Infants are commonly given a massage with oil before sleep during the first few months of their lives Field In many areas of India, the traditional daily massage routine begins in the first few days after birth and each body part is systematically stretched and vigorously rubbed before infants are swaddled Field The popularity of infant massage has spread to western cultures and researchers initially became interested in evaluating the benefits for high-risk infants, with the majority of studies being conducted with pre-term infants in neonatal care units where the environment is stressful and lacking in tactile stimulation Field ; Vickers The introduction of infant massage into western cultures during the latter half of the twentieth century coincided with the rapid development of multi-disciplinary knowledge about infant mental health.
Parenting support interventions such as Sure Start in the UK began to advocate infant massage as a way of increasing 'bonding and attachment' although the National Evaluation of Sure Start found the evidence to support the intervention disappointingly anecdotal. Field highlighted the importance of researchers addressing the question of whether infant massage is an effective medium for enhancing infants' primary caregiving relationships.
In Underdown et al conducted a systematic review of infant massage and this was published by the Cochrane Collaboration. This review aimed to assess the impact of infant massage on mental and physical outcomes for healthy infants in the first six months of life. A total of 23 randomised controlled trials were included but it was only possible to combine the results of the included studies for a small number of outcomes. The results of nine studies provide some evidence suggestive of improved mother-infant interaction, improved sleep and relaxation, reduced crying and a beneficial impact on a number of physiological processes.
Results showing a significant impact on the number of illnesses were limited to a study of Korean orphanage infants. There was no evidence of any impact on infant growth, attachment, temperament, psychomotor or mental development. These results provided tentative evidence to support current practice with regard to the teaching of infant massage within the community during the first six months of life, but fall short of the evidence needed to recommend universal provision.
The review highlighted the need for further research to identify the relative benefits of the different approaches to infant massage, the best approach to teaching parents and the optimum frequency and intensity. The popularity of infant massage is increasing and it is important that commissioners, early years' professionals and parents are able to access the most up-to-date evidence about the effectiveness of this intervention.
