How to massage a child 9-12 months?

Large babies, like small ones, really need a massage. Therefore, do not think that the need for such procedures decreases as your toddler grows. The last quarter of the first year of a child’s life is very important for his physical development, and massage will help parents give the child a good physical basis for preparing for an ambulance walking. We will tell about how to massage a child aged 9-12 months and what to pay special attention at this age in this material.

By 9 months, your baby has mastered many new movements and skills. He is no longer the helpless little ball that you brought from the hospital. Usually at 9-12 months, children perfectly change the position of their body in space, turn from side to side, from back to side and on the stomach, from the abdomen to the back, etc. The children sit, and sit on their own. Many crawl perfectly and are already trying to get up. Some are well in the arena or crib and are already trying to take the first steps.

The load on the musculoskeletal system of the rolling and inquisitive child has increased tenfold, especially if the toddler is overweight. Massage in this case will help to compensate for the load, to distribute it correctly, so that the musculoskeletal system, all bones, joints and ligaments develop harmoniously and correctly.

A child at the specified age is well developed passive speech. Even if he does not speak clear words, then believe me, he perfectly understands what adults are saying. Massage, accompanied by games, communication, exercises and gymnastics, contributes to the development of speech, psychomotor, emotional sphere of the child.

As at an earlier age, massage in the last months of the first year of life strengthens the immune system. Children to whom parents continue to do massage are less likely to get sick, develop more intensively. Massage procedures allow you to soothe a hyperactive child and encourage obvious phlegmatic. And, of course, massage is strongly indicated for children who suffer from physical retardation.

Parents who practiced massage for up to 9 months are usually well aware that it is strictly forbidden to hold another session with a child with fever or fever. Contraindications also include:

• cutting teeth;
• bad mood and moodiness of the child;
• infectious and non-infectious diseases associated with skin rashes, pustules, eczema, diaper rash, etc .;
• epilepsy and craving;
• mental illnesses;
• general malaise;
• hernia of any localization.

As your baby has grown, it will be difficult to have a massage at 9.10, 11 and 12 months on the table or the changing table. Moreover, the child spins and turns over, which is fraught with his falling from a height and receiving fractures and head injuries. At this age, experienced parents usually carry out massage and gymnastics on the floor. To do this, you will need a gymnastic polyurethane foam mat that does not let the cold from the floor, a clean and dry diaper with which you can cover the mat for the duration of the massage, and a small oilcloth,which will save your carpet and rug - "foam", if suddenly the baby is described during the session.

Also prepare in addition all that you may need for a preventive procedure - hypoallergenic massage oil, baby cream, wet wipes. Also prepare toys, balls, fitball and everything that you use for the exercises that follow after the massage.

The air temperature in the room should not exceed 21 degrees Celsius. The room should be fairly humid. 50-70% - recommended indicative of humidity.

As in the younger age, it is important to choose the right time for the session - you should not massage the child immediately after eating - it can vomit, and physical exercise can make digestion difficult. A hungry baby should also not be forced to impose developmental activities, he will cry and resent, which obviously will not benefit either the child or the psyche of his mother. An hour before feeding or an hour after feeding is the best time for massage and gymnastics. If you are doing a soothing massage, spend it in the evening before bathing and going to bed. Developing and firming massage is best carried out in the first half of the day, since it tones up the nervous system, it is quite difficult to fall asleep after it.

Massage to a child from 9 to 12 months is still a classic one, including rubbing, kneading, and vibrating effects. But it differs from the infant classical massage in that it allows more intensive rubbing and kneading of muscles, the duration of each technique increases, and the session itself together with the gymnastic complex now lasts not 15 minutes as before, but 40 minutes.

Many exercises will now be conducted in close cooperation with the baby, because he already knows how to fulfill some of the requests of the mother, for example, roll over on the tummy, if asked about it. Mom will have to put a lot of imagination in order to make the massage for the child interesting and fascinating - now it’s impossible to entertain him with rhymes and pies. We need new impressions, new items and their competent application.

It is recommended to do massage and a set of exercises for children of the specified age category according to the method of Irina Krasikova - the famous doctor of physical therapy in pediatrics and one of the best teachers of children's massage in Russia. It takes into account not only the fact that the child’s muscles can be massaged in a passive state, but also recommends giving them a simultaneous physiological load. In more detail, let's consider her method for children 9-12 months.

Get ready for the fact that the massage complex will be performed in different initial positions, both lying and standing, and sitting. Begin a massage from a standing position (if the child is 10-11 months old) or from a sitting position if he is less than 20 months old.

The first exercise is boxing. Rub the child's hands with warm hands, warm them, put rattles or other interesting objects in his hands, which he can grasp entirely. Alternately, holding the handles by the elbows, make boxing movements, inserting them forward.

The legs are massaged in the initial position lying on the floor. Start with the fingers, go to the heel. Pay attention to the area of ​​the foot - its massage should be selective, differentiated. If the baby gets up on its feet with support on the inside of the foot, massage the outside, if it rests on the outside, massage the inside of the arch. This will help strengthen the muscles of the feet for the correct position of the legs. The foot massage also includes the rubbing and kneading of the legs, sides and back of the thigh. Knee and popliteal cavity do not touch.

According to the Krasikova method, the massaging of the legs should be completed with bends and extensions, both simultaneous and synchronous, and alternating (“Bicycle”).

After a massage of the abdomen and chest in the prone position, which is a soft rub, ask the child to roll over on the right and left side, then on the stomach. Coups should be made 5-6 times. After that, you can massage the back, stroking it, but avoiding effects on the vertebrae in particular, and the entire spinal column as a whole.

When massaging the back, parents should definitely follow the procedure: first rub their back with their palms, then massage their long longitudinal muscles with tweaks, use sawing movements with the edges of the palms. Go from the neck to the buttocks. When the skin of the back becomes pink, the effect is stopped.

After the back massage, start lifting the child from horizontal to vertical position. To do this, let him grab your fingers and first put the child on your knees, and then gently pull your arms higher so that the baby starts lifting with the support on the feet.

After that you can go to the slopes. Turn the baby to his back, with his hands, support him by the knees so that they do not bend, and by the tummy to hold the body. Before the baby on the floor, put a bright object or toy. He with your help should bend down without bending the legs, and lift the object. If a child does not know how to stand without support, it should not be done.

For children who have learned to stand in a crib or playpen, squats will be helpful. To do this, they are taken by the hands and crouched with them several times.

Breast massage is carried out by stroking the upper and lower chest and a slight vibrating tapping in the intercostal space. After breast massage, go to the arms. In Irina Krasikova, in the course description this exercise is called “Wheelbarrow”. From a prone position, lift the legs and move along the rug with the baby, which will rest on the handles in the direction of a beautiful toy.

The massage is completed by general gentle stroking and praise, after which you can try to walk. Put your child back to yourself so that his feet are on your top. Offer him a walk. Take a few steps together at a slow pace. Hold the child’s arms behind the body.

Make sure that the ratio of passive techniques (when the mother rubs, kneads, massages, strokes the child lying quietly) and active techniques (when efforts are needed from the baby - coups, legs up, legs up) is approximately equal.

Be sure to check with your doctor about the possibility of verticalization exercises. If the child is 9 months old and he is not worth it and is crawling with difficulty, such exercises should be replaced with exercises on all fours that stimulate more active crawling. If you do not take into account the individual characteristics of the baby (weak back, weak abdominal muscles, etc.), it is possible to harm the crumbs.

According to the reviews of young mothers, not all children aged 9 to 12 months are delighted with the techniques and exercises they offer. Some toys are impossible to lure any toys to such a strengthening massage. The main difficulty lies in the fact that laying the child on his back for a massage or an active element of the program is almost impossible. The kid immediately tries to get up.

Experienced mothers and pediatric doctors advise against this only by concentrating children's attention on some very interesting subject.Many children, according to reviews of mothers, at this age, pediatricians and neurologists find reduced muscle tone and massage is recommended without fail.

Many mothers tend to completely abandon the massage at the age of 9 to 12 months, if there is no appointment and the baby is healthy. Too much energy and nerves are taken away by massage, if the child needs to be constantly calmed down and fought for his attention. Attempts to drive children at this age to massage therapists are usually even less successful.

How to make a baby massage for children from 9 to 12 months, see the next video.