Adding to Your Massage Routine

Throughout this chapter, we provide suggestions for incorporating

massage into your preemie’s or newborn’s life without overstimu-

lating him. At this point, you may be asking, “How do I know when I

can increase the amount of massage time and add more techniques

to the routine I’m already using?”

Here are some pointers to answer that question:

-

 When your baby’s muscles and facial expressions are relaxed

during the massage, that means he’s comfortable with what

you’re doing and may be ready for more.

-

 With your preemie or newborn, introduce only one or two

new techniques at a time. This way, you are better able to

gauge her stimulation level before it’s too late and she’s over-

stimulated. Plus, you’ll be able to keep track of which specific

techniques are overstimulating.

-

 If you have used only downward strokes on your baby so far,

try one of the techniques that uses an upward stroke, and

watch your baby’s reaction.

-

 If you have tried most (or all) of the techniques for the front

side of the body (see Chapter 5) and your baby doesn’t

become overstimulated, and if your baby likes to lay on his

tummy, you may want to try out techniques on the back side

of the body (see Chapter 7).

-

 When your baby begins to enjoy having his head and face

touched, introduce some of the techniques we show in

Chapter 6.Getting creative with family

massages

If you want to include more members of your family in the giving

and receiving of massages, that’s terrific. There really isn’t one

particular way to make that happen because everybody’s family is

different. We encourage you to experiment and find the best way

for everyone in your family to benefit.

Here are some ideas that may help get your creative juices flowing:

-

 While one parent is reading a toddler or older baby to sleep,

the other can give her a massage.

-

 During TV time, have siblings take turns giving each other

massages, and the parents can do the same.

-

 Use massage to give a step-sibling the opportunity to bond

and connect with a new baby.

-

 Encourage massage during family vacations. A new schedule —

even a fun one — can throw everyone’s sleep patterns off, so

use massage as a way to bring relaxation and quiet time into

your vacation plans.

Using Massage to Your Toddler’s

Advantage

Toddlers struggle to reconcile their need for autonomy with their

need for their parents’ help and guidance. One of the many ways

that kids in this age group express their autonomy is by saying no.

Sometimes toddlers say no to everything, even things that you know

they want. You may find that your toddler says he doesn’t want a

bowl of cereal, for example, only to turn around and demand that

same bowl a few seconds later.

Your job as a parent or caregiver is to set limits and boundaries for

your toddler. You may sometimes doubt this, but it’s good for your

toddler to experience the frustration of not getting everything he

wants and to have limits set. At the same time, it’s good for you to

respect your toddler’s no. Listening and responding to your tod-

dler’s words teaches him that he has power in the world and some

control over his environment.