Infant Massage, baby massage and children's Massage Expert, Tina Allen welcomes any questions relating to infant and baby massage, children's massage, pediatric massage, and massage for infants and children who are hospitalized or in hospice care.
Additionally, through her internationally recognized volunteer work, Tina has extensive experience providing massage therapy to men and women who have advanced HIV/AIDS, are elderly or living with terminal illness in hospice care.
Experience
With over a decade of service to children and families, Tina Allen, founder of leading children’s health and nurturing touch organization Liddle Kidz™, has become an internationally respected educator, author and expert in the field of infant massage and pediatric massage therapy. She is a Pediatric Massage Master Teacher, Developmental Baby Massage Teacher and a Licensed Massage Therapist with specialized training in providing massage therapy for children with special healthcare needs. She understands the varied physical and emotional needs of hospitalized and medically complex infants, children and their families. Because of her dedication to the well-being of the entire family, she has studied and become certified in pregnancy massage and is a Trainer of Peaceful Touch®, which implements a healthy touch approach for children in school based environments.
Ms. Allen began her charitable work as a volunteer massage therapist with The Heart Touch Project, a nonprofit educational and service organization dedicated to the delivery of compassionate touch to homebound and hospitalized men, women and children. As a volunteer, she has provided massage to individuals with advanced HIV/AIDS, children with special needs and senior citizens at the end of life.
Most recently, as Director of the Children’s Program for The Heart Touch Project, she provided specialized education and inspiration for massage therapists committed to addressing the needs of medically challenged infants and children who are hospitalized or in hospice care. To date, approximately sixteen hundred volunteers have participated in The Heart Touch Project, their ranks including massage therapists, physicians, physical therapists, and nurses.
In addition, Ms Allen managed the nation’s first comprehensive pediatric massage program at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA), where she trained volunteer massage therapists and medical professionals to work with hospitalized Rehabilitation patients, medically complex infants in the Center for Newborn and Infant Critical Care (CNICC), Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), Children with Retinoblastoma, Spina Bifida and Cerebral Palsy. She developed pediatric massage programs at Mattel Children’s Hospital at UCLA and Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, as well as developed a program focusing on introducing gentle compassionate touch to women and children who have survived domestic abuse.
Her innovative approach to children’s health has allowed her the unique opportunity to educate families and professionals throughout the world in the many benefits of nurturing touch. At personal request, Ms. Allen has taught in England, France, Sweden, Canada and Thailand.
Recently, Ms. Allen led a group of volunteer massage therapists to Thailand where they provided care to infants and children affected by HIV/AIDS and living in orphanages. These children, often considered untouchable, received much needed touch therapy and compassionate care. Their caregivers were taught by Ms. Allen to provide healing touch for these children, so they would continue to receive much needed “TLC” long after the volunteer group returned to the United States. She has plans to travel with another volunteer group to Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and India to provide similar care.
A widely known expert in her field, Ms. Allen has appeared on NBC, The Learning Channel’s “Bringing Home Baby”, PBS "A Place of Our Own", KCET and Your LATV. She is featured as the Infant and Children’s Massage Expert on Canadian Parents and Parent Guide Canada. Ms. Allen has also received recognition as First 5 California’s Champion for Children, was honored with the Richard Ryder Award for her dedicated and passionate service and is a 2009 Massage Therapy Hall of Fame Inductee.
Based in both Los Angeles, California & Vancouver, British Columbia, Tina Allen’s private massage therapy practice focuses on educating families in the many benefits of nurturing touch. Her organiztion Liddle Kidz offers Infant, Children's and Pediatric Massage Instruction courses internationally.
She is an invited speaker to major conferences and has presented for organizations such as Mattel Children’s Hospital at UCLA, Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, First 5 LA, Infant Childhood and Relationship Enrichment Network, Department of Mental Health, Los Angeles Child Guidance Clinic, Valley Presbyterian Hospital, Glendale Memorial Hospital, South Bay Counseling Center, PAC/LAC (Perinatal Advisory Council: Leadership Advocacy and Consultation), The International Association of Infant Massage, ELNEC (End of Life Nursing Education Consortium), Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center and major school districts throughout the United States.
Awards and Honors First 5 LA's Champion for our Children • 2009 Massage Therapy Hall of Fame Inductee • Richard Ryder Award for Dedicated and Passionate Service
Past/Present Clients Children's Hospital Los Angeles •
Mattel Children's Hospital at UCLA •
Cedars Sinai Medical Center •
TrinityKids care
Thank you for your question. Massage is very beneficial for newborns.
Clinical research has shown that massaging baby can aid in their physiological and neurological development and function, help soothe common discomforts, promote restful sleep for the infant (and in turn the caregivers), and increase healthy attachment and bonding.
Much of the research available today, supports benefits of infant massage for babies born prematurely. This research has been ongoing since the 1970's and has been conducted at various institutes with infants who were born prematurely, exposed to drugs in utero and infants that had developmental and motor problems. All categories of these babies showed benefits after receiving nurturing touch.
One specific study performed at the Touch Research Institute in Miami, was the massage of preterm infants to improve growth and development. The data of this study suggests that the growth and development of newborn infants can be facilitated by tactile-kinesthetic stimulation. Greater weight gain and superior performance on developmental assessments persisted across the first six months for the group of infants that received the massage treatment. Dr. Tiffany Field of the Touch Research Institute has suggested that these enduring effects may be mediated by better parent-infant interactions. Heightened responsiveness of the newborn infant may enhance the early parent-infant relationships which, in turn, may contribute to optimal growth and development at later stages in infancy.
Studies have shown increased weight gain, improved immune function, and myelination of nerves. All of which are needed to encourage appropriate emotional, cognitive and physical development.
Healthy, well babies can also experience a variety of behavioral and developmental improvements when they receive regular massage from their parents or caregivers. These benefits may include weight gain, neurological development and improved digestion.
In addition to the many physical benefits, massage can become a regular time for caregivers to check in with baby, alerting them to subtle changes in baby’s health, and encouraging the caregiver to communicate with baby in a language they understand – touch. If massage is a regular scheduled time of the day, it can also result in precious relaxation time for both caregiver and child. With the baby lying on their back, making eye to eye contact, they receive full focused attention that results in full communication and support. Massage enhances communication and deepens feelings of attachment between parent and baby, promoting the physical and emotional well-being of babies and young children.
Infant Massage Relaxes and Soothes
Not only will baby feel relaxed, so will you! Nurturing touch is a naturally rewarding way to relieve stress for both caregiver and baby. Touch has been shown to decrease levels of Cortisol (stress hormone) in our bodies. Cortisol is always present in our bloodstream, but high levels of this hormone can be found in our bodies during times of extreme stress. Babies who have high levels of Cortisol can experience damage to the area of their brain that controls memory and cognition – the hippocampus.
Infant Massage Deepens Bonding
Infant Massage provides the caregiver with essential one-on-one time that will enhance your bonding, understanding and ability to nurture. During massage, Oxytocin is released in both the giver and receiver’s body. Oxytocin is our feel good hormone, also known as the hormone of love. This hormone helps to provide us with loving, nurturing feelings which help us to bond. Mothers experience an increased production of Oxytocin during labor and breastfeeding, but now research shows that even close physical contact and touch stimulates Oxytocin production. This is great news for fathers, who can still produce the same hormones through the use of nurturing touch.
Infant Massage Improves Communication
Touch is our first form of communication so, it is natural to assume that communicating through touch enhances your ability to understand baby’s special needs and respond appropriately. Infant Massage increases the caregiver’s confidence and sensitivity to baby’s unique cues and forms of communication. You cannot spoil a baby by picking them up when they cry. When babies receive attentive responses to their needs, they grow to become healthier and more secure in adulthood.
Infant Massage Contributes to Development
Infant massage stimulates growth and healthy development of baby’s body, mind and spirit. Massaged babies gain healthy weight better than babies who do not receive massage. Additionally, nurturing touch helps to enhance the digestion process by stimulating our food absorption hormones - glycogen and insulin. The systems of the body are stimulated during massage which assists in the absorption of nutrients and elimination of what is not needed. For some babies infant massage has also been shown to be effective at reducing the symptoms associated with constipation, gas and colic.
Infant Massage Helps Baby to Sleep Better
Not only does massage help baby to release stress which builds daily from new experiences, it allows them to relax. During this special time, both caregiver and child have time to take a deep breath and just relax. Massaging a baby has been shown to encourage them to sleep deeper and for longer periods of time. This can translate to the caregiver being able to sleep longer as well!
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