Infant Massage--Revised Edition: A Handbook for Loving Parents

I ordered this book after reading Dr. Karp's "Happiest Baby on the Block." He recommended it as a reference tool for how to soothe a fussy baby with massage. Although my baby is not "fussy," this book is a gem. It gives wonderful (and easy) instruction on the art of massaging your baby, a perfect way to not only soothe baby, but to bond with baby and develop trust, and strong attachment and all of those wonderful things that we as parents desire to have with our children. The pictures in the book seem a little dated (it was originally published in 1979), but once you get past that, the information it contains is still pertinent (and the book was revised in 2000). It covers massage for healthy babies, babies suffering from minor illnesses, colic, special needs babies, and preemies. There is even a section devoted to teen parents. Although you wouldn't think you'd need an instruction manual on how to massage your baby, I really found this book to be a wonderful reference and a great reminder of how simple it is to foster that bond with your baby through the simple act of loving touch. We have now made massage a part of our nightly ritual with our two-month old daughter and we wouldn't have it any other way. She loves this special time after her evening bath - it helps her to unwind and prepare for bedtime, and we love the adoration we get in return.

Great advice in this book - so loving, tender and gentle. I really love it. It has a chapter especially for dads which is great, I love books that don't leave out the fathers. I use a lotion instead of an oil, but that's because my infant has really dry skin right now and the lotion I got is amazing. She responds really well and I've slowly worked up to longer massages. But she seems a bit chilly from the lotion it seems - however the book talks about how to change up the oils (coconut for cooling) and other oils for warming which is great, they really cover it all. Makes me feel great with my baby, like I am really doing right by her. I would recommend it for all parents and hope they would all take it to heart.

We have been using this infant massage technique since my little girl got home from the hospital. We give her infant massage every singe day once she wakes up in the morning and it is amazing what a difference it makes. We have skipped less than 10 days over the past 9 months and on any day we skip you can see she is more cranky and had more gas. This massaging technique is amazing and we highly recommend it. It really does not take much time at all and is completely doable without being too over bearing. Also, we are first time parents and knew nothing about massage. The directions were great and we figured it out pretty easily. We read the book and then we used the illustrations when massaging her for about the first 3 or 4 times, but after that it became routine and easy to remember. I think I can do it in my sleep now.. :) So for those who said it was hard to follow, I highly disagree. It just takes a few times to memorize it all and having the book open when massaging your infant really does help the first few times. Try it, you wont regret it!

As a first-time mother of the most adorable baby girl, I picked up the dangerous habit of google'ing every thought, question, and concern while nursing my little milk monster at all hours of the night. We (me more than her, most likely) enjoyed hour after witching hour in the glider with my tablet in tow reading, obsessing, and learning about poop colors, nursing bra bells and whistles, and old vs new school parenting techniques, "must-do's" and "no-no's". I had always been a big proponent of skin-to-skin and was looking for a way to connect even deeper with my baby. We had received a few handouts about infant massage from our lactation consultant and pediatrician, but I was looking for something a bit more informed and educational.It's important to note that Vimala spends chapter after chapter toting the benefits of infant massage. I had already been sold to the practice (hence, why I had bought the book in the first place) and admittedly skipped several pages at a time to get to "the good stuff"... to learn how to actually give my newborn a massage. The history behind her (Vimala's) quest and journey was nice, but purely anecdotal compared to what I was interested in. That being said, I have put into practice her techniques as part of my daughter's (now 7 weeks old) bed time routine. We both look VERY forward to this time together and I treasure every smile and coo she shared during her massage.Overall, I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone interested in infant massage, but do have the following on my wish list regarding this purchase:1. If only there was a print out or pull out listing of the massage "moves"... with a brief... BRIEF description to reference DURING the massage. I found myself fumbling a bit during those first few massages and got apricot kernel oil all over my tablet trying to navigate myself through the sequence of massages.2. On my tablet, the pictures of certain massages were out of sequence and I wanted more visual explanations of each massage technique3. I found that my newborn wasn't a fan of having her tummy massaged. I can only assume that other babies out there feel the same way about other body parts. I would trade one of the early chapters in the book with a few around how to overcome or even accommodate fussy areas so that I could complete a full body massage and work my baby up to appreciating some of the more advanced (my term, not Vimala's) massage techniques.

The book is old but in excellent condition. I bought after attending a baby massage class

As an Indian mother, you would get to know more if you spoke to grand mothers in your community.

Very Good

Was a gift to a staff member, but she really liked it!

Bought this for a friend. The information is great and user-friendly. My only criticism is the book is a very plain paperback, i.e., the paper feels cheap and there are no color photos. I would love it to be a beautiful book to look at, for any new parent and/or for giving as a baby gift.