It has not been long since you first saw your child after it was born. His main activity now is food and sleep, only a short period of time the baby is awake. The child still does not know how to control his body, all movements are chaotic and random, the newborn also does not have the skill to keep his head in an upright position. The arms and legs are tightly pressed to the body, while they are bent at the joints, and the palms are in the closed position (clenched into a fist). This position is the result of muscle hypertonicity, characteristic of all newborn babies.

How soon will the baby learn to control his movements? It will depend on him and on you. E. Komarovsky claims that daily massage for newborns will help relieve hypertonicity, and elementary gymnastic exercises will strengthen muscles and joints.

In a newborn baby, the muscles are tense, he cannot completely relax. Massage relieves hypertonicity and stimulates the development of motor skills

When can massage be started?

Parents often ask pediatricians a question - at what age can you start massaging a newborn? Professional massage in the clinic is carried out no earlier than 2-3 months, of course, in the absence of contraindications. You can massage a newborn yourself at home from the age of 3 weeks or when the navel heals.

The main task of the massage is to relax the clamped hands and feet. You can straighten the clamped hands and feet with the help of innate reflexes. Try to run your hand along the spine, and you will see how the baby arches. Raising the crumbs and giving the opportunity to touch the legs of the support, you will see - the child will begin to take “steps”. Putting the baby on his stomach and giving support to the legs, you will notice how he pushes off and makes attempts to crawl. Such innate reflexes last only up to 3-4 months and can be used as exercises for massaging a newborn.

It is difficult to say unequivocally when it is better to massage a newborn baby. Any physical activity, including massage, is recommended to be carried out in the morning. The stress of exercise often makes children want to sleep, but there are those who become active.

The outcome of exercise is difficult to predict, so it is not recommended to do it right before bedtime, especially if you notice that the baby does not sleep well at night. Komarovsky advises to postpone massage for newborns for a while before evening bathing.

Preparing for a massage

While the baby is from 0 to 3 months old, the following areas should be excluded from the massage for the newborn: under the knees, in the elbow bend, fontanel, inner thighs and armpits. A relaxing massage for a baby should be done with smooth movements and it is strictly contraindicated to press hard or hit the body of a one-month-old baby - such sudden movements can cause excessive irritation of the receptors and increase the child's nervous excitement.

Basic Rules

Adhere to the following rules when organizing a massage:

1. Komarovsky recommends maintaining a temperature regime in the room equal to 18-22 degrees.
2. For the ongoing massage procedure, you will need a changing table or any other flat, hard surface. Place a thick diaper, a thin blanket and oilcloth on top. When choosing a surface, consider its width - it should be convenient for you to turn the baby over.
3. Take care of the place for the exercises in advance. Everything that can be useful during a massage should be nearby so that you do not leave your baby. Keep your cell phone nearby too. Use a disposable diaper to protect the table from involuntary urination.
4. Prepare yourself: wash and dry your hands, remove all jewelry, cut your nails short. Use baby oil if your hands are too dry, or talc if your hands are too wet.
5. Exercise for an infant should be half an hour to an hour before meals or 45 minutes after it.
6. Accompany the massage with songs, rhymes or nursery rhymes. Such voicing will create a positive atmosphere and help develop hearing and future speech.
7. Complicate the exercises and increase the duration of classes should be gradually.
8. You need to perform all movements from the edges and move towards the center.
9. Perform movements carefully so as not to cause harm and discomfort to the child.
10. Charging time is about 15 minutes. If the child is tired or expresses dissatisfaction, an incomplete set of exercises should be carried out, but only part of it (1 or 2 exercises). At the same time, consider the sequence of classes suggested below.

Do not forget!

When doing gymnastics with a newborn baby up to 3 months old, try to communicate more with him and evoke a positive response. During classes, lay the baby on the tummy more often. Combine physical exercise with regular water treatments, swimming, and don't forget to lightly stroke your baby's entire body. Pay special attention to innate reflexes and how they stimulate movement and extensor muscle function.

Contraindications

Massage is contraindicated:

• When the temperature rises, you can not do any kind of massage. It is also forbidden for diseases of the skin (especially with purulent forms), fragile bones, diseases of the circulatory system and SARS.
• The disease in the acute stage also implies the rejection of massage procedures.
• If an umbilical hernia is detected in the crumbs, then the massage should be carried out only by a doctor or under his strict supervision due to the danger of pinching the hernia (we recommend reading:).
• The situation is similar with children with heart disease. Massage in this case is strictly under the supervision of a cardiologist.
• The increased nervousness of the baby does not allow massage procedures, as muscle tone can be increased.

Coordinate massage actions with your doctor. Do not self-medicate. Physical activity must be justified and timely, otherwise it can lead to negative and serious consequences.

A set of exercises

The complex of exercises includes smooth stroking movements, which are aimed at reducing muscle hypertonicity, and exercises based on innate reflexes. It is not necessary to complete the whole complex. It is possible to break it into pieces and spend it during the child's waking hours. Basic tricks:

• stroking - a light or slightly pressing movement on the skin of a child, without forming skin folds;
• rubbing - stretching and shifting of the baby's skin;
• kneading - the action is performed in three stages: fixation, squeezing (compression) and rolling (this technique is not recommended in home massage);
• vibration - oscillatory movements transmitted to the child by a massage therapist (at the very initial stage (at 1 month) - these are light pats).

Part of the complex on the back

• Hand massage. Starting position (IP) - on the back. Lock the baby's left hand by inserting the thumb of the right hand into it. Stroke your hand from bottom to top from all sides. Exercise to do 10 times. Change hands and repeat.
• Foot massage. IP - on the back. Fix the right leg of the child in your right hand, while the other hand strokes the leg from the bottom up. Do the exercise first on the back of the thigh and lower leg, and then on the front. Do 10 times. Change legs and arms, massage the left leg.
• Foot massage. IP - on the back. With your right hand, take the baby's legs in the shin area. Make rubbing movements with the back of your left hand on the foot of the crumbs from the fingers to the heel and in the opposite direction. Do 10 times.
• Reflex exercise for the feet. IP - on the back. With the pad of your index finger, press on the area of ​​​​the foot under the fingers. Pressing will cause compression of the foot. Spend similar pressure on the entire area of ​​​​the outer side of the foot, moving from the toes to the heel. Pressing in this area, on the contrary, will cause a reflex "opening" of the foot. Do 5 times.
• Body exercise. IP - on the back. Lift the child with both hands, being careful not to squeeze the ribs, and gently rock from side to side. Do 8 times.
• Abdominal massage (we recommend reading:). IP - on the back. Make synchronous movements with the right and left hand, stroking the tummy from top to bottom. Do 8 times.
• Breast massage. IP - on the back. Grasp the child by the chest with your palms and fingers. With smooth movements, move from the center to the edges along the intercostal spaces, making a slight pressure with your thumbs. Do 8 times.
• Reflex exercise for the spine. IP - on the side. Swipe with light pressure with two fingers along the spine, moving from bottom to top. This action will help to bend the spine. Do 2-4 times on each side.

Part of the complex on the abdomen

• Back massage. IP - on the stomach. Simultaneous stroking movements from top to bottom with the palms, and from bottom to top with the back. Do 8 times.
• Foot massage. IP - on the stomach. Take the child's left leg in your right hand, and with your free hand knead the back and sides of the thigh and lower leg. Do 6 times. Change leg, repeat.
• Buttocks massage. IP - on the stomach. Lightly pat your baby's buttocks with the back of your fingers. Do 12 times.
• Reflex crawl. IP - on the stomach. Bend the baby's legs at the knees and place your palm under the feet. Push your feet a little so that the child can push off and try to move forward. Do 4 times.

You can see how to do massage movements correctly with the help of video tutorials. Experienced doctors will show the correct execution of each exercise.