Infant Massage Oil

Hi! All,

I am Nirushan staying in Maryland,USA. Ihave a2months old daughter.

Would anyone kindly lemme know which oil is best for skin and baby massage? Also what to apply during bath.Whether soap or besan and milk or anything to be added to it?

Since nobody is there to help us out for my post partum time and am doing it on our own.

Your advice is highly appreciated.

Nirushan

hello Nirushan,

Congratulations On the new arrival.

Massage the baby skin with almond oil or with good olive oil. they both make baby skin soft and shiny. And regarding giving bath i would suggest just use dove soap which says for sensitive skin and no fragrance. Do not use besan some babies tend to get rashes i mean severe rashes. My daughter is allergic to besan and turmeric. i wouldn't use johnson and johnson soap or lotion until ure daughter is yr old. so hope this helps. Enjoy ure motherhood...nothing like it.

kavi

Hi! Kavi,

Thank you for your reply. Yes, its worth to have the experience of motherhood. I'll try olive oil and dove soap.

Thanks once again. You too recently had a baby? Do write about it.

Nirushan.

Hi Nirushan,

I agree with Kavi that olive oil/almond oil is the best for massage. babies love it and try and massage her regularly. As far as soap is concerned, you can also try 'grins and giggles' - pretty good. My doctor alwasy advised me not to soap the baby's face and not to apply powder for atleast a year. To keep skin moist, she always advised Eucrin or aquaphor and I have loved Eucerin. Some people I know also use Aveeno products.

Enjoy your new bundle of joy and hearty congratulations.

Hi Nirushan,

It must be really hard to manage all by yourself during the postpartum time. It is best to use a vegetable oil like olive oil, coconut oil, almond oil or sesame oil. But before using any oil, apply a small amount in a small area and check whether your baby has any allergic reaction. I massage my son with olive oil at every bath and wash it off with cetaphil cleanser. It really helps in keeping his eczema at bay. The other important thing is that you must be careful about the massage strokes. So be sure you are using the right strokes.

Kavya.

Originally Posted by nirupama126

Hi! All,

I am Nirushan staying in Maryland,USA. Ihave a2months old daughter.

Would anyone kindly lemme know which oil is best for skin and baby massage? Also what to apply during bath.Whether soap or besan and milk or anything to be added to it?

Since nobody is there to help us out for my post partum time and am doing it on our own.

Your advice is highly appreciated.

Nirushan

Nirushan,

I Have 17 month old daughter. when she was around ure daughter's age i worried about things like this. Even though i had mom here to help me out. my mom was little scared to try home remedies on the baby born here. Dove saop is recommeded by her pediatrician .Use the once that says sensitive skin. Every baby reactes differently so its best to try small amount on one particular area and see how she takes it. Do email me if need any advice or suggestion...i'll be happy to share whatever i have experienced so far. Enjoy the journey.

Thanks Srama and Kavya for your suggestions and advice.Sorry could not reply earlier as was busy.

Its really nice to share the views on this forum of Indua ladies.

You all take care.
Nirushan

Hi, My son is close to 3 years now. I used to take him to a baby massage class (in Germany) when he was a baby. Here we get lots of aromatic oils esp for baby massage but the instructor said any other oil such as sesame oil, olive oil, jojoba oil or sweet almond oil is good enough. He had dry skin and i used pure almond oil for him and it was very good. For soap, we rarely get J&J products here so no idea. I had got Himalaya baby soap from India which was good for him too. And here I use local bath cream (it can also be used in the bath tub). Even now I don't apply soap on his face... just wipe his face with a towel dipped in the soapy water. The Paed in India too told me that in most babies besan tends to dry the skin a lot. I think you can use any normal baby soap available in shops where you live and use minimally. No need to lather and bubble. Hope this helps:) Latha

Hi, I will tell you briefly how we learnt to massage the baby (we were shown our Indian technique). Lay the baby in front of you on a towel and you sit comfortably either on a pillow or just on floor. Take few drops of oil and warm it in your hands (by rubbing so that it's spread all over your palms). First we start with the legs. Lift each leg delicately and massage in a kneading fashion. that is hold the leg in one hand and rub the oil in rotating fashion and then finally give one full stroke along the length of the legs (you'll do this towards the toes, away from the body to relax the baby). Then gently massage each finger and thrice rub the foot (towards the fingers). Do the same way for the other leg. Then comes the shoulder and arms. We do for arms also in a similar fashion as for legs. For shoulders it's a single stroke three times... you can do both shoulders at same time using both your hands. Then comes the trunk. First do the chest area like opening a book gently, thrice. Massage the sides giving one stroke from arm pit until waist. Then in the tummy area (this is imp to release any unwanted gas) use both your palms alternatively and give gentle downward strokes towards the legs. If you're confident you can turn the baby over to massage the back. Just one clean stroke from top to bottom. Else leave it. For the face we use thumbs to gently caress the fore head, nose, cheeks and chin. Also ears just gently slide. No need to give any pressure while massaging. Have just enough oil to lubricate the baby. After massage wrap the baby in the towel for about 5 minutes. We always gave the massage after a bath for the oils to get into the skin. Do try and if you've any doubt ask me:) Latha