In partnership with the International Association of Infant Massage, the mission of Infant Massage USA is to promote nurturing touch and communication through training, education, and research so that parents, caregivers and children are loved, valued, and respected throughout the United States and the world community.
“We work to empower parents and promote nurturing through parent-baby communication and responsiveness in addition to infant massage education,” says executive Director Ashely Febvay. “As the US Chapter of the International Association of Infant Massage, we have been helping parents and professionals offer nurturing touch and empower families with this incredible tool since 2005.”
The Benefits of Infant Massage: Research has shown many benefits of infant massage and parent education programs, as well as the positive impact of nurturing touch and communication on bonding, attachment, and development. With nearly 4 million babies born in the US each year, the potential influence on society is easy to see because infant massage supports:
- Infant and Child Development: Infants who experience regular massage often see reduced stress, nervous system improvements, improved self-regulation and body-awareness. In relevant studies, parents have reported improvements in many developmental aspects like muscle tone, joint mobility, gastrointestinal issues, and response to forms of therapy (such as physiotherapy). It is especially helpful for children who require extra support, including babies born premature, babies born addicted, and HIV+ babies.
- Bonding and Attachment: Research supports that infant massage and infant massage parent education programs can increase parent confidence and attachment, result in greater success in adapting to and developing strategies to cope with parenthood and can benefit mothers with postpartum depression by helping them to relate to their baby and inducing the release of oxytocin.
- The Quality of Sleep: Bedtime routines, including infant massage, have been shown to improve multiple aspects of the sleep cycle for both the child and the parent/caregiver.
- Reduces Violence and Abuse: The CDC identifies nurturing parenting skills as one of the most important protective factors for lessening child abuse and neglect, with approaches that enhance parent skills and promote healthy child development having a demonstrated effect on prevention.
Click here to learn more about benefits and research of Infant Massage.