When a baby enters this world, for them to survive touch is a necessity for them to thrive physically and emotionally. As time goes by, it has been documented throughout history and more proving research is finding that humans need physical and emotional contact displayed towards them through love and affection displaying the warm embrace of positive touch.
Studies are finding that babies and children who are deprived this love and nurturing state plays a huge effect in their emotional and psychological development. When a baby or child is not receiving love and affection, it can have major implications in the development for them to grow physically, mentally, and emotionally. Infant massage is a wonderful way that a parent and their child can build a healthy and trusting bonding between them. This is a wonderful opportunity for the baby or child to learn about positive touch and for the parent to learn about their baby or child’s body language through a bonding processing. Infant massage also has so many profound benefits for the overall wellness physically and mentally for all involved. Massage is an extension of our loving touch:
Touch is the first sense developed in the womb. Babies thrive on a lot of physical contact; this makes them feel relaxed and loved.
Bonding and attachment. Touch ensures bonding between a parent and their baby. Allows time for you and your baby to connect on a natural, loving, and organic level.
Case Study - Benefits of Positive Touch
For parents massaging their baby, it helps them with relaxation, developing sensitivity, confidence building and helps build parent child relationships. There has been research evidence where a study was carried out in Australia in 1992. This research was carried out with fathers and their babies to assess the impact of baby massage on father child relationships. A group of fathers were shown how to massage their 4-week-old baby and were asked to do this for the duration of the study. Another group of fathers were also watched but did not massage their baby. It was shown after 12 weeks old, babies who were massaged, greeted their fathers with more eye contact, smiling, vocalising, and touch that those in the control group. They showed more orientating responses to their fathers, and less avoidance behaviour.
The fathers showed greater day to day involvement with their infant’s, baby massage allows fathers and babies to enjoy the skin to skin contact that mothers often experience through breastfeeding, that fathers miss out on. By fathers massaging their infant they become to understand their child’s rhythms and responses and become more confident about handling them. (Baby Massage The Calming Power of Touch, pg.12. Dr. Alan Heath & Nicki Bainbridge. 2004) So, when an infant is exposed to touch, and touch through massage you are embedding your child with love and affection and teaching them basic survival skill of touch and human instinct. You are also developing skills and caring for your baby physically, mentally, and emotionally and building your bond between you and your baby. This will lead to your child having confidence and independence later in life.
Respecting Children's Rights
All children deserve to be respected, loved, heard and to be taken seriously; this can be achieved from the moment a child is born into this world. Just because a child is a newborn does not mean they are any less worthy. It is your responsibility as parent if a child is in your care to treat them with respect and to give them the best chance and quality of life. As a parent you have the responsibility to educate them about human rights and how children and adults deserve to be treated as equal in society no matter your colour, race or country people are from.
Everyone is equal and deserves to be treated with humility. The UNIECF (United Nations Children Fund) is an organisation which works across the globe reaching more than 190 countries and territories around our planet. The UNIECF works with disadvantaged children and adolescents. They work to help ensure children can survive and reach their best given potential from the early childhood years and up. The UNIECF has created: Convention Rights of the Child. This is an agreement of countries who promised to care and protect the rights of a child. With this agreement there is an adult version for what is accepted and must adhere to for the countries who are part of the organisation. There is also a child version which children can access and have a sound and solid understanding of their rights in which they can read and understand to their level of comprehension. Our country Australia is part of this organisation ensuring with giving children the best quality of life. Child Protection In Australia primary legislation for protecting children is known as The Child Protection Act. This law states that persons who provide a service to children underage of legally being an adult (18 years) are required by law to report any signs of suspected abuse.
Child protection legislation The Child Protection Act 1999 is the legal framework guiding the Department of Children, Youth Justice and Multicultural Affairs in child protection. Core principles of the Act in relation to child protection are:
- The welfare and best interests of the child are paramount.
- The preferred way of ensuring a child’s welfare is through support of the child’s family.
- Intervention is not to exceed the level necessary to protect the child.
- Family participation in planning and decision making for children.
- Consultation with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander agencies in decision-making regarding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children.
- Children and families have a right to information.
- Services are to be culturally appropriate.
- Coordination, consultation and collaboration with families, other professionals, agencies, and the community.
- Accountability of the department.