How old should my baby be to start a Baby Massage course?

This is a question I get asked all the time so I thought I’d write a detailed answer.  The short answer is….it depends.  The long answer is this…

Baby massage is safe from birth (IAIM, 2005) and babies up to the age of 12 months can attend a class with me.  The youngest baby I have welcomed to Baby Massage was 10 days old; the oldest was 11months.  When you feel ready to bring your baby along to a class is really up to you. Babies older than 12months with developmental delays or additional needs are very welcome in my classes.

Many parents choose to attend baby massage classes when their babies are a handful of weeks old.  Touch is your baby’s first sense to develop (McClure, 2017) so parents know that babies will be able to participate in massage classes unlike other sensory sessions.  Studies have shown that nurturing touch in babies under 6 weeks old can reduce crying.  The relaxed atmosphere and the emphasis on supporting parents also means that my classes are an easy introduction to the world of baby activities.

Some parents choose to wait until their baby is a tiny bit older before joining a class.  Perhaps after a couple of months, parents feel a little more confident taking baby out and about, especially if baby is a little more predictable.  If.  Every baby is different remember.  Baby Massage could help with that baby routine you might be craving at this stage. 

Parents sometimes contact me worried about bringing a 7, 8, 9 month old to my class.  Is it too late?  Have we missed the chance?  Absolutely not!  Slightly older babies are very welcome to attend my course.  Sometimes mummy has had a difficult time recovering from birth and so attending lots of classes with a tiny baby just wasn’t possible.  Or maybe baby has been poorly and it’s taken a little longer to be able to join in these activities.  Or perhaps you’ve only just learned of my classes.  Whatever the reason, older babies can of course enjoy baby massage. I have to warn you though that life does get a little trickier when baby is mobile, but it’s not impossible and I do have some tricks and tips to help.  Massaging your older baby has all the same benefits and is a really lovely way to ensure you and your active little one have some quiet time together.

So there you have it – whenever you and your little one would like to attend Baby Massage is entirely up to you.  Having a mix of baby ages in the groups is really lovely and I try very hard to ensure you get the very most from your class whatever the age of your baby.

Read what some of the parents attending my classes have said in my Testimonials and find out a little more about what happens in my classes here.  To book, click here

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