In this article, I want to educate you on a type of massage you can do on your infant to help relive gas and constipation. This massage can help get gas to move through your baby’s gut. If your baby has stuck fecal matter, this massage can also help bring relief for that. Keep reading to learn the “LOVE” massage for gas and constipation!
What Is This Massage Good For?
The “LOVE” massage is good to use on babies who are suffering from colic, gas or constipation. Hopefully your baby isn’t suffering from ALL of those things at once, but the “LOVE” massage will definitely help get things moving within your baby’s intestines. If we can help move things along in your baby’s gut, it will help relieve gas and constipation sooner.
If your baby is suffering from colic, but you’re unsure of what the root reason is, be sure to check out the other related articles on colic at the end of this article!
Who Is This Massage Good For?
The “LOVE” massage can be done in babies. How soon can you do this massage on your baby? This massage is safe to do even on newborns. Be sure to follow the correct steps below. Also, be sure that you do not press hard on your baby’s stomach. That could hurt them! Applying just a light amount of pressure is plenty to help get gas and stuck bile moving.
Use Essential Oils To Help Bring Extra Calm
If you enjoy using essential oils, you can use them to bring additional calm and relaxation to your baby. Now, there are certain essential oils that should not be used on or around (like diffusing) around infants or young children. This is because their bodies are too sensitive to these essential oils. To learn which essential oils to avoid, read my article Essential Oil For Breastfeeding.
Additionally, you will need to properly dilute essential oils in a carrier oil before applying it to your infant’s tummy. To learn how to appropriately dilute essential oils on infants, check out the images below!
For Ages 0-3 Months
It is important to dilute essential oils prior to applying them to the skin. This is because essential oils are highly concentration oils from plants. If not diluted, they can burn the skin. Personally, I have had this happen to me and it’s not fun!
We do not want to accidently burn our baby’s skin! To prevent this and other poor side effects, be sure to follow the instructions below for diluting essential oils for use on infants and children.
If you don’t know what kind of carrier oil to use on infants, coconut oil or olive oil will make a great, natural carrier oil.
For Ages 3-24 Months
Follow the instructions on this image for proper dilution of essential oils for children ages 3-24 months of age.
How To Do The “LOVE” Massage
Here comes the fun part! Actually learning how to do the “LOVE” massage! So there’s a few things to know first before starting this massage. First, you want to understand how gas and bile move through your baby’s gut. This is so that you rub your fingers on your baby’s tummy in the correct direction. We want to go with the movement of gas and bile, not against it.
So when elements move through your baby’s colon, it moves from the right to the left. This is baby’s right and left, not your right and left while looking at your baby! If you move your fingers from your right to your left, you will be moving against the motion of baby’s colon.
Secondly, when you do the “LOVE” massage, have your pointer finger and middle finger together.
Thirdly, as a reminder, don’t press hard on your baby’s stomach. You may be eager to get things moving, but pushing too hard can hurt your baby. Light pressure is plenty to help encourage movement in your baby’s colon.
For more tips on how to prepare your baby for a massage, read my article Colic Massage For Baby.
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Step 1 – The “I”
In this massage we will be doing the I, L, and U letters. These are the letters that stand for “I love you”. That’s why this massage is called the “LOVE” massage.
For the “I”, you will be starting by placing your pointer and middle fingers just under your baby’s rib cage on the left side of their body. This will be your right.
Then gently rub your fingers down to the crease of their left leg. This follows the motion of the descending colon in your baby’s gut. Repeat this motion 3 times on your infant.
Refer to the image below for more understanding on this step.
Step 2 – The “L”
The next letter you will “draw” on your baby’s tummy is an upside down “L”. Start by placing your pointer and middle fingers just under your baby’s rib cage on the right side of their body. This will be your left. Gently rub your fingers across their tummy to their left side – or your right. Remember, everything in your baby’s gut is moving from the right to the left in the colon.
Then, with your fingers under your baby’s rib cage on their left side, your right, run your fingers down to the crease of their left leg. This forms an upside down “L” shape. Repeat this motion 2-3 times.
Step 3 – The “U”
The last shape you will “draw” on your baby is an upside down “U”. This motion will completely follow the motion of the colon from one side of your baby’s body to the other side.
First, start with your pointer and middle fingers on the leg crease on your baby’s right side. Then go upward to your baby’s rib cage, across their stomach, and down to the leg crease on baby’s left side. This motion forms an upside down “U”. Repeat this motion 2-3 times on your baby.
Leave A Comment!
What did you find most helpful from this article? How did your baby respond to the “LOVE” massage? Leave a comment below and share it with us!
Want To Learn More?
If you would like to learn more about colic or how to help relieve the symptoms of colic in your baby, check out these other related articles below!
About Windi – The Farter Tube For Baby
Getting In Public With A Colicky Baby
How To Overcome Guilt As A Mother With A Colicky Baby