Baby touch:

Did you know that September is the busiest time of year for birthdays - nine months after Christmas?

With the seasonal Spring baby boom now upon maternity wards it’s a good time to highlight the importance of one of our basic needs as a human … touch.

Touch is one of the main forms of communication between parent and baby. The best ways to dial up ‘touch time’ is infant massage.

Using a baby safe skincare product, taking time out to massage your baby is a great vehicle to promote skin-to-skin contact and initiate touch communication with your little one.

Recent research shows that regular baby massage can make bones grow stronger, improves the digestive system and increases blood circulation. It is also one of the most pleasing ways to calm your baby, and to help them get a good night sleep.

Certified and practicing midwife, Clare Thorpe, has provided some invaluable ‘how to’ tips when performing baby massage:

• Find a quiet time each day to massage your baby. Take this time to forget all of that housework and little errands, and even take the phone off the hook.

• Make yourself and your baby comfortable in a warm room, ensuring that your little one will not feel cold with their clothes off.

• Pop some soft, soothing music on in the background.

• Use a moisturizer, such as QV Skincare Cream, which helps relieve dryness and hydrates baby's skin.

• Massage your baby when they are quite, responsive to your touch and making eye contact.

• If you find your baby is generally unsettled in the early evening, or at another time of the day, try and massage before this time.

• Make sure to warm up the cream in your hands by rubbing your hands together. The baby will learn this sound and know when a massage is coming.

• When massaging your baby’s tummy, always move in a clockwise direction with firm pressure. This is especially good for colic.

• And finally, talk to your baby, make eye contact and trust your instinct.