Komarovsky massage for newborns and infants: technique for performing at home for children from 1 month before bathing, for colic, for general health purposes

Each of us knows that movement is life. But in the first year of a child’s life, movement is more important than ever. No cards or rattles develop an infant as much as simple physical exercises, massage or crawling. Of course, you know that I am always in favor of comprehensive development and do not at all want to diminish the importance of communication and other games with babies (an article about them very soon!), but still I want to emphasize once again that physical development at this stage is main direction of development. After all, a child does not just learn to crawl, stand up or walk. Mastering motor skills directly affects the development of the brain and the health of the baby’s body.

Massage in combination with gymnastics perfectly develops all organs and systems, helps to master age-appropriate motor skills, cope with colic, relieve tone, and has a general strengthening effect on the entire child’s body. In addition, the affectionate touches of parental hands bring great pleasure to the baby and strengthen the emotional connection. It has been proven that a child in the first months of life is most accessible to influence through the skin, so massage should become an integral part of communication with the baby!

If the massage is carried out together with gymnastics, the effect of the exercises will be much more noticeable. After all, massage prepares the movement by warming up the muscles, and gymnastic exercises consolidate the effect of the massage. That is why in our complex, which I practiced with my children, massage movements always alternate with gymnastic ones.

This complex corresponds to the age and functional capabilities of a child of 1, 2, 3 months. Matching the exercises to the child’s age is an incredibly important condition. Only in this case, gymnastics, firstly, brings joy to the child, and secondly, contributes to the development of motor skills necessary at this stage. So, for example, at the age of about 3 months, it is important for a child to master turning over from his back to his stomach, and at about 6 months – a sitting position and crawling, etc.

Gymnastics and massage for children 1, 2, 3 months | Where? How? When?

Where to massage?

Classes must be carried out on a clean, moderately hard surface. And both the table and the floor are perfect for this. But, for example, doing exercises on a soft bed will not be very comfortable, and not all exercises can be performed correctly. If it is more convenient for you to do gymnastics at table level, then a large changing table is best. If this is not the case, then you can cover a regular dining table with a thin blanket, and put oilcloth and a diaper on top.

But if this option is not suitable, then the floor will be the best solution (of course, it must be laid accordingly). In my opinion, this is the most comfortable surface for studying! This is especially true for children older than six months, when they are so active that they simply cannot be kept on the table.

Should I use massage oils or creams?

It is best to massage your baby with clean hands, as oils and creams increase gliding and make it difficult to perform the techniques correctly. In addition, any products applied to the skin clog the ducts of the sweat and sebaceous glands, disrupting their normal functioning. If your hands are too dry, simply apply a small amount of special baby oil to them.

Are gymnastics and massage beneficial for all children?

As a rule, for children suffering from any diseases, special exercises are even more important than for completely healthy ones. A special movement regimen often becomes the main element of their comprehensive treatment. However, before starting exercises, in any case, you should consult your pediatrician!

Should mom do a massage at home or entrust it to professionals?

Often mothers are afraid to massage their 1-3 month old baby on their own, because they are sure that they will not succeed and will definitely do something wrong. In fact, no matter how good a massage from a professional is, a mother’s massage has at least two undoubted advantages! Firstly, it can be done every day (and not in short-term courses), regularly providing support to the baby’s body. Secondly, during the massage you not only do the prescribed exercises, but also communicate with your child, which strengthens your emotional connection.

Start a little at a time and you'll get used to it quickly. Even a light massage will be better than no massage at all. At the same time, a home daily complex does not at all prevent you from conducting courses with professionals.

When to start?

Massage and gymnastics can begin when the baby is 1 month old. Agree, the first month of the child is even scary to touch, let alone massage. In addition, it is necessary to give the child’s body time to adapt to external influences. Well, then, if there are no contraindications, you can safely proceed! If you start later, that’s okay! Better late than never.

Introduce massage and gymnastics into your child’s life gradually. Start with a small amount of exercises, and then include more elements into your complex every day. Observe your child's mood and reactions. Don't massage while crying. If the baby doesn’t like something, it’s better to stop the activity.

Newborn massage technique according to Komarovsky

The doctor recommends starting daily massage procedures from two months of a child’s life.

Komarovsky believes that a newborn should be massaged every day . This strengthens the child’s immunity and has a positive effect on his health.

Gymnastics and massage for children 1, 2, 3 months | Techniques and exercises

Well, let's get started. I want to say right away that if the description of some element of gymnastics seems incomprehensible to you, you can always watch it in more detail in our video.

And one more small note. In order not to embarrass anyone, we took all the photos and videos with the baby in a diaper, but ideally it is recommended to conduct all classes without any clothing, so as not to restrict the baby’s movements.

All presented techniques and exercises of the complex must be repeated 3-5 times.

Massage and exercises for leg muscles

Massage of the legs and thighs is always performed after exercises with the foot, as this is no less important for normalizing altered muscle tone in the legs.

Using progressive massage movements, we rub each shin from the side, moving from the heel to the knee.
Using progressive massage movements, we rub each thigh from the side and front, moving from the knee to the pelvis.

Bend your leg at the knee, pressing it to your stomach. For each leg 4-6 times.

It is quite possible that the baby will resist by tensing his leg muscles. In this case, you can lightly shake the leg to relieve tension. Muscular resistance can and should be carefully overcome, but watch the baby’s reaction so as not to overdo it.

Next we do a compound exercise. We press the leg to the stomach, move it to the side, again to the stomach, down. Moving the leg to the side, we try to open the thigh as much as possible, bringing it closer to the surface of the table / floor (Don’t forget, if something is not clear, you can watch gymnastics in our video).

We perform circular rotations with the bent leg to open. Here we also try to open the hip as much as possible. We perform 4-5 rotations with each leg.

We press both legs to the stomach (also 4-6 times).

We perform the “bicycle” exercise, alternately pressing our legs to our chest.

Gently spread both thighs apart.

Abdominal massage for a child

Abdominal massage is useful both for strengthening the abdominal muscles and for improving intestinal motility. You can also massage your tummy outside of your daily gymnastics routine; it is a very effective aid for constipation and painful passage of gas.

We perform circular massage movements with phalanges of bent fingers, moving around the navel clockwise.

We massage the tummy along the oblique abdominal muscles, making movements from top to bottom with the pads of our fingers.

For infant colic

According to Dr. Komarovsky, this is a very effective way to relieve a child from colic at a very early age. You should massage the baby's tummy strictly clockwise, without strong pressure, using mainly light stroking around the navel.

After the massage, it is advisable to place the baby on his tummy for a few minutes to facilitate gas removal. You need to massage with warm hands. The number of sessions per day is not limited; you can do it before each feeding.

Massage and gymnastics for the hands of a child 1-3 months old

Normalizing the muscle tone of the arms is no less important. Long-term changes in muscle tone will prevent the child from mastering the first conscious motor skills, in particular such as leaning on the forearms, straightening the arms while lying on the stomach, and pulling the arms towards toys. Massaging the palms and fingers will enable the baby to quickly and correctly open the fist and move the thumb away from the palm in order to quickly grasp the toy correctly.

We start with a finger massage. We rub each of the baby's fingers with the pads of our fingers, moving progressively from the tip to the base of the baby's finger. Repeat 1-2 times

We pay special attention to the thumb. We move it away from the palm several times, holding it in this position for a short time.

We stroke the child's palm in a circle, from top to bottom.

We rub the forearm with progressive spiral movements towards the elbow.
We rub the shoulder with progressive spiral movements towards the shoulder. If a child has a mark on his arm from the BCG vaccination, it should be avoided.

Bend the child’s arm at the elbow 4-6 times. In this case, the hand should be perpendicular to the baby’s body.

As a rule, children like exercises with pens less and they begin to show some dissatisfaction. Therefore, accustom your baby to hand gymnastics gradually, starting with a small number of repetitions. Perform the movements clearly and without hesitation.

Raise and lower the baby's arms, together and separately. We try to make the child's arm bend at the shoulder joint, and not at the elbow. Considering that at this age the tone in the baby’s arms is still quite strong, it is better to lift the arms one at a time, holding the body with the other hand.

We spread the baby's arms to the sides, and then cross them on the chest. When crossing, either the right or the left hand should be on top. In this case, your thumb should be placed in the child’s palms.

We again put our thumbs in the baby’s palms, and with the rest of our fingers we grab the handle from the outside. We slowly pull the baby towards us by the hands. The child should grab your fingers tightly and try to pull himself up. It is necessary to achieve active tension in the flexor muscles of the child’s arms.

This exercise is recommended for children aged 2 months and older who can already hold their heads. For those who do this hesitantly, you can hold your head from behind with your palm.

As a result of this exercise, the child should group himself, raise his head and bend his elbows. It is enough for the baby to rise to a semi-vertical position; there is no need to completely sit the child down.

Exercises for back muscles

We perform an exercise similar to the “birch tree” - we raise both legs up, slightly lifting the pelvis. We also repeat 3-5 times.

We roll the baby on his back from side to side. With one hand we take the baby by the hands joined together, with the other - by the legs. Carefully roll it from one barrel to another. The exercise prepares the baby to roll over independently.
Learning to roll over. To make it easier for your baby to learn to roll over, you need to show him how to do it. To do this, take the baby by the shin and move the leg in the opposite direction, slightly turning the pelvis to the side. Wait for a response from the child; he should raise his head above the table surface and turn his shoulder in the direction of the turn.

If the baby does not yet have the strength to roll over on his own, help him by slightly pulling his arm. When the baby turns over, spread your arms under his chest. And then repeat the exercise on the other side.

This is a very important skill. It is advisable to train it several times during the day.

Completion of the massage

Rub from heels to groin and lightly shake. Massage your feet, activating biologically active points to strengthen the body. Rub your back with the back of your hand (from the buttocks to the neck), lightly pat your back with your fingertips. Finish with light stroking. Place the baby on its side and teach it to roll over.

At the end of the massage, it is useful to use a fitball - rolling the child on a ball. This strengthens the vestibular apparatus, spinal muscles, and abdominal muscles.

The complex consists of simple exercises, parents can do it themselves. It is advisable to accompany the massage with songs and nursery rhymes. Systematic exercises will tone the baby’s muscles. The session time at the initial stage is 15 minutes, you need to gradually increase it.