When green hand parents embark on the road of parenting, they often feel overwhelmed by how to raise a newborn. In fact, baby’s intellectual development can be improved by a few daily behaviors.
1. Touch Baby’s Feet
The baby’s metabolism is strong, and the capillaries and peripheral nerves of foot skin are abundant. Therefore, massage is conducive to enhancing the peripheral circulation of the limbs, promoting the blood circulation of the foot and the whole body, which is beneficial to growth and development, disease resistance and cold tolerance.
Tips: Hold baby’s leg and roll them up and down, rubbing the ankles and soles of baby’s feet at the same time.
2. Touch Baby’s Hands
Touching fingers can stimulate the baby’s perception ability. At the same time, the coordination ability and grasping ability of babies can also be exercised.
Tips: Hold the baby’s small arms with both hands and start rolling them up and down, and gently flick the baby's wrists and small hands. Under the premise of ensuring that baby’s hands will not injured, massage with the thumb from the palm to the fingers. Be careful not to put pressure on the joints.
3. Touch Baby’s Tummy
As babies lack a sense of security, frequent stroking of their little tummies will make them feel comfortable, thus helping them to sleep well. Daily physical communication with the baby in this way also helps to enhance the parent-child relationship and can effectively reduce the baby’s crying.
Tips: The index and middle fingers move in turn from the baby’s lower right abdomen to the upper abdomen to the lower left abdomen, drawing a semicircle in a clockwise direction. Be careful to avoid the umbilicus of the newborn.
4. Touch Baby’s Back
Regularly stroking your child's back can speed up blood circulation and allow for better qi and blood flow, which has a calming effect and helps your baby fall asleep as soon as possible, while also promoting spinal development.
Tips: Massage from the back of baby’s neck toward the lumbosacral area with two hands.Then gently massage the muscles on both sides of the spine with fingertips from the neck to the lumbosacral area again.
To sum up, parents should pay more attention to the baby’s reaction when touching them, and choose the right force and technique to massage.
