Infant Massage Instructor Courses

Massage provides a foundation of loving touch between a parent and a child. Touch reinforces the bond between baby and parent or care giver. Instruction in baby and infant massage is available in many ways. Licensed Massage Therapists take courses in infant massage as part of continuing education and to offer a special modality to prospective employers. The right instruction makes the experience enjoyable and beneficial to the baby.

Benefits for Parents

• Parents benefit from strengthening the parent-child bond by massaging the child at any age. The foundation of the parent-child relationship is enhanced greatly with eye-to-eye communication, voice, touch, smell and assisted movement. Infant massage provides the baby and parent with one-on-one quiet time with no outside distractions. Massage also offers an added tool for a father to heighten his bond with the baby.

Benefits for Baby

• Infants experience a vast array of benefits from massage. The effects are physical, mental, and emotional. Some of the benefits the baby experiences are a boosted immune system, better sleep, relaxation, digestion and waste elimination, and an overall sense of being loved. Infant massage stimulates the release of oxytocin. This is a hormone that aids in pain relief and relaxation. Babies and infants have an increased inclination to bond with parents that implement touch therapy such as massage.

Uncertified Instruction

• Parents interested in learning the basics of infant massage have the option of learning in the privacy of their own home. Several manufacturers offer instruction through DVD and text for the parent's use at her own pace. Instructional DVDs along with the proper information on oils and lotions equip the parent with basic knowledge of infant massage. There is no certification needed for learning at home and the cost is much less than taking an extensive certification course.

Certified Instruction

• Parents are not the only ones that benefit from taking a course in infant massage. Courses are offered across the nation geared toward professionals and parents alike. Massage therapists, nurses, doulas and allied health care professionals may all benefit from infant massage certification. Courses for professionals are taken as continuing education credits. Massage therapists seeking to specialize in infant massage can complete certification courses allowing them to offer this modality in therapeutic care. Instruction courses are available to allow professionals to practice and teach infant massage.