Infant Massage – Loving Touch Techniques for Parents & Babies
Massage is a great way to connect to your baby. Studies have shown infant massage can help babies sleep better, gain weight, reduce fussiness, improve health and relax.
Massage has been show to support physical and sensory development infants.Parents who massage their babies often experience increased closeness to and understanding of their infants, reduced stress and post-natal depression, and simply enjoy a wonderful experience with their child.
Breathing Space offers private instruction, in-person or remotely, as well as group classes. Our instructors are experienced parents and early childhood educators specifically trained in infant massage education.
Infant Massage Classes – Live, Group Instruction
Classes through Breathing Space teach parents massage techniques in a progressive sequence over several weeks – focusing on different body parts each week, which provides an opportunity to practice strokes at home between lessons. The curriculum is progressive, so drop-ins are not allowed.
While massage is appropriate for babies almost immediately, the ideal time to start a group class is when your baby is 6 weeks-6 months old, but younger and older babies are welcome. The emphasis in class is on following the baby’s cues and learning the techniques to incorporate into your home routine. Upon learning the massage skill, infant massage techniques can be helpful all the way to adolescence.
Bring your baby and your partner, if available. This is an excellent class for fathers! Pack a towel or baby blanket you do not mind getting oil on, a change of diapers, and clothes. Class sizes are kept small to ensure lots of personal attention.
Please note: Fussing and crying are expected; Your baby’s voice is welcome. Please join us.
Upcoming Classes
Registration: Our classes are offered in 3-week series; registration is required. Each registration includes one child in the indicated age range plus up to two caregivers. Twins are welcome. No additional charge for 2nd twin when attending with only one caregiver; email to let us know you are bringing twins. Multiple caregivers attending with twins should register each child; sibling discount 50%.
Read our class policies here. Then, contact us with any questions.
Private Instruction - In Person or Remote
Breathing Space teaches time-tested massage techniques for a full-body infant massage and mini-sequences that can be worked into your family routines.
Instruction can be at your location or ours. Pricing varies by the venue to account for rent or travel.
Frequently Asked Questions About Infant Massage
Our classes are generally offered in multi-week series with students committing to multiple consecutive classes. There are lots of benefits to committing to a weekly class but we understand that modern life is busy and sometimes unpredictable. If you must miss a class, you have several options to make it up:
Family, kids, and family classes require a series commitment. Need to miss due to travel, illness, or another conflict? Take advantage of our generous makeup policy.
- Take another class.
Any family member of the enrolled student may take any other appropriate* weekly class during the same semester, even in advance – this means the same class on an alternate day or something different; Use our makeup scheduler. (See instructions here. Please email if you have any questions.)
Family members should take a class appropriate for them – for example, a younger sibling and parent may attend an early childhood class or a parent may take a mat-based adult class. Exception: Yoga Trapeze classes and infant massage are only open to makeup by students enrolled in that type of class.
- Bring a friend.
If space is available in your mat-based or family yoga class, you may bring a friend as your make-up (instead of option 1). This is not allowed in trapeze yoga. Please confirm space availability with your instructor. Guests will be asked to sign a waiver upon arrival.
- Practice with our video library.
If scheduling a makeup doesn’t work for you, you can view selections from our video library and practice at home. You’ll find recordings in the Parent Portal of our registration site.
- Carry over one credit to your next series registration.
Continuing students may carry one class over into the subsequent session by taking a registration discount on your next series. See below.
Additional Detials by Class Type
Weekly Mat-based Classes (non-trapeze)
Carry-over Makeup – Mat-based
We get that scheduling a makeup class isn’t always possible, so we extend the following courtesy to continuing students: carry the value of one class over into the next semester by taking a registration discount.
Use discount code “seriesmakeup” when registering to take your credit. This only applies to students registering again for a full semester and cannot be used as a drop-in, but it can be used if you are changing class type or even the family member enrolled. Note: If you are registering multiple family members who need to take the makeup credit, each student registration will need to be its own transaction.
No other makeups are allowed after a semester ends.
Yoga Trapeze
Space is limited in Yoga Trapeze by the number of rigs, however, we have two ceiling attachments that are not included in our class capacity count, so there is usually space for makeup students in those spots.
Trapeze students or a family member may make up in any other appropriate class during the same semester time frame. There are several ways to reserve your spot in a makeup class:
- Use the makeup scheduler to reserve another Yoga Trapeze class (Note: A family member may only take a trapeze makeup if they themselves are enrolled in or have completed a semester of Yoga Trapeze or a week of camp);
- Use the discount code “trapezemakeup” to drop in to any adult-mat class – all levels, prenatal, etc; or
- Email us to let us know you’d like to attend a family class.
Carry-over Makeup – Trapeze
Continuing students may “carry one class over” into a subsequent session by taking a registration discount on your next series. Use discount code “seriesmakeup” when registering to take your credit. No other makeups are allowed after a semester ends.
Infant Massage
Because instruction is progressive and space is limited, only students enrolled in infant massage may makeup in infant massage.
Enrolled students can access an online course reviewing all the material in the live class. Additionally, because the content is always covered in the same order, infant massage students who miss are welcome to make up that same class in a subsequent series – if you miss class #2, attend the next class #2. Just email to let us know.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which class can I take as a makeup?
The only multi-week classes with a makeup restriction are yoga trapeze and infant massage. You must be enrolled in one of those classes to make up in one of them.
Otherwise, take any class appropriate for the family member doing the makeup. You can even send different family members to do the makeup class. Students may make up in any location.
For example, if you miss a baby yoga class and there isn’t another that suits your schedule, you may bring your toddler to Little Family Yoga as a makeup (baby can even tag along). If you and your child miss Little Family Yoga, you and an older child may attend family yoga, you and a younger child may attend Baby Yoga & Play, or you may attend an adult class for yourself. Anytime we have a “Pop-Up” class on the schedule, that can be a makeup.
How do I reserve a makeup class?
Our registration system has makeup reservations. Log in to the system and look for makeups in the drop-down menu under classes (this option only appears for registered students). See instructions here.
Scroll back up for special notes for Yoga Trapeze students.
I really am only able to attend a couple classes, can I drop-in?
Making Up in a Pop-Up Class or Intro to Yoga Trapeze
Occasionally we offer “Pop Up” classes not associated with a series. Advanced reservation is required. Pop-ups with insufficient registration 3 days in advance may be canceled.
Breathing Space does not allow single class drop-ins for children’s or family classes. Why?
Semester Commitment is Best for Both Students and the Program
We’ve written before about the benefits of committing to a weekly yoga class. Children, even more than adults, benefit from the consistency and progressive teaching enabled by full registration.
We understand that may be different from what you are used to with yoga classes. Kids yoga operates in an unusual context. While adult yoga classes are very often drop-in based, you cannot just occasionally show up to any other kind of teacher-directed children’s class. There’s no drop-in ballet, gymnastics, music, art, karate, etc. All of these programs require registration in a series of classes or monthly membership. This creates a stable class and allows lessons to build upon on each other.
Session Commitment Encourages Consistent Attendance
As a parent, there are tons of demands on my time and regularly attending a class requires commitment. Paying ahead of time gives me that sense of obligation to actually go every week. This is true for me with my own classes and it’s doubly true for me to motivate my child out of the house, even for activities she (or we both) adore.
Session Commitment Enhances the Student Experience
As a children’s instructor, I find:
- Drop-in classes are not in the best interest of the child. It often takes 3 or 4 classes for a child, especially a toddler, to feel comfortable with a new place, new people, and a new routine. Children benefit from repetition and structure. Since drop-in students tend to only show up once or twice a semester, they miss out on the full benefits of the experience.
- Drop-ins detract from the experience of the students who have committed to a full session of classes because my attention is drawn to the new student – on everything from taking payment and filling in the parent on policies, facilities, and expectations, to making the new child feel comfortable.
But . . .
There are two major objections that we hear from parents to registering for an entire session:
- That they aren’t sure if class will be right for their child. We get that. It can be hard to even imagine a toddler or preschooler yoga class if you’ve never attended one.
That’s why we offer a No Risk Refund Policy – Not sure if class will be right for you or your child? Register and come to the first class. If you notify us in writing within 24 hours of class that you will not be able to continue the session, you will pay only $20 for the class you attended. (See refund policies for more information.) - That they have travel or other schedule obligations that prevent full attendance. We understand schedules can be tricky. We intentionally skip holiday weekends and other high-travel times and offer a very generous make-up policy. To make up a missed class:
- Any family member may take any other appropriate class during the same session – this means a similar kids class or parents can take an adult class;
- If there is space in your class, you may bring a friend as your make-up class. Please confirm space availability with your instructor.
- Read our full make-up policy here.
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