Infant Massage Courses

Krista Kahmann

is a Licensed Massage Therapist and Certified Infant Massage Instructor through the International Association of Infant Massage (IAIM). The purpose of the IAIM is to promote nurturing touch and communication through training, education, and research so that parents, caregivers and children are loved, valued and respected throughout the world community. IAIM was founded in 1976 by Vimala McClure and now has chapters in more than 70 countries with Instructors that come from various backgrounds, have extensive training that is internationally recognized and are dedicated to enhancing the parent-infant relationship

So you may be asking yourself, what is the IAIM program and Infant Massage? I like to think of infant massage and the IAIM program as a tool. Parenthood is full of joy but comes with a lot of new challenges to overcome. This tool helps parents to understand and enjoy their baby more, to reduce abuse and post natal depression, to help enhance parents confidence, and to help reduce parent isolation. The IAIM program is simple and enjoyable for both babies and parents and includes massage and discussions while blending in knowledge and practice.

Benefits

The benefits of infant massage may seem obvious as you are giving your baby a massage, who wouldn’t be relaxed right? In IAIM we like to break down benefits to the baby in four main categories: interaction, stimulation, relaxation and relief.

Interaction: This can be described as use of senses, verbal and non verbal communication, promoting secure attachment, contact with both parents, feeling respected, loved, nurturing touch.

Stimulation: This helps with language development, muscular development and tone, elimination, growth, and stimulation of body systems – circulatory, digestive, hormonal, immune, lymphatic, nervous, etc.

Relaxation: Helps to increase sleep pattern, increase environmental coping mechanisms, improves regulation of self-regulation, normalizing muscle tone, raises levels of oxytocin and serotonin, lowers levels of cortisol(stress) and norepinephrine (pain).

Relief: Aids in gas and colic relief, constipation and elimination, GI cramps, growing pains, teething discomforts, disorganization of nervous system, and physical and psychological tension.

In addition to the countless benefits for the baby, there are many benefits to parents, families and society that may be less obvious but are equally wonderful!

When most hear Infant massage you relate it to your knowledge of massage and most assume I will be giving the baby a massage. In actuality, my goal is to promote bonding and nurturing touch by teaching the parents how to massage their baby. Over the five week course, each course being a 90 minute class one day a week, I educate parents on infant cues, behavior states, communication and much more while teaching a full massage sequence as well as a gas and colic routine. My classes are taught in a group course and all baby run. This allows the parent to do what is needed to care for their child while I work to empower the parents.

"Becoming a parent is the hardest job you will ever love. I take the gravity of my job seriously, as I get to support parents as they shape the future. I aim to provide my classes with the tools to help them love every second of the amazing journey that is parenthood."
-Krista Kahmann