Baby Massage
Kelly Burton

Massage has been used for centuries to relieve stress, induce relaxation, and treat physical ailments. Research suggests benefits to infant massage include greater parental baby bondng, strengthening a baby's immune system, relieving colic and gas and enhancing baby's sleep.

Kelly Burton, LMT recently completed a 14-hour training to teach parents how to massage their babies. "I decided to attend a workshop for newborn massage after my son was born. I wanted to be able to teach my husband baby massage so he could develop a special bond", says Burton. "We massage our son every night after his bath and he sleeps on average 8-10 hour per night. After experiencing benefits first hand, I want to teach others in the community how to massage their little ones."

According to Teresa Ramesy, founder of the International Association of Infant Massage Instructors and author and program developer of Baby's First Massage research has shown that infant massage helps growth and development, and babies who are massaged gain more weight, sleep better, have better interactions with their parents and show superior mental and motor development.

Parents and caregivers can learn the techniques by making an appointment with Kelly Burton at Baptist Family Fitness by calling 526-0007 or e-mail kharvey@bhsi.com