3 Fabulous Ways to Safely Massage Your Baby

Wondering how to massage a baby? It's a great way to soothe your little one and get circulation flowing! Check out our tips to do it safely!

Want to learn how to massage your baby safely? I have you covered! It can be a little scary trying to figure out how to do it on such a little body, but the benefits are fabulous once you get it down!  Aside from the great bonding experience, massaging your tiny human is actually a great way to promote good sleep and even help to relieve colic.  Lay your baby on a soft surface, like her favorite blanket or towel and use massage oil or lotion so your motions are easy on her delicate skin.  Try these ways to safely massage your baby.

Related:Is It Safe to Get a Massage While Pregnant?

Learn how to massage a baby with these 3 techniques

Tummy Massage

There are a few ways you can massage her belly.

  1.  Using your fingertips (and very little pressure), massage her belly in a circular motion, moving clockwise.
  1. Around her navel, move your fingers in a clockwise motion around her navel.
  1. With her knees bent (gently, of course, this is supposed to be soothing, not hurtful) gently bring them up to her belly, and then rotate her knees out.  You might have seen the doctor do this in the office, he is making sure her hips are ok.  When you do this, you are helping to expel gas as well.
  1. Have you heard of the ‘I Love U’ stroke?  With the baby’s feet towards you, trace the letter ‘I’ down her right side (your left) then trace the letter ‘L’ across her belly, from the bottom of the rib cage under her navel to her left side.  The letter ‘U’ is going from the same place you started the ‘L’ and under the navel, and up her left side.

Massaging the Chest

  1. Gently placing both hands on your baby’s chest.  Starting at her sternum, move them up in an outward motion towards her shoulders.
  1. In the same motion, make a heart shape with your hands as you move them up and out.

Head and Face

I do this with my daughter sometimes at night and she is 7!  We call it ‘trace my face’.  It feels so good!

  1. Holding your baby so her feet are towards you, cradle her with both of your hands and massage her head while you hold her like that.  Kind of like you are shampooing her.  Avoid the soft spot on her head.
  1. Trace a heart on her face starting at the bridge of her nose and going out towards her ears and meeting at her chin.
  1. Lightly stroke her eyebrows (in an outward motion, going with the hair, going against the hair is like nails on a chalkboard for me).
  1. Follow the bridge of her nose and trace her cheeks.
  2. Finally in small, light circles, massage her jawline.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mnhg-mbPUiI

These massages aren’t just for the itty bitty ones, you can still massage your child as she grows (mine still asks for it!)  It will be a great bonding time and if your child grows to be anything like mine, it might help to promote sleep at an older age (my daughter has trouble falling asleep, massaging helps).

Have you found other safe ways for how to massage your baby?  Share with us in the comment section below!

4 thoughts on “3 Fabulous Ways to Safely Massage Your Baby”

  1. I heard baby massage works wonders, and that you can encourage a better, quicker naptime and sleeptime. I know of a Mom who successfully helped her colicky baby with massage.

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