POLOKWANE – When you hear the word ‘spa’, thoughts of hot stone massages, manicures, pedicures and facials come to mind.

At a baby spa, however, your child will not get a manicure or pedicure, but there will be massages.

At Little Splash Baby, you as a parent will learn to massage your baby and owner Marzanne Schenker explains the benefits of learning how to massage your baby as well as hydrotherapy.

“Baby massage is a wonderful way for a parent to bond with their baby. Establishing a strong bond early in your baby’s life will improve communication. It also helps with circulation and stimulates all the body’s systems like the respiratory, nervous, immune and endocrine. It also helps relieve colic, constipation, wind as well as teething comfort.”

At the end of the day, the baby will sleep better resulting in well-needed rest. The benefits for the parents include the opportunity for closeness and focused time together,

“It also increases the parent’s ability to help their child relax when he/she is stressed. A massage is also a great way for parents to bond with adopted children or for a father to spend special time with their baby.”

Marzanne also offers another service for parents called hydrotherapy.

“It is not therapy though as we place a floatie around your baby’s neck. The floatie does not choke the baby, as it rests on the chin and the big flat bone at the back of their head. We must remember that the baby becomes weightless when in water and the floatie is just keeping the baby afloat vertically in the water.”

Marzanne says hydrotherapy is good for both the baby’s physical and mental health as it helps to reduce gas in colicky babies, enhances physical development and supports mental development

Marzanne also says hydrotherapy stimulates your baby and it is a unique sensory experience.

“Hydrotherapy helps your baby to develop water orientation so that the transition to swimming lessons is easier.”

Children with special needs such as cerebral palsy also benefit from hydrotherapy as it helps with low muscle tone and movement.

The massage and the hydrotherapy, she says, can be combined.