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Exhausted and Confused?   Yes! I need help and more sleep.
Exhausted and Confused?   Yes! I need help and more sleep.
Exhausted and Confused?   Yes! I need help and more sleep.

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  1. Shruti says

    Hey, Great article and you explain all the information which is really great. can you suggest any baby oil massage which useful for the baby and there is no side effect also?

    • Danielle says

      Hi Shruti,
      Thank you for your comment – I’m so glad to hear the article was helpful for you! An edible oil like coconut oil is best, but if you’re looking for a specific brand, you might check in with your pediatrician. Hope this helps!

  2. Melissa says

    Good blog on how to massage your baby! Thankyou for the video. I would also add that IF new parents aren’t sure how to massage their baby … they can always get a licensed Massage Therapist to teach them ?

    • Debbye @ The Baby Sleep Site says

      Great point @Melissa!! : )

  3. Kim says

    A few years ago, my granddaughter was around 4 or 5 months old. I was holding her and lightly caressing her under her jaw line. She fell asleep sitting up. I didn’t know why. Recently I saw a video of someone doing the massage technique with a baby to get them to sleep. Last week I had my grandson that is now 7 months old. He is a good baby, but was getting a bit fussy and was rubbing his eyes. He was sitting on the floor in front of me. I gently started rubbing his head and face. I couldn’t see his eyes. It appeared as if he was bending over to pick up one of his toys, when in fact, he was sound asleep. I picked him up and put him over my shoulder (which he has never done). He was sound asleep and snoring. It seemed like it took a while to get him awake when his mother came to pick him up. I was a little worried that he was hypnotized or something. Did I do anything wrong?

    • Debbye @ The Baby Sleep Site says

      Hi @Kim – Thank you for writing to us! I would guess that your grandson was just quite tired, and that the rubbing of his face and head only helped soothe him to sleep a little. If you or his mom are at all concerned about how deeply he slept, I would recommend speaking to his doctor. From what you explain, I do not think that rubbing his face would harm him, but better safe than sorry if you are concerned about anything!
      Thank you again for visiting us! : )

  4. Emily DeJeu says

    @ Skylersmom — sounds like you’re doing things just right, even if you don’t have any special massage skills 😉 So glad to hear that massage has worked well for you and your little guy!

    Thanks for commenting. 🙂

    @ Meredith Piscitelli — thanks for sharing your expertise and insights! Much appreciated 🙂 Thanks, too, for sharing this article on your business’s facebook page, and for linking to your site! Hopefully, some of our Boston-area readers will stop by and see you. 🙂

    @ Enid W — awesome! Glad massage has been such a great solution for you and your son. 🙂

    Thanks for commenting!

  5. Enid W says

    I’ve been massaging my 4 month old son since he was 2 months. He loves it and I love it. I do it to start our bedtime routine. Even when he’s fussy, as soon as I start massaging his legs, he calms down and gives me a big ol grin. I absolutely love the bonding experience and the obvious trust he has with me as he allows me to massage his whole body all the way up to his face. I hope to continue doing this for a long time. 🙂

  6. Meredith Piscitelli says

    Hello … I am a Vimala McClure-school trained Certified Educator of Infant Massage. I would like to thank you for posting this article about the many positive benefits to both baby and parent, of learning Infant Massage. The bonding is so incredibly important. The sleeping patterns are greatly improved because of the total relaxation from a stressful day that the baby will experience (not unlike adults. I teach new mom-plus-massage classes and, when we’ve completed the 3-sessions I require, I urge the parents to continue a form of massage for many years. I have an almost 4 y.o. who still asks me to massage his face when I sit for him. His brother is 7 y.o. and asks me to massage the story of the ‘Growing Tree’ on his back when I have him overnight. They sleep like rocks afterwards.
    The total trust a child puts in the adult who is making him feel this good is so important. It ripples out to include trust and bonding in their whole relationship. Ohhhh… there is so much good that comes from it.
    I would advise against coconut oil as a massage oil. I have had 2 babies who were allergic to it. I have my mom’s use either cold pressed pure sunflower oil or cold pressed pure grape-seed oil.I advise this over any and all the popular oils in the baby departments, since they have added ingredients which are unnecessary.
    We don’t put up a video since a little information and not the whole story, can sometimes be a dangerous thing. New parents need to be observed and assisted with pressure in certain areas and understand why certain areas are done the way they are and how.
    Sigh …. too much information, right?
    I do thank you for validating the positive benefits of massage for infants and so wish American parents were not such a ‘hard-sell.’
    Sincerely,
    Meredith

  7. Skylersmom says

    I don’t have any massage skills, but I regularly massage my 15mo especially on the legs, ankles, and feet. He is very active and I figure I would need a massage if I stood all day like that. If he seems stressed from the day, I focus on the temples and the “Chakra” point and he really calms when I stroke his cheek. On nights when he is tossing and turning (either at bedtime or on later awakening), I will give him a massage, and it is amazing how quiet he gets and how quickly he goes to sleep.