Massage Your Baby!（3）
Moves That Soothe Colic
If your infant has this problem, a massage may be his salvation—and yours! While the jury is still out on whether colic stems from tummy troubles or temperament, you can can help your child, says massage expert Wendy Dubin. These steps calm a child while stimulating his digestive system.
1. Water wheel. Make hand-over-hand strokes with the pads of your fingers, as though you were doing a gentle doggie paddle, from the bottom of his rib cage to his lower abdomen. Repeat six times.
2. Bend and bounce. Gently push your baby’s knees up to his tummy. Hold for 10 to 15 seconds, then straighten his legs and lightly bounce them. Repeat the whole routine three times. (This stimulates his colon and gets gas moving.)
3. The sun and the moon. Trace a circle (“sun”) clockwise on your baby’s tummy with your left hand. With your right hand, periodically make half-moons along your baby’s left side. (This directs air from his tummy to his colon, then out.) Walk your fingers across your baby’s belly from his right to left side. Gently push his legs back into his tummy, and hold for another 10 seconds. Then release and march your fingers across his tummy one more time.