In our recent Child Life Q&A, we met with Hope for HIE's Child Life Specialist and Grief Counselor, Annie Gunning, to talk about a powerful, simple tool for connection: infant massage.
For families who have experienced a NICU stay, medical trauma, or disrupted early bonding, this conversation offered reassurance and hope. Below are the key takeaways — plus details about our upcoming infant massage educational sessions in March.
Missed the live Q&A? No worries. We took notes, and like any good partner, we're willing to share.
Child life specialists are experts in child development and family dynamics, helping them navigate the emotional and psychological impact of hospitalizations, diagnoses, and life-changing events. They focus on supporting the child and the whole family, using their knowledge to ask, "How can we make this experience better for everyone involved?"
Child life services have roots as far back as the 1920s, when hospital volunteers used play to help children cope. But the profession really came into its own in the 1960s, thanks to Emma Plank. Her groundbreaking book, Working with Children in Hospitals, provided a blueprint for addressing the unique needs of children during hospital stays and is still considered foundational in the field today.
Over the years, child life has grown far beyond hospital playrooms. Today, child life specialists provide support in a wide variety of settings, tailoring their care to meet the needs of both patients and their families. Whether offering emotional guidance, helping siblings adjust, or educating parents about medical procedures, child life professionals create a more supportive healthcare experience for everyone involved.
And now, let's fast forward to Annie's role as the Child Life Specialist at Hope for HIE. Her main objective is to help children and families navigate medicalized life by empowering and supporting both children and their caregivers and fostering the ability to advocate for their needs while simultaneously reducing stress, pain, and anxiety. This often looks like support for patients and their families facing surgeries, tests, procedures, diagnoses, and hospitalizations by offering preparation, creating personalized coping plans, providing education, fostering creative expression, and incorporating medical play.
Infant massage is a gentle, parent-led practice that promotes bonding, relaxation, and connection. It is not physical therapy or medical treatment. Instead, it’s an intentional way for caregivers to communicate love and safety through touch.
Modern infant massage education was developed in the 1970s by Vimala McClure, who drew from Indian massage, Swedish massage, and reflexology traditions. The strokes include:
The focus, however, isn’t technique perfection — it’s connection.
Families in the HIE community often describe early days filled with monitors, procedures, and fear — instead of the quiet bonding time they imagined.
Infant massage offers a way to reclaim some of that connection.
It provides:
For babies who may associate touch with procedures or discomfort, massage introduces positive, loving touch — helping redefine what touch means.
Annie highlighted three foundational bonding elements:
1. Eye Contact
During massage, baby and caregiver are face-to-face, creating focused, quality interaction.
2. Skin-to-Skin Contact
Gentle stroking:
3. Vocalization & Communication
Babies begin to associate sounds — oil in your hands, soft music, your voice — with comfort and predictability. Over time, caregivers become more attuned to their baby’s cues, cries, and body language.
Infant massage isn’t just beneficial for babies.
For caregivers, it can:
In a world of appointments and therapies, massage becomes a simple moment of connection.
In most cases, yes — gentle, baby-led touch is supportive. However:
Infant massage is meant to complement therapies — not replace them. It can work beautifully alongside OT, PT, or other developmental supports.
That’s common — especially when trying something new.
Watch for cues such as:
If baby becomes overstimulated:
Pause. Comfort. Reset.
Massage can last 2–10 minutes — it does not need to be full-body. Even a few minutes on the legs or back is meaningful.
And remember — you don’t need to master every stroke. If your baby loves two leg strokes and one back stroke, that’s enough.
We’re excited to offer two closed virtual infant massage teaching sessions led by Annie:
These Zoom sessions will be low-pressure and supportive demonstrations that focus on simple, tolerable strokes and bonding with your infant.
Primary age range: newborn to ~24 months (with adaptations for older babies).
All you need:
Annie hopes that families feel empowered to do something meaningful and healing for their baby — something only they can do. Infant massage is a small practice that can create big moments of calm, confidence, and connection.
We hope you’ll join us in March as we learn, practice, and grow together.
Watch the full recording, along with our other Child Life Q&As, on Hope for HIE's YouTube channel under the Child Life Series playlist, or download our Key Takeaway resource for an at-a-glance look at our biggest highlights!
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