Massage on the face can be very relaxing as well as having excellent therapeutic benefits, particularly for babies who are teething or who have sinus congestion.
When massaging the face you only need a small amount of oil on your fingertips. This is because you want to avoid oil going into baby’s eyes, nose or mouth if possible. If a small amount of oil goes into your baby’s mouth this should not be a problem provided that the oil is a 100% organic vegetable-based oil.
When you massage your baby’s face you may find that your baby may begin to root and look for milk to suckle. This is because the sensation of your fingertips on your baby’s cheek may feel similar to a nipple or teat. If this is the case your baby may become irritable if they are not fed. If your baby needs a feed it is fine to stop the massage and start again later. Most babies enjoy the relaxing sensation of facial massage. If you have ever had a facial yourself you will know how enjoyable the experience can be. Some babies find the facial massage overwhelming, however. Your fingers are very large in comparison to your baby’s face and some babies become tense if your fingers cover their eyes breaking eye contact. If you find your baby is tense during this stage of the massage try and pick one or two strokes your baby is comfortable with and practice those until your baby is more confident with the routine for the face. You will probably find that your baby moves his face around during facial massage as he tries to investigate your fingers!
Happy smiles – This stroke is fantastic for reliving teething pains which often makes babies miserable. Teething can start when a baby is as young as three months old. Place your first fingers along your baby’s top lip pointing towards each other. Gently move each finger in opposite directions along the top lip following the line of your baby’s gums. Repeat the same stroke but on the bottom lip, again tracing the shape of your baby’s gums. Hint The aim of the stroke is to help relieve teething pain by putting pressure on your baby’s sore gums through the lips. You need to press fairly firmly on the lips to relieve your baby’s pain. Think of a time when you may have hurt yourself and when squeezing or putting pressure on the area helped to relieve the pain. What you are doing on your baby’s gums is working on the same pain relief principle.
Cheek circles – This stroke is also excellent for relaxing your baby’s jaw during teething. Place your first and second fingers of each hand on each side of your baby’s cheeks where there is a small dip. Gently make small circles with your fingers in either direction. Repeat for thirty seconds.
Blossom & Berry’s mission is to grow babies with love, touch, responsive care and positive interaction. We create nurturing experiences for parents and babies to deepen connection and confidence. We focus on touch as a way to support infant and maternal mental health as we believe this is the foundation for health and happiness. Blossom & Berry was born out of love!
If you would like to train with us click here.
About Blossom & Berry
Blossom & Berry offers expert training, support & resources on baby massage, yoga and parent and baby wellness for professionals & parents across the world.
Blossom & Berry training is designed to give you everything you need to succeed. It gives you a complete teaching practice and mentorship program in a box.
Our training is the most comprehensive teacher training and business package on the market with no restrictions on what you can do and no ongoing licence fees ever.
“I would love to invite you to join my network of over 1000 teachers across the world sharing the benefits of nurturing touch and connection with parents and babies.”
Gayle Berry – Master trainer and international expert on baby massage and yoga, founder of Blossom & Berry.
Your success is our success and having a transformational and nurturing experience is key.