Infant massage: developing an evidence base for health visiting practice

The Effects of Infant Massage on Weight, Height, and Mother-Infant Interaction

“…Mothers reported infant massage help specific problems that their infant had, for example, colic and poor sleep. Mothers also felt they were communicating better with their infant and understood their infant's needs much better, showing positive benefits for the use of infant massage (Clarke et al, 2002).…”

“…The result confirmed with the study of Onozawa, Glover, Adams, Modi, and Kumar (2001) that infant massage improved the mother-infant relationship. Clarke, Gibb, Hart, and Davidson (2002) described that infant massage gives the opportunity for a closer mother-infant relationship, enabling the mother to know her baby in greater detail, and enhancing her responsiveness to her baby. Mothers reported infant massage help specific problems that their infant had, for example, colic and poor sleep.…”

Infant massage: The practice and evidence-base to support it

“…Attendance at an infant massage class was found to provide a means of postnatal peer support, reducing isolation in a mixed methods study (n=156) (Clarke et al, 2002). In Clarke's study, the quantitative data were not significant for all outcomes but the qualitative data supported this conclusion.…”

The Effects of Infant Massage on the Physical Development of Baby in Indonesian Rural Areas

“…New studies also confirm that infant massage helps mother to develop affection for her baby (Gurol & Polat, 2012). It does not only meet the physical needs of the baby but also facilitates both mother and her baby to build positive relationships (Clarke et al, 2002). Compared to the mothers who do not participate in infant massage training, those who join the infant massage trainings for 8 weeks report of better self-confidence in fulfilling their role.…”