Bath time is all about quality one-on-one time
YOUR baby’s bath time is about so much more than getting him clean.
It’s a whole multi-sensory experience, which — according to research — carries benefits for baby that include better sleep quality, increased brain development, better bonding, improved weight gain, and reduced stress.
At bath time, your baby’s experience is tactile with skin-on-skin touch as parent holds/massages baby; visual with bubbles and toys; auditory with water pouring; and olfactory if bath is gently scented.
“Bath time is an ideal opportunity for skin-to-skin contact and direct eye contact between parent and baby. It’s an opportunity to introduce new textures, sounds and smells.
"A baby’s brain creates a lot of new neural connections — stimulating the senses promotes long-term survival of these connections,” says infant massage instructor Paula Moriarty, a spokesperson for Johnson’s ‘So Much More’ campaign, which highlights the science behind sensory stimulation in child development.
According to a study published in the Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, infants who experienced routine touch and massage were 50% more likely to make eye contact and three times more likely to have an overall positive expression.
Enjoyable, familiar scents have been shown to improve babies’ mood and alertness. Studies show babies given a fragranced bath display 30% more engagement cues with their parent after the bath and spend nearly 25% less time crying before sleep.
Moriarty cites a 2006 US study that found mothers’ depressed mood and anxiety levels are reduced after massaging their pre-term infants — mothers who massaged their babies showed less anxiety after the session than the group who simply observed their infants being massaged.
Campaign ambassador, TV presenter, and first-time mum Karen Koster says she hadn’t realised the fun she has with Finn in the bath is having such an impact on his development.
“Bath time in our house is [when] the volume levels come down, [giving] us a chance for some quality one-on-one time with Finn. In the beginning he was suspicious of bath time. We introduced it slowly a few minutes every other day.
“Now it’s amazing to watch him explore and be curious in the bath. He loves when bubbles are added and raises his hands and feet in the air to feel the sensation of gently pouring running water.”
* Add bubbles and use a gentle scent, something that won’t overpower.
* Talk to baby and play music — this will aid long-term language skills.
* Have direct eye-to-eye contact with baby.
* Follow bath with massage.
Visit www.johnsonsbaby.ie for more info, expert advice and baby massage techniques.
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