Bonding & Restful Nights
Massaging your baby is a special time in the day when all of the hassles of daily life dissolve and the two of you are present in that moment enjoying nurturing touch. This powerful and nurturing act builds connection and attunement with your baby and is a foundation block for infant sleep in the first year of life.
Join me at the beautiful Little Play Lounge in Padworth, Reading (RG7 4JD) for our five week Baby Massage & Sleep Course (or at home for a more intensive three week course). This course has two aims. The first is to teach you the wonderful skill of baby massage, so that by the end you are giving full body massages to your baby.
The second aim is for you to learn what biologically normal sleep is for a baby in their first months of life. It will give you the confidence to follow your instincts with your child's sleep and to ignore all those who say that you are "making a rod for your own back" or suggest that you should be able to do the seemingly impossible task of putting your baby down "drowsy but awake".
Each of the weekly sessions are split into two sections, covering massage and sleep. Within the massage portion the techniques you learn will build you up to giving a full body massage to your baby. Don't worry if you miss a session - we repeat massages from previous weeks and you will receive a handout to remind you of the techniques when you're back at home.
The sleep portion of the course will provide knowledge of normal sleep in babies and holistic, attachment focussed strategies. This approach recognises that it is normal for your baby to want to be close to you. A parent is a child's safe haven hence it is entirely appropriate that children want to feel connected with their parents as they fall asleep. Over the weeks we will explore the biology of infant sleep, naps and bedtime routines. We will discuss ways to improve your baby's sleep, sleep shaping and how to move away from unsustainable sleep cues. We will talk about common sleep issues in this age group and the large world of sleep myths!
This course is not about sleep training your baby and please do not come on this course with the expectation that it will get you a full night sleep. With this age group it is highly unlikely and not the aim of the sessions.
After each of the group sessions you can enjoy a chat with the other parents on the course over tea and cake in the Little play Lounge Café! The Little Play Lounge is an amazing children's play centre which is easily accessible from Reading, Newbury, Thatcham and Basingstoke.
The course is very relaxed and is baby led. To attend the class babies have to be over six weeks and you will get the most of the class if your child is not mobile.
The course cost £55, included in this price is:
- 5 week baby massage and sleep course
- a bottle of oil for you to use on your baby
- a massage guide so you can remember the moves at home
Benefits of Baby Massage
The benefits of baby massage are well researched and is recognised as a therapeutic tool between parents and their infants.
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Touch is really powerful in small children. Massage has been found to promote faster weight gain and improved development in babies.
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Massage helps to sooth babies, helping them to cry less and sleep better. It has also been found to reduce colic symptoms.
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Baby massage promotes parent - child bonding. It can also improve the mood of parents with postnatal depression.
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