourite of mine as it is based on the concept of Chinese acupuncture meridian lines, but also relates to the important heart chakra that is illustrated in Indian philosophy.

‘Opening the door of the spirit’ Put two fingers on the chest at a point mid-way between the nipples. Move the skin against the underlying bone in a small clockwise circle. This opens the heart centre, builds love, courage and trust and pacifies the spirit.

Most would agree that how a baby is cared for influences how he or she will grow up and care for themselves, for others and one day their own. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to watch our children one day massaging their babies, knowing that we have created this healthy, intelligent habit, much like if your parents read to you every night, I’ll bet that you now read to your kids before bedtime too. This positive exchange is so much more than just the physical massage. The message is deeper and will bond you to your children like the roots of a tree to the earth and will be there for generations for come.

This last stroke is one for relaxation and for refreshing the whole system. It can be done whilst baby is asleep, awake, naked or fully clothed. Imagine where their little angelic wings might appear from, between the ridges of their shoulders, and circle around the fleshy parts above and between the blades with your thumbs. It is called ‘Supporting the heavenly pillar’ . Well thank you and goodbye for now. Cherish your little cherubs until next time!”

Here’s the full article and a link to Brighton Mums

‘Ten years ago, I attended a slightly shabby council run Baby Massage Course which, unbeknown to me, was to be the start of my Baby Massage Career. The class was taught by this ultra cool hippyish woman who carried her two year old son in a sling on her hip for the duration of each class. She spotted the misery I was experiencing through my battle with breastfeeding. When I wearily explained to her that I had blood in my milk which was constantly dismissed in diagnosis with professionals insisting I persevere, she told me to give myself a break and ‘offer the poor kid a bottle. You can carry on bonding through the massage darling’. The relief was instant. At 23, I was the first of my friends to have a baby, my mum had just died and I didn’t have many close people around with experience to give me advice.

My daughter responded immediately to the massage. I remember the other mums commenting at her obvious delight as she cooed and giggled her way throughout the sessions. For the first time she must have felt me relax, releasing those much needed oxytocin hormones in both of us.
I dedicated myself to massaging Lula everyday in those early months, after the bath, lights down low with Cafe Del Mar as our soundtrack. It’s no wonder she slept through the night from 10 weeks old. When I went back to work our massage sessions became less frequent but I have massaged Lula and her younger brother ever since.

I’ve been working professionally with children for the past five years and wanted to qualify in Baby Massage to be able to offer classes for parents to complement my nursery and childminding work. As I was handing out flyers recently and describing my class to a father he commented, ‘Blimey, talk about over-pampering your baby, there was none of that in my day,’ then he thought for a second and added ‘mind you, I do remember my mum stroking my forehead to help me sleep.’ He smoothed his fingers across his brow and smiled at the memory.

Baby massage isn’t a fad or a luxury class to ‘over pamper’ your offspring, there are historical accounts of baby massage being used in ancient civilisations dating back 3000 years. This ancient art creates deep emotional bonds and lays a lifetime foundation of trust and love between parent and child. As I started to research ancient Indian philosophies, my wonderful neighbour gave me an incredible dusty old book about Chinese ‘Taoist’ infant massage strokes that really resonated with me and I incorporated into my routine. In my next blog I’ll share some of these wonderfully named strokes like ‘Awakening the dragon’ and ‘Opening the door of life’ for relieving things such as teething pain or relaxing tension.

In the meantime I shall leave you with the stroke the aforementioned father remembered to help calm your little ones.
- Place your thumb and forefinger of one hand on the forehead at a point above the bridge of the nose and between the eyebrows.
- Separate the thumb and forefinger along the brow, towards the temples. Repeat until baby indicates to stop.
- The Taoists describe the amount of pressure to apply as ‘as if running your finger and thumb over a sheet of gold leaf to smooth it out without tearing’.

Well, goodbye for now and look after your precious bundles of gold until next time!’

To many in the pragmatic West, the notion of baby massage seems the embodiment of yummy-mummy self-indulgence – the sort of right-on worthiness that goes along with three-wheeled buggies, organic infant food and baby yoga.

But, like all those examples, it is a practice that, if not exactly rigorously tested, does reveal results – even clinically.

Continue reading full article by Gemma Champ here