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Bonding Through Touch

This video, produced by Three Hearts, LLC, teaches parents how to massage their infants and children with a loving touch. Massage promotes attachment and bonding by reinforcing gentle, close, loving contact between parents, siblings, and the new child.

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Bonding Through Touch: Infant Massage for Adoptive Families
© Three Hearts, LLC

Touch is the most basic level of human contact. It is needed for a child to thrive. Massage works well with any age child; however, it is easiest with infants who are not yet mobile. Many older infants and toddlers are so mobile and into their surroundings, they are not able to stay in one place for a massage, but the video covers those situations and offers logical recommendations. If you start the massage on your child while still an infant, it becomes a routine that the child will come to enjoy and cherish it throughout childhood. If you start the massage on a toddler, you might face some challenges, but the child will learn to love and enjoy the close contact with time and consistency of use.

This video was fantastic! It is easy to follow and gives wonderful knowledge and support to the parents. I tried the techniques on my 16 month old son, Michael Raleigh. He is completely and utterly into everything (as most toddlers are!) and does not like to sit still. It took me about a week of consistency for him to let me massage him for more than a few minutes at a time. The techniques definitely worked and now he throws himself tummy down on the couch for a back massage. Little by little, he lets me massage more than one area per session for longer periods of time. And best of all, my son loves the massage!

I really feel great to have that close contact with him. Michael Raleigh is so independent now, wanting to do things on his own, not wanting to hold my hand, discovering how fast he can run and climb. The massage techniques allow me to maintain a loving contact with him which is so beneficial for his development. I believe that it is reinforcing our attachment and bond to each other, especially since he is becoming such an independent toddler.

A wonderful aspect of this video is not just the ease with which parents can use the massage techniques, but how siblings can also use the same techniques. This video reinforces the beliefs of family bonding and attachment. Not just parent and child. There are segments demonstrating how a child was able to give massage to his baby brother. It really was heartwarming to see the nurturing and bonding being fostered in such a loving and caring way.

I would recommend this video not just for adoptive parents, but for any parent, adoptive or biological. The premise is the same for all: to foster attachment and bonding between family and child through massage.

 ~ Myrna Mills, Life Center of the Poconos

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