How can I help my Baby stop Crying?
Do you ever wonder what makes a baby cry? As crying is one of the few ways babies have of communicating their needs to us, they cry about almost anything. They have a special cry when they are hungry, feel pain, have anxiety and are over stimulated. Even when they have gas, are exhausted, scared or frustrated, babies fuss and cry. It must be frustrating and stressful when they are doing their best to communicate to us and we don’t understand.
Colic: Your questions answered by Tina Allen
When babies with colic cry, they may draw their arms and legs in tight toward their bodies and appear to be in pain. Or other times they stretch out their arms and legs and stiffen, then draw up tight again. You may notice that baby’s face turns bright red from excessive crying.
Swaddling your baby | Step by step guide
Swaddling is typically only effective for the first few weeks after birth. After your baby reaches about one month old, swaddling can restrict your baby’s motor development.
How to get your child to sleep - Naturally
It is important to give your child plenty of time for his bedtime ritual. This way you both avoid feeling rushed, anxious or stressed. Try to make your child’s personal bedtime ritual as comfortable and relaxing as possible.
What are some of the benefits of Infant Massage?
Infant Massage provides you with essential one-on-one time that will enhance your family bonding, understanding and ability to nurture. During massage Oxytocin is released in both the giver and receiver’s body. Oxytocin is our feel good hormone, also known as the hormone of love.
Giving your baby a bath in 9 easy steps! | Step by Step Guide
First things first, double check that you have everything you need in close reach – baby safe soap, towel, washcloth? Make sure the room is nice and warm. Babies can get chilly easily, so if necessary use an extra heater to warm the room. Double check that your room is warm enough and that there will be no unexpected drafts.
Massage your child | Step by Step Guide
You might be saying, “My child isn’t going to stay still for a massage.” As children grow and become more active, you can easily keep up with their busy bodies and adapt the massage to continue with this nurturing touch.
What is pediatric massage?
For the massage therapist or healthcare professional considering pediatric massage, there are many considerations to prepare for providing age specific and development appropriate therapy. Further training in pediatric massage is required to feel fully confident working with children within medical institutions.
Bringing Home Baby
Bringing Home Baby can be an exciting, wonderful and often anxious time, but with a little planning beforehand, your family will be able to relax and treasure this special time together. The benefits of infant massage include improved sleep, healthy growth, development and reduction in the symptoms of colic.
What is a Certified Infant Massage Instructor?
A Certified Infant Massage Teacher (CIMT) is a parent educator who teaches the healing art of infant massage to parents or caregivers in the presence of their babies. You do not need to be a massage therapist, or have any previous experience in the healthcare field to become certified to teach infant massage. As a Certified Infant Massage Instructor you have the unique opportunity to impact a child and their family for a lifetime.
Postpartum Depression? The Natural Rx
When depression occurs after pregnancy it is called postpartum depression, peripartum depression and sometimes is more commonly known as “baby blues” After pregnancy, the many hormonal changes occurring within a woman's body may trigger symptoms of depression.
Massage Therapy for Children with Autism | Healing Hands
Usually diagnosed by the age of three years, Autism is a complex developmental condition, which affects a child’s ability to develop normal language, form relationships with others and respond appropriately to the environment. Autism is also characterized by early onset of a lack of attachment, the failure to cuddle as an infant, and an almost complete disassociation with the environment. Autism, as we now know it, is incurable and the behaviors associated with the disorder persist throughout the child’s lifetime.
Massage for Constipation
Many parents find that their little ones may have some difficulty with digestion. Constipation occurs for everyone at some time in their life, but can cause pain and discomfort for your baby. There are many different methods you can try to help relieve this discomfort however; I have found infant massage specifically for constipation to be very effective.
Massage for Sleep
Massage can be very effective for helping babies sleep deeper and for longer periods of time - which can translate into you being able to sleep longer as well. Sometimes all night! Not only does massage help your baby to release stress which builds daily from new experiences, it allows your baby to relax.
Work at Home Mom WAHM | Stay at Home Mom SAHM
Many women are deciding to leave their fast paced career lives to stay at home with their children. Some consider themselves stay at home moms, while many others are work from home moms. So what’s the difference?
All moms that stay at home with their children are working all day long anyway. The good news is that there’s a way to have your cake and eat it too. Moms can enjoy the comfort and convenience of staying at home while feeling the satisfaction and reaping the rewards of a professional career – all the while, meeting the demands of your little one and spending the most developmental years of your baby’s life - with your baby. What a concept!!
Babies in the Workplace
Throughout history, mothers have kept their babies with them while working. However, having children in the work environment now is not always feasible. Children have become more separated from their parents, and new parents often become isolated and separated from their community.
Having babies in the workplace encourages parents to provide responsive care for their little ones, making sure their individual needs are met. This care provides babies with much needed close physical contact, social interaction, and helps create happier babies.
Adoptive families of babies - Bonding through massage
Many families are concerned about bonding and attachment with their baby after adoption. If you are concerned, you are not alone. However, observation and research shows that adoptive families can form bonds as successfully as biological families.
The period from birth through three years of age is the most favorable time for children to form a bond with their families. However, adoptive parents have no need for undue concern as we also know developing a bond with an adopted child is not unlike the process of building one with a biological child, it develops over time.
Massage for growth and development
Babies and children simply love to be touched. In fact, they thrive on it and it is a crucial part of their development. Children need physical contact for healthy growth and development, and massage can play an important role in nourishing this growth.
Normal affectionate touching is important however, a regular routine of infant massage can offer additional benefits to both the caregiver and child. Nurturing touch promotes physiological, neurological and psychological development and function. Studies have shown increased weight gain, improved immune function, and myelination of nerves. All of which are needed to encourage appropriate brain and muscle development.
Massage for bonding
Bonding is a process, and is not something that takes place within a few moments of time or is limited to happening within a certain time period after baby’s arrival. For many families, bonding happens naturally as the result of everyday care giving. It is quite possible you may not even know it is happening until you observe your baby's first smile, make eye contact, and suddenly realize that you're filled with love for your new baby.
Communicating with your baby
As any new parent soon learns, your baby is born with the ability to cry, which is one distinct way they’ll communicate with you. Your baby's cries generally tell you that something is wrong in their world.
They may have a wet diaper, hungry tummy, cold toes, need a hug or cuddle, become tired or bored. Really, your baby may cry for just about any reason. It will take some time, but soon you'll be able to recognize which need your baby is expressing and respond accordingly.
Infant Stimulation
From birth through the first few months, babies thrive on infant stimulation. Visual stimulation, tactile stimulation and auditory stimulation can play big roles in your interactive time together. Infant stimulation can also help improve your baby’s curiosity, attention span, memory, and nervous system development. In addition, many babies who receive appropriate stimulation reach developmental milestones faster and have better muscle coordination.
Massage for Brain Development
A baby’s brain is twice as active as an adult’s brain. When a baby is born, they have billions of brain cells, many of which are not yet connected. Those cells become connected through new experiences. When you talk to your baby, cuddle him and touch him lovingly, these new experiences start to make those essential brain connections.
The first three years are of special importance. During this time the brain has the greatest potential for learning and developing. In early childhood, the brain is genetically programmed to produce more synapses, (point of connection between two nerve cells), than it will ever use. The development of the brain will keep the synapses that are used and lose those that are not.
Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS) and Massage
For infants with Prader-Willi syndrome it is possible that massage may help provide appropriate stimulation for the circulatory and digestive systems, improve muscle tone and aide in sleep.
Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS) is the most common genetic cause of life-threatening obesity in children. Those diagnosed with PWS have an issue with the function of their hypothalamus. This part of the brain normally controls feelings of being full or hungry. As a result of this dysfunction of the brain, in the second stage of PWS children are likely not to feel full and will eat constantly unless well monitored.
New Tricks to help Parents help their Children get their Homework Done!
You’ve spent all summer entertaining the kids and now you get to send them back to school. Free babysitting and you get your ME time back
The start of the school year is an exciting time for kids and for parents, who are finally getting their lives back to normal. However, in all the excitement to get the kids back in school, we often forget about the extra work that lays ahead – homework! Initially you think sure it’s just something the kids have to do. 
In reality think about how much time you’re going to spend nagging the kids to sit down and get their work done, or helping them with their projects. It’s amazing how much homework teachers end up giving parents