Postions and Cues

A quick revisit of positioning yourself and your baby for massage and a reminder that it is important that your baby is in the right ‘mood’. When your baby is in the ‘quiet-alert’ state (see Infant States below) they will be more responsive and happy to receive touch and stimulation.

Always attend to their needs first. It’s best not to massage your baby when they are:

• Hungry
• Just been fed – their body needs to digest
• Tired
• Unsettled
• Unwell

Often making massage part of a routine. like bath time, can help. Here I am massaging my second son in 2003 on the change table after his bath. He’s definitely in the ‘quiet-alert’ state.

Along with liking routine, babies are very quick to pick up on cues. In this video I suggest three simple cues, they can be done in any order, all at once or you may come up with your own in addition to asking if they would like a massage.