Health and Community

Tailored Paediatric & Infant Massage Support

Evidence-based safe approach endorsed by researchers , scientists and healthcare professionals

Workshops & Presentations

• Interactive sessions for hospitals, clinics, and community groups.

• Customised content for neonatal, paediatric, and maternal health teams.

Consultations

• Individual or team consultations to develop strategies for family engagement, program integration, and clinical support.

Community Outreach & Sponsorship

• Collaborations to support families in need through tailored programs, workshops, and sponsorship initiatives.

Our workshops, presentations, and consultations are designed to complement existing clinical care, providing evidence-based strategies that support families and improve outcomes. By integrating paediatric and infant massage practices into care pathways, we help healthcare providers enhance family engagement and wellbeing while supporting neonatal and paediatric development.

Research & Evidence

There is a wealth of research, including systematic reviews and clinical trials, demonstrating the benefits of paediatric and infant massage. These studies highlight improvements in neonatal outcomes, family engagement, maternal mental health, and overall developmental support.

To make this evidence easily accessible, we have put together a printable report:
Paediatric Massage Care: An Evidence-Based Review for Healthcare Professionals < DOWNLOAD

This concise report summarises the top research findings, providing healthcare teams with practical insights to:

• Support neonatal and paediatric clinical care
  

• Improve parent-infant bonding and family confidence

• Integrate infant massage into maternal and community health program

Key Findings at a Glance

• Significant Weight Gain for Preterm Infants:
  Research shows moderate-pressure massage can lead to an average daily weight gain of 63.04g in very low birth weight infants.1

• Reduced Hospital Stays and Costs:
  This improved weight gain and feeding tolerance can lead to a hospital stay that is 3-6 days shorter. This reduction in hospital stay results in an approximate $10,000 in hospital cost savings per infant, a specific figure that originated from a 2004 cost-benefit analysis by Field, Hernandez-Reif, & Freedman.2

• Effective Pain Management:
  A majority of clinical trials found that massage significantly reduces procedural pain in hospitalized children, providing a valuable non-pharmacological tool.3

• Benefits for Parents:
  Parents who performed massage on their infants reported lower levels of stress, anxiety, and depression, while experiencing an increase in confidence and attachment.5

References

1. Infant massage therapy significantly enhances weight gain and reduces the time to achieve full feeding in VLBW preterm infants.

2. The greater weight gain documented by several investigators is associated with 3-6 days shorter hospital stays. A recent cost-benefit analysis suggested a hospital cost savings of approximately $10,000 per infant (or 4.7 billion dollars across the 470,000 preterm infants born each year) (Field, Hernandez-Reif & Freedman, 2004).

3. Eight [clinical trials] reported statistically significant reductions in pain after MT compared to standard care. Pain was measured using validated pain scales, or physiologic indicators.

4. Massage therapy reduces the pain perception of children, relaxes them physically, and reduces their negative feelings and thoughts, while also promoting tissue oxygenation and endorphin release.

5. Parents who performed massage with their infants in the NICU reported experiencing less stress, anxiety, and depression.

6. Parent-administered infant massage is a well-established, safe intervention for preterm infants with many developmental benefits, but the published literature has mostly examined its impact on infants and parents through self-reported or observational measures of stress.