Mosman Infant Massage

Your Massage Journey

You can begin your baby massage practice simply by contacting us now.

We offer practical sessions for parents and primary carers located in the lower North Shore.

We provide structured sessions so you learn correct massage techniques with a focus on safety, motion, and connection through soothing strokes.

Individual sessions and group classes available.

Individual instruction requires two 90 minutes sessions.

Group classes involve a series of four classes of one hour duration.

Prices are comparable to infant swimming lessons.

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Baby Massage

We begin by settling and focusing our selves: baby massage is a quiet time for both infants and parents and both benefit from the practice.

We next learn to read the cues of your baby. Our baby massage practice is responsive and baby driven and you will be shown how to read your baby’s cues. We are not given parent manuals however we can learn our baby’s communication.

Structured strokes and routine are demonstrated on life size dolls which you can copy and practice with supportive guidance either on your baby or on the life-size dolls.

We can provide pure organic oils which are appropriate to use for baby massage based on the best available research today.

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Your Instructor

Dr Nicola Gates

Like all parents, and as a psychologist, I wanted to do the best I could for my children so I learnt to massage my babies 28 years ago.

I worked as a registered clinical neuropsychologist for thirty years and realised the best way to help the next generation of parents and infants was to help them to develop secure attachments. Accordingly, I decided to train to be an infant massage instructor as my ‘post-menopause’ career to help new parents.

I am a certified Infant Massage Instructor which is supported by my 30 years prior work as a psychologist and health educator.

See the post below about being part of a village.

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New Connections – Posts

It Takes a Village To Raise A Child

by Dr N Gates

Massage Supports Emotional Regulation

by Dr N Gates

Gentle Baby Massage: Building Bonding Through Touch

by Dr N Gates

“It takes a village to raise a child”.

Throughout much of human history, women typically gave birth and raised children within groups of other women—often their relatives, many of whom were post-menopausal.  Human babies are helpless, and the mother and infant dyad are vulnerable, for such a prolonged period that the presence of allomaternal assistance ensures survival. 

The loss of the village and increasing dislocation and isolation in society today means many  new parents have no support. A 2006 study indicated that 30% of new mothers in Australia report anxiety and stress, and research in 2012 found up to 80% of new parents felt unprepared and anxious.   Being taught infant massage has been shown to increase maternal confidence and decrease stress and anxiety, and as maternal confidence is an indicator of parent child relationships, improving confidence benefits parent-infant attachment. Additional research indicates that reduced parent anxiety decreases infant anxiety  and improves interactions, improves sleep and less cry time which in turn improves parent’s quality of life and bonding. A positive reinforcing cycle.

I could not think of anything better to do in my post-menopause life than to help new parents get on that positive cycle and thereby to help infants to develop deep bonds and secure attachment to their primary carers.