Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Infant Massage: Part IV - Chest

Baby massage of the chest and arms is a great way to help your baby, especially if they may be experiencing "tight chest" congestion due to a cold. It's important however, NOT to use any sort of vapor rub, either brand-name or generic (Vicks is the typical brand name), as these rubs are medicated, and in children under 4, can be dangerous. Instead, you can use Eucalyptus, Myrtle, or Peppermint essential oils. These essential oils can generally be found in health-food stores.

For a baby with chest congestion, you need to dilute the essential oil of your choice (see above) by at least half with the massage oil of your choice (i.e. almond, olive oil, etc). You can then use this diluted oil mixture during a soothing chest massage, to help your baby breathe more easily and relax his chest.

The massage of the chest expands into massage of the arms, which is very similar to the techniques which you have already learned for massaging the legs. Congratulations - you already know arm massage, without even watching the video! Finally, chest massage, like back massage, is great as an easy, clothes-on relaxer for tense situations like the airport or waiting in lines.

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