While in the womb and from birth on, babies show sensitivity to being touched. When our first son had colic for the first three months, my husband and I took turns carrying him close to our bodies and touching him constantly. Positive touching or caressing an irritable or colicky baby seems to quiet him down.

Before birth, the fetus is constantly touched and supported by the womb. He feels and hears his mother's body together with most of the outside stimuli. He recognizes his father's voice from early on and is also introduced to other peoples' voices in the family circle. After birth, the infant associates the specific touches with those voices and he learns to bond with people. Thus, through the massage, warm and loving relationships are introduced to the newborn.

Premature babies are periodically touched and caressed by their nurses to encourage their well-being and growth. For a preemie or a full-term newborn, the importance of bonding through close contact with other people and the outside world cannot be stressed enough.

Especially when the complications of the birth process delay the bonding with the parents, massaging the baby afterwards for about 20 minutes a day by each parent can make up for lost time. I don't know if an energy exchange is possible through massage as some claim; however, the benefits of massage are clear. If massaged, even those babies born under the most desirable conditions show faster and more improved growth.

Massage also has a favorable effect on babies experiencing developmental lag, disabilities of any kind, and especially separation from a caregiver or parent because of death or illness.

Another good use for the massage is that once your baby gets used to the massaging, if he is irritated for one reason or another, your gentle massaging or stroking will calm him down easily. Some scientists believe that massaging a baby may promote new formations in the central nervous system and may help develop more advanced motor skills.

The person massaging a baby need not be a massage therapist. Just simple touching and gentle caresses with cooing and talking to the baby will do. The baby massage follows a simple pattern: from top to toe and on both sides of the body, front and back.

For the massage, in a warm room, you first hold the baby facing you and lay him down on a soft mattress. Start with gentle touches, fingertip strokes and strokes on the crown of the head, to the forehead and the face, neck shoulders, arms, torso, legs and feet. Then turn the baby over on his belly and stroke the head, neck, back legs and feet. Combine short strokes with long ones. During the massage, it is necessary to give equal importance to both sides of the baby's body.

Oiling your hands while massaging a baby is not necessary unless the skin on your hands is excessively rough. If you really want to use oil or lotion, use it on the back of the baby after you have turned him over on his belly. This avoids baby's ingesting the oil or lotion when he sucks his thumb, fingers, or toes.

For the massage, a baby need not be unclothed totally each time, especially after he gets used to it and enjoys it as his special time with the parent. Conversing with the baby and the parent's calm and peaceful mood are very important during the massage.

If you get into the habit of massaging your baby, your baby will show improved neurological development, greater weight gain and higher mental functioning.

While you can, enjoy your baby as you massage him, for he will grow into a fully functioning adult before you know it.