Presentation at the 3rd Annual Infant Toddler Conference

1. The Power of
Infant Massage
3rd Annual Infant Toddler
Conference
Dr. Mary Kay Keller

2. Contact Information
Mary Kay Keller, M.P.A., Ph.D.
C.E.I.M., C.F.L.E.
Family Life Education &
Family Life Coaching Services
https://marykaykeller.com/

3. GOAL
Family Ecology
Value of Infant Massage:
How does massage
impact both the baby
& the caregiver?
Why is massage
important to you as
educators & policy
makers?
How can you play a role
in changing the world
of children?

4. Objectives
 Develop basic
knowledge of science
based benefits of
infant massage.
 Develop an
understanding of how
parents, caregivers &
babies benefit from
I.M. classes.
 Develop strategies for
how you can make a
difference.

5. Purpose of Infant Massage
Infant/Child massage IS
a communication
process which sets an
emotional dance
between the parent or
caregiver and the baby
to continue
throughout their lives.

6. Goal of Infant Massage Classes
Provides
bidirectional
support for
bonding &
attachment
processes
between
infants & their
caregivers.
Parent
benefits
Baby
receives
massage
Baby
benefits
Parent
massages
infant

7. Cultural Perspective
 Vimala McClure –
Infant Massage and
the India experience
 Dr. Tiffany Fields'
Article on "Touch"
research, comparison
of the French culture
and American cultures
 Inclusion of Swedish
Massage, Indian
Massage and
Reflexology

8. Benefits of Massage for
Caregivers
Encourages engagement & bonding
Baby
Mother Father
Grandma Grandpa
Daycare Providers
Foster
Parents
Adoptive
Parents

9. Benefits of Massage for
Caregivers
Increase parental confidence and feelings of competency
Increased ability to read the baby’s cues, enhanced
communication
Promotes intimacy
Longer and uninterrupted sleep
Happier babies make for happier, relaxed and in control
caregivers
Bidirectional physiological effects on the giver of
massage

10. Benefits of Massage for Baby
 Engagement
 Interaction
 Relaxation
 Relief
 Stimulation –
includes
stimulation of all
the physiological
systems

11. Engagement
How Babies Engage
 Eye contact
 Taste
 Touch
 Crying
 Oxytocin &
Prolactin
 Odor
 Entrainment
(mimics the
mother’s voice &
movements)

12. Interaction
Smell
Non
Verbal
Cues
Verbal
Cues Intensifies
Bonding
Sound
Eye
Contact
Touch
Trust Intimacy
Relaxation Engagement

13. Relaxation
 Tactile contact, eye
contact, smell and
heartbeat sounds
all send soothing
messages to the
baby’s system
 Increases baby’s
tolerance for stress

14. Relief
 Helps to tone the
digestive tract,
helps move gas
and fecal matter
into the bowel for
expulsion
 Emotional stress is
expressed and
relieved

15. Stimulation
 Sensory Stimulation
speeds myelination of
the brain & nervous
system
 Stability of the
nervous system and
resistance to disease
 Stimulates the
respiratory,
circulatory, and
gastrointestinal
systems and
neurological
development

16. Implications for Development
 Emotional
Attachments
 Boundaries
 Communication

17. Emotional Attachments
Securely bonded
 Easy to get close to others,
have no problems with
mutual dependence
 Have happy, trusting
relationships; romances
last the longest and end in
divorce least often of the
groups’ studies
 Had close, secure
relationships in infancy
and were held, kissed, and
cuddled

18. Emotional Attachments
Anxious/ambivalent
 Want to be close to others but they tend to
attract people who are unable to be close
 Worry about people leaving them, tend to be very
jealous and have intense emotional ups and
downs
 The largest group—perhaps a reflection of the
‘don’t spoil the baby’ attitudes of the baby-boom
generation
 Were loved as infants but their caregivers were
ambivalent and confused, giving them mixed
messages about their worth, their safety, and the
trustworthiness of the world

19. Emotional Attachments
Avoidant
 Feel uneasy when people get too close
 Have trouble trusting or depending on
others, and are afraid of intimacy
 Tend to give the message, "I love you/go
away"
 Were neglected in infancy, punished for
"bad" behavior made to be independent
and “strong,” and told it wasn’t nice to
express emotion

20. Boundaries
 Asking the baby’s
permission to be touched,
sets an expectation for the
child to expect to give
permission before being
touched.
 Massage adjusts the baby's
awareness of loving touch
versus painful or hurting
touch.

21. Communication
 Parenting by asking the child’s permission,
responding to verbal and non-verbal cues,
turns the traditional adult teaching the
child, to the child teaching the adult about
their wants/needs.
 Teaching parents to read their baby’s
engagement cues increases the level of
connectedness between the caregiver &
baby
 Massage classes with parents provide an
atmosphere in which to observe
problematic engagements e.g., a lack of
eye contact, response to crying or lack of
engagement with the baby.

22. Demonstration of the Strokes
Head - Engagement
Chest - Emotional release
Stomach - Digestive support
Back - Stress release
Legs – Relaxation
Feet – Non threatening

23. Behavioral States
of the Newborn
 Quiet Sleep - Eyes are firmly closed
and still, little or no motor activity and
Respiration is primarily abdominal
 Active Sleep - Eyes are closed but may
move (rapid eye movements), Body
activity from twitching to writhing and
stretching, Facial movements include
frowning, smiling, sucking, and
sometimes ‘laughing’ noises
 Drowsy - Eyes may open and close or
be partially open, still and dazed
 Quiet alert - Body and face relatively
inactive, face is relaxed, eyes open and
bright, observant
 Active alert - Lots of activity, irregular
respiration, cries, moans, and grunts
and fussing
 Crying - Much activity sustained crying

24. Infant Massage Benefits
 Infants whose parent suffers from a Mental Health condition
 Infants whose parent suffers from a Substance Abuse condition
 Infants exposed to Substances during pregnancy
 Infants exposed to violence and whose parent was exposed to violence
 Infants Orphaned in Foster Care or Adopted
 Infants born HIV Positive
 Infants born with Cerebral Palsy
 Infants born with Down syndrome
 Infants born with Spina Bifida or other congenital birth conditions
 Infants born with Hearing Impairments
 Infants born with Visual Impairments
 Infants born to Teen Moms
 Infants born Pre-Mature
 Grandparents Raising Grandchildren

25. Additional Supports
Mirror
Breathing
Sign
Language
Dunstan
Baby
Language
Age
Appropriate
Play
Listening
to Children’s
Dreams
Story
Telling
Kangaroo
Care
Attachment
Parenting
Nurturing
Parenting
Education
Infant
Massage
Essential
Oils

26. Why is massage important to you
as educators & policy makers?
In home
I M
Classes
Parenting
Competency
Healthier
&
Confident Children
Healthier
&
Stable
Families
Engaged
Parents
Increased
Opportunities
For Learning
Engaged
Children
Builds Parents’
Confidence

27. How can you play a role in
changing the world of children?
 Challenge your belief system. Do
you support violent child rearing
or nurturing parenting?
 Support programs which seek to
eliminate violence in the schools
(nospank.net) & promote
opportunities to learn problem
solving skills.
 Engage others in conversations
to challenge their belief
systems.
 Make a leap of faith to suggest
the world could be a better
place for children, yours, mine,
& our grandchildren!

28. Develop strategies for how you
can make a difference.
 Encourage parents &
caregivers to massage their
babies & children
 Model Nurturing yourself &
others
 Promote Infant Massage by
giving gift certificates to
new parents & caregivers
 Provide opportunities for
parents & caregivers to
learn about the many
benefits of Infant Massage
 Ask for funding for
research, training &
development or contribute
funding

29. Lessons of Small Leverage
A small thing done many
times can change one
person
A small thing done many
times by many people
can change a
community
A small thing done many
times by many people in
many communities can
change the world

30. Why Infant Massage?
Infant
Toddler
Child
Family Norms
Social Norms
Boundaries
Communication
Nurturing
Adolescents
Nurturing
Parents
Engaged
Communities Boundary
Awareness
Community Norms
Relaxation
Health
Engaged
Engaged
Families
Nurturing
Children Nurturing
Young
Adults
Education
Public Safety
Public Health
Environment
Respect
Relationship
Competency
Health
Safety
Trust
Bonded Attached
Nurturing
Behaviors
Family
Values
Environmental
Respect
Caretaking

31. Why Infant Massage?
Generational Cycle
Mother
Parent
Father
Parent
Infant
Toddler
Child
Attitudes
Of
Nurturing
Perceptions
Of
Nurturing
Behavior
Modeling
Family Norms
Developmental
Educational
Health
Social
Skills
Future
Nurturing
Caretaking

32. What’s The Alternative?
Infant
Family
Social Norms
Child
Abuse
Child
Neglect
Domestic
Violence
Violence &
Crime
Public
Safety
Drop
Outs
Bullying
Workforce
Development
Homelessness
Costs
to
Healthcare
Juvenile
Justice
Learned
Helplessness Victimization
Addiction
Sexual Abuse
Abandonment
Criminal Behavior
Family Disruption
Intergenerational
Family Violence
Community Norms
Disrespect Isolation
Behavioral
Disorders
Developmen
tal Delays
Mental
Health
Ill Health
Infant
Mortality
ATOD
Elder
Abuse &
Neglect
Cruelty to
Animals
Loneliness
Detachment
Gangs
SYNDEMICS

33. What’s the Alternative?
Generational Cycle
Mother
Parent
Father
Parent
Child
Attitudes
Perceptions
Behavior
Modeling
Family Norms
ATOD
Mental Health
Educational
Failure Child Abuse Violence

34. At What Cost?
Classroom Disruptions 77,760
Physical hits on others 6,480
Acts of Vandalism 325
Hours of Instruction Disruption 360
Items stolen from others 1,350
Administrative hours lost 144
Teacher hours lost in meetings 90
Nurses office visits 1,200

35. At What Cost?
Pre Birth & Infancy $ 58,000
Early Childhood Years $ 34,300
Elementary School Years $ 74,100
Secondary & Teen Years $ 475,700
Other Adult Years $ 895,000
Total Cost One Child $1,536,100
Total Cost for Infant Massage
In Home Instruction $ 150.00

36. WHY Infant Massage?
Animals accidentally affect
their environment….
Human beings are the only
organism on this planet
that can consciously
create a future
environment for
themselves...
What do you want to
increase & decrease in
your FUTURE?

37. Celebrate
We must create
the open spaces
for the future
of all of our
children for our
mutual survival !

38. Research References
 McClure, V. 1989. Infant Massage – A handbook
for loving parents
 Montagu A. 1986. Touching: The significance of
the skin
 Perlman, M. http:www.nurturingfathers.com
 Bavolek, S. Hardwired to connect.
http://nurturingparenting.com
 Bavolek, S. Developing empathy in families
 Role of experiential learning
 SYNDEMICS, Dr. Embry, www.paxtalk.com

39. Reading Resources
 ACE Study – The relationship between Adverse
Childhood Experiences and Adult Health
 At A Loss For Words - How America is Failing Our
Children & What We Can Do About It. Betty Bardige
 Infant Massage Research – Dr. Tiffany Fields, University
of Miami Touch Institute http://www6.miami.edu/touch-
research/about.htm
 “The Gift of Fear” & “Protecting The Gift,” by Gavin
DeBecker
 Stalking of the Soul: Emotional Abuse – The Erosion of
Identity by Marie-France Hirigoyen
 When The Horse Dies, Get Off…and Stop Dragging it
Around! By Louise Lebreen

40. Contact Information
Mary Kay Keller, M.P.A., Ph.D., C.E.I.M., C.F.L.E.
Family Life Education Classes
Family Life & Individual Coaching Across the Lifespan
Global Access
Dr. Mary Kay Keller
https://marykaykeller.com/