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Baby massage - any you tube videos you recommend? Also, has anyone used coconut oil for baby massage?

2 replies

BabyCJuly · 01/08/2020 22:56

Hello there,

Please can someone recommend you tube videos or online baby massage course?

Also, what did you use to do the massage is coconut oil ok? Xx

My newborn is 22 days old.

Thanks so much in advance!

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
btbtbt · 03/08/2020 09:00

Don't know of any videos but coconut oil is fine, lovely and natural. Warm it up in the microwave first x

IMIS · 04/08/2020 03:20

There are great baby massage tips and advice in a range of videos on the Infant Massage Information Service facebook page:

www.facebook.com/pg/InfantMassageInformationService/videos/?ref=page_internal

There is also a YouTube clip on how to massage:

There's some great information via the following links too:

www.babymassage.net.au/babymassage/babymassageforwind

www.babymassage.net.au/babymassage/asking-permission-to-massage

www.babymassage.net.au/babymassage/how-to-do-baby-massage-at-home

For information on what oil is best to use, the following page is best:

www.babymassage.net.au/babymassage/which-oil-is-best-for-newborn-massage

Regarding coconut oil, if you're using that it's best to make sure it's cold-pressed & organic/pesticide-free. But I wouldn't recommend this for such a little baby.

Virgin coconut oil is not recommended is because of its strong
natural fragrance. It is preferable that the baby is able to smell the
'signature scent' of the parent during massage rather than the oil.

The reference to 'signature scent' means, whatever Mum and Dad usually smell like. It could be the natural smell of their skin, or perhaps Mum has a perfume she wears every day - to the baby, that's what Mum smells like. Odour is such an important aspect of bonding and therefore such an aspect of massage time.

Virgin coconut oil solidifies at 24°C, so it often needs to be warmed
prior to use. This wouldn't prevent a parent from using the oil, it would
more just come down to the convenience of using the oil.

Because of these aspects, I would suggest if coconut oil is going to be used, it is not used regularly before 12 months of age. This will help to ensure that parent and baby have already had time to develop a strong and substantial bond.

Fractionated coconut oil has no fragrance, however this is definitely not recommended for massage. To fraction the oil, it is passed through steam distillation (heated to a substantial temperature, by memory - I think it is around 60-70°C).

Fractionated coconut oil is not a natural product in the sense that it is
made by a complex industrial process that chemically breaks coconut oil down and then reconstitutes some of the fatty acids into a new triglyceride (oil). It also doesn't make up any substantive proportion of the original natural coconut oil. Essentially it is an industrial spin-off from the manufacture of synthetic detergents. Marketing materials describing fractionated coconut oil simply as 'highly purified oil', coconut oil with 'the impurities removed' or 'all-natural' are quite misleading.

I hope this helps :-)

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