Baby Massage

Baby massage with Bump Birth Baby UK offers professional baby massage courses in Bath and South Devon. We know that the first few months after the birth of your baby can be both joyful and challenging, it’s the most important job in the world, but not always easy. Our baby massage courses can help support you through this time of change by offering some uninterrupted time of getting to know baby, and letting baby get to know you.

In the warm, inviting and friendly atmosphere of our venues why not join us to learn the techniques of baby massage that have been created through the IAIM. Treat yourself and your baby to 75 minutes of quality, bonding time and enjoy learning a valuable skill for life.

Get to know other new mothers, let your baby make some friends and join in lively discussions, you can engage as little or as much as you wish in our classes – they are designed for you with your baby from 4 weeks old up to 10 months old.

The benefits of baby massage

There are many benefits of massage. We hear about many of these benefits in the classes: the baby who sleeps through the night for the first time, the great poop that constipated baby had on the way home from class, how a parent feels closer to their child, how a father now feels like an important part of his child’s life now.

The reduced stress for both mother and baby after a massage is well-documented in studies. A baby who is massaged often seems to change their sleep patterns: to sleep deeper in the first part of the night, and wake up more alert and awake. There are indications that massage can affect the child’s immune system too helping them resist illness and have a more robust immune system.

Clinical evidence shows that loving, touching and nurturing contact between parent and baby has a positive impact on their subsequent development and can play a vital role in digestion and growth.

Baby Massage has many benefits for both you and your child and through our classes you will learn how to help improve your child’s blood circulation, improve skin condition and boost their immune system as well as many other benefits.

Other benefits include:

• Aid better sleep patterns

• Soothes discomforts like Colic, colds and teething

• Improves bonding

Massage can also help babies who are premature and those with disabilities too, improving muscle tone and stimulating growth hormones.

For the baby, a massage is far more than a luxurious experience or physical therapy, it is a tool for maintaining health and well-being on many different levels, as well as providing parent and baby with time to bond, relax and communicate with one another.

What to expect on the course

Our baby massage courses always focus on the babies needs making sure they come first; therefore if baby needs feeding, changing or is unsettled, their needs will always come first.

If baby is asleep, do not worry, we encourage babies to do exactly as they want to so there’s no need to wake them, you can practice the strokes on one of our demonstration babies and when you get home you can do it for real with baby in your own time, when baby is ready to receive a massage.

There is no pressure in the sessions, they are very relaxed and you will always be put at ease, and most importantly they are fun for both you and your baby!

At the end of the course you will have made some great new friends and have learnt beneficial massage techniques to use at home safely on your baby.

The course comprises of 5 weekly 60 minute sessions and includes:

• Expert baby massage tuition and ‘take home’ course notes each week

• Use of a tranquil studio space in a convenient city centre venue

• Massage mat for you and baby to be comfortable in the class

• A 50ml flip top bottle of high quality, cold pressed organic pure oil to use in class and to keep

• A certificate of attendance at the end of the course & milestone card keepsake

• Specialist therapist ‘5 minute highlight chats’ throughout the course on various topics of interested including breastfeeding peer support and baby check treatments

At what age can I start massaging my baby?

There is no hard and fast rule about the minimum age for coming to our class. Although nurturing touch can be given from birth many babies may find formal, structured massage overwhelmingly stimulating in the very early weeks.

Sometimes it may also be difficult for you to commit to attending a class in the early weeks. Every new parent knows that even though you may have been awake since 6am it can be a big challenge to get somewhere on time for 11am! Many parents prefer to attend classes after about 4-5 weeks when their baby may be more settled into a routine and their behaviour is a little more predictable.

Our approach, the IAIM approach, is to encourage parents to acknowledge their baby’s need for nurturing touch right from birth. Some teachers work in neonatal units, supporting families to touch and hold their babies in order to help to meet parents’ instinctive desire to connect with their new born, as well as help to satisfy every baby’s need for touch, which can assist their optimum development.
Who will be there?

Monthly group sessions

The baby massage courses are taught through intimate and small classes of up to 8 people, so you will have our undivided attention. Group classes consist of 5, 75 minute sessions that meet for consecutive weeks.

One to One

Private one to one lessons are also available to meet any individual’s needs, maybe you want to do a session just with your partner, or grandparent, or feel more comfortable one on one. These sessions can be held at the Bath venue, and in some cases can be arranged at your home (please ask for details).

Private Groups

Have you been part of an NCT group, or maybe made good friends through pregnancy yoga or Hypnobirthing. If you want to continue an activity with a group then a private group booking can be arranged for any chosen day. And the benefit of this is if you arrange it with your group you will all receive a group booking discount. Get in touch for further details.