Local dad Phil Jones and baby Henry enjoy the dad’s session at the Bath Massage Company’s six-week Baby Massage course
£60 for the six-week course
www.bathbabymassage.co.uk
When my wife told me about the dad’s baby massage class that made up part of the Bath Massage Company’s six-week baby massage course, I thought it was a great idea and instantly agreed to have a go. I think it appealed to me for a number of reasons: the opportunity to have some ‘one on one’ time with our little boy Henry; to learn some massage techniques from proper instruction; and the chance to meet other Dads.
Polly, the instructor, was a very welcoming presence and quickly put us at ease, which was crucial given that this was a new experience for me. The class was held in comfortable surroundings with a nice warm room where the babies would be happy in just their nappies. Polly explained that it would basically be an abbreviated massage routine taking in all the key elements from the other five weeks of the full course.
Polly made it clear that she is used to babies behaving as they please, so if we needed to dip in and out of the class according to how our baby was responding to the massage, then that would be fine. I think all the dads were slightly apprehensive about how our little ones would react to our touch, so it was a relief to know Polly’s approach was relaxed and calming.
Learning some massage techniques that can help babies feel more comfortable if they are suffering from wind, for example, or just to put a smile on their faces, was great. The reward of a big grin when you get it right is a fantastic feeling. As you would expect, the babies all had different ideas about the positions they enjoyed and whether they wanted to stay still, but I think the babies and dads all enjoyed the experience.
A few of us – mums, dads and babies – went for a coffee afterwards, which also shows how these activities can create good social opportunities too. I would happily recommend it to other dads who would like to engage with their babies with the confidence of a caring professional who can teach and support them.
Contact Polly on 07790 007263
www.bathbabymassage.co.uk
The Bath Massage Company runs monthly baby massage courses, taking place on every Thursday morning, as well as private groups (NCT/Yoga etc) which can be booked on other days. The course is aimed at parents of babies up to the age of one year old.
The dads/partners session is part of the six week course, and usually takes place on the last session of the course. This last session is generally on a Saturday to make it easier for dads to attend.
