Babies are born with the basic survival system that enables them to breathe, see, hear, smell, feel and taste. They come equipped with basic reflexes to get food for example rooting and sucking, and their bodies inherently know how to get rid of waste. However babies are born into a world where basic survival skills are not enough, and their world eventually requires them to be able to form relationships with others and function in a social environment. Babies need an attachment with another human being to develop in a way that will support them to form relationships with other people. Babies develop through the interactions they have with the people they are around the most, and it is the quality of these interactions that shape a baby’s future. From the age 0 -3 a baby’s brain has more potential to develop than it will ever have again. Their brain will grow to 80% of the size of an adult’s brain. For brain cells to connect they need to be stimulated and the neural pathways connect in direct response to the type and quality of the experience a baby is exposed to. The more regular the experience the stronger the connection and more solid the neural pathway will be. When it comes to the emotional areas of brain development, depending on the experiences and interactions your baby is regularly exposed to they will develop feeling that either they can be open to people; rely on people; that it is ok to express feelings; that you will get help if you are upset and you can feel secure. Or that you are not secure; there is no trust; you cannot rely on others to help you. As parents we tend to underestimate the impact we can have on our babies, and that just by spending quality time with our babies we can do wonderful things for their development. When caregiving for babies we need to think of the outcome of our care and consider how we meet our baby’s needs; will our actions make our baby feel secure or insecure? Consistent, sensitive and empathetic care provides a sense of security for babies. Security allows babies to develop without the stress of inconsistent responses from parents. A sense of security and confidence, and that they can rely on the main adults in their lives, will help them navigate growing up and develop into the person they feel safe in becoming. By being consistent in how we respond and care for our babies makes a huge difference to their perception of their world. Consistency is as important to their emotional development as a healthy diet is to their physical development. Infant massage is the perfect opportunity for parents to have consistent quality time with their baby. It is an interaction that not only stimulates their baby’s sensory development but it also promotes a secure attachment as it influences all of the elements of bonding. By teaching parents about their baby’s behavioural states and how to recognise their cues, a parent is gaining insight into their baby’s way of communicating which allows a parent to respond appropriately with sensitivity and empathy. This type of response when made consistently through massage then reassures a ba
by that they can feel secure with their parent, and they develop trust in them that their needs will be meet and that they are valued and respected. As massage is only the tool used to promote healthy and nurturing touch; an interaction that allows an intimacy for a parent to truly connect with their baby, it is the skills learnt through infant massage such as self -awareness, observation, listening, communication, touch, and empathy that can be continued beyond massage itself and used in everyday life. These practices enable a baby to feel safe and they develop confidence to grow and express themselves freely. This type of consistent experience gives them a secure base and a position of strength to start their life. - Leah Hide