Various authors have written books on massage for children. Some of these approaches were for therapeutic reasons and some were developed for massaging children in hospitals. Others were developed for the nurturing touch and the enjoyment of massage, and many times the parents were included.
The idea of children massaging each other was slowly brought to consciousness by individuals who saw that there are amazing ways of improving relationships and social skills among children.
Infant Massage
There are many schools of thought and many forms of massage. Massage therapy schools offer a wide variety of different types of massage courses. Some massage therapists have developed approaches directed to specific populations and age groups. Infant massage is now well recognized throughout the world mainly because of the work of the International Association of Infant Massage (IAIM). IAIM was founded by Vimala McClure, who became inspired by the massage she observed while working in an orphanage in India.
Subsequently, she created a routine of massage strokes for parents that consisted of Indian massage, Swedish massage, reflexology and gentle movements derived from yoga. Other approaches to baby massage brought into modern culture have also been mostly inspired by massage in traditional culture.
Find out how massage can help us move towards a better society…