The classes are designed exclusively for babies from birth to three months
Award-winning franchise and early years sensory experience provider Baby Sensory has launched Hello Baby Massage classes designed exclusively for babies from birth to three months.
An extension of the company’s popular sensory classes, the sessions focus on the ‘power of touch’ and include baby massage; hand, foot and ear reflexology; baby yoga; sensory activities; bonding techniques; back-to-womb containment; and several early communication methods.
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They have been created in response to studies that have shown children who are given plenty of physical affection from birth develop more task oriented behaviour, less solitary play and are less aggressive at school.
The positive effects of massage have also been noted in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism, Down syndrome, dermatitis, stress and immune function disorders and in adults with chronic fatigue syndrome, Parkinson’s disease and osteoarthritis.
Dr Lin Day, the founder of Baby Sensory and a baby development expert, explains: “Many of the touch therapies that have been practised for thousands of years in cultures across the world are now gaining acceptance as intervention or therapeutic therapies.
“Skin-to-skin and massage, for example, can produce positive benefits for babies with colic, constipation and respiratory and sleep problems. They also stimulate nerves in the brain that aid digestion and are particularly beneficial for babies with feeding difficulties and for infants with health problems.”
Hello Baby Massage classes, which last for 60 minutes and include a rest break, are being delivered in around 120 Baby Sensory franchise regions in the UK.
“Through baby massage, the muscles receive a good circulation of blood, which strengthens them for movement,” Dr Day adds.
“The circulatory system in the hands and feet of the newborn is undeveloped and massage helps them to become warm. Massage also opens the pores and encourages the release of sebum, which prevents micro-organisms from entering the baby’s body.
“Babies crave physical contact and those who are regularly held have a more stable heart and breathing rate and are often less tense and irritable.”