Massaging your child once you've started can become a lifetime activity you share together. i still massage,

(we call it sports massage) my teenage sons and they do a mean shoulder rub, so it does pay off! 

Here are some guidelines for keeping massage going as they go through the stages of childhood.

The crawling stage

• Don’t be disheartened if your baby isn’t so interested in massage at this stage

• If they’re happy massage the bit in front of you

• Shorten the massage, concentrating on the songs and exercises and slip in a stroke in between

• At about 18 months they will be still enough to for a longer massage again

• Baby yoga can be a good thing to do at this age

Toddlers and Pre-schoolers

• Let your child choose where they want to be massaged on chair or bed etc

• Let them choose which part of the body they want massaged

• Include nursery rhymes, songs and music

• Naming parts of the body as you go helps develop body awareness

• Massage can be integrated with story telling e.g make a pizza on the back or be a car wash

• Your child can also do the same to you

Older children and teenagers

• Try calling it something different like sports massage

• You can put a sleeping bag on the floor, cover with a towel and light candles and make it ‘special’

• Give them plenty of control, where, when, which parts of the body

• Be sensitive to their nudity, ask if its OK if you pull pants or boxers down to get to lower back, with boys avert eyes when privates are exposed to show them you’ll respect their privacy