Occupational Therapy and Babies Castle Hill
At Advance Occupational Therapy baby massage courses are conducted which are ideal for parents of Babies aged 4weeks and older . The course includes 1 hour classes conducted over 3 consecutive weeks so that parents can learn the strokes gradually and to allow babies time to adjust to being massaged. The classes are taught in a small group or individual sessions.
The classes teach specific techniques to massage baby. In addition to this developmental movements and exercises using equipment eg fit ball, hammocks are taught to help soothe baby and improve muscle tone and balance.
The cost is $150 for the three classes , which includes oil for Massage (during class and at home), and information sheets on various massage techniques and exercises.
Private health fund rebates available.
Why massage your baby?
The benefits of infant massage have part of ancient cultures such as India and Africa however nowadays it is not limited to these cultures. I was trained as an Infant/ Baby massage certified educator 8 years ago and have been teaching this to many parents during this time. These parents not only enjoyed learning the techniques of massage but found new ways to bond with their baby and experienced the benefits of a massage as their babies had better quality of sleep, improved muscle tone and immune systems. They also felt being able to massage their baby was a tool they could use to settle and relax their babies.
According to Infant Massage Australia, 2013, the benefits of infant massage include:
- Being fun and enjoyable for both baby and parent
- Relaxing for both baby and parent
- Encourages baby to sleep deeper and longer
- Improves colic and constipation and calms irritable babies
- Boosts a baby’s Serotonin levels which is known to reduce the risks of SIDS
- Establishes a close, loving communication and relationship with baby
- Provides opportunity for fathers to spend quality time with their babies
- Strokes can be adapted for use on babies and children with special needs to help them reach their potential
- Massage can also be adapted for use with children of all ages. Babies and children who are massaged regularly are more likely to have a secure relationship with parents and so tend to have better relationships with others, both as children and adults
- Benefits flow onto the next generation as parents tend to parent as they themselves were parented
For more information please Contact Us
Advance Occupational Therapy Castle Hill/ The Hills District