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Baby Shiatsu

Gentle Touch to Help your Baby Thrive

Karin Kalbantner-Wernicke and Tina Haase
Foreword by Dr. Steffen Fischer
Illustrated by Monika Werneke
Translated by Anne Oppenheimer

Babies feel intuitively what scientists have needed painstaking research to establish: being touched and caressed is good for you. It makes you clever and cheerful, strengthens the parent-child bond, and lays the foundation for a healthy life.

With baby shiatsu you can support your child's development. The gentle pressure-point massage meets the needs of tiny babies. This book shows you the various shiatsu techniques step by step. The first year of life is divided into four sections:

· one to  three months
· four to six months
· seven to nine months
· ten to twelve months

There are also specific techniques to help with health problems, which can, for example, soothe tummy ache and counteract difficulty in sleeping. And there's more:

· Creating a state of calm
· Easing wind
· Calming the stomach
· Breathing freely
· For a good sleep
· Strengthening the immune system

Contents

Foreword by Dr. Steffen Fischer. Introduction. Don't Force it. About this Book. What is Shiatsu?. Baby Shiatsu: Origin, Effects and Limitations. Getting Ready for the Workout. Now let's Begin!. 1. First Quarter: Finding the Centre (The First Three Months). 1.1. Your Baby's Current State of Development. 1.2. Workout for Little Ones. 1.3. Some Exercises to Nudge Development. 1.4. Mini-workshop: A Smile List. 1.5. Workout for Mum and Dad. 1.6. Energy Top-up. 1.7. The Exercises at a Glance. 2. The Second Quarter: Get Moving (From the Fourth to the Sixth Month). 2.1. Your Baby's Current State of Development. 2.2. Workout for Little Ones. 2.3. Some Exercises to Nudge Development. 2.4. Mini-workshop: More Rest – More Energy. 2.5. Workout for Mum and Dad. 2.6. Energy Top-up. 2.7. The Exercises at a Glance. 3. Third Quarter: Discovering the Surroundings (From the Seventh to the Ninth Month). 3.1. Your Baby's Current State of Development. 3.2. Workout for Little Ones. 3.3. Some Exercises to Nudge Development. 3.4. Mini-workshop: How Flexible are You?. 3.5. Workout for Mum and Dad. 3.6. Energy Top-up. 3.7. The Exercises at a Glance. 4. Fourth Quarter: Conquering the World (From the Tenth to the Twelfth Month). 4.1. Your Baby's Current State of Development. 4.2. Workout for Little Ones. 4.3. Mini-workshop: A Short Trip to Japan. 4.4. Workout for Mum and Dad. 4.5. Energy Top-up. 4.6. The Exercises at a Glance. 5. Touch for Everyday Ailments. 5.1. Feet. 5.2. Stress Relief. 5.3. Digestion. 5.4. Breathing. 5.5. Sleep. 5.6. Susceptibility to Infections. Addendum: Shonishin. Appendices. Further Reading and Addresses.

Reviews

“A lovely presented book to encourage parents in sharing shiatsu time with their baby. Karin explains the basic concepts of shiatsu and shows clearly how to support a baby's growth and development using shiatsu. I like the way she also focuses on the wellbeing of the parent as the person doing the shiatsu needs to be well supported too. A great book for all parents to have. It is never too early to begin to experience the benefits of shiatsu.”
-Suzanne Yates, shiatsu practitioner, birth educator and founder of Well Mother

'I can see the altogether positive development of children who are treated with baby shiatsu. Shiatsu seems to be highly beneficial, too, for bonding between children and parents. In this book you can let yourself be taken by the hand and introduced to the world of oriental thought. You will learn, step by step, how to use shiatsu to support your baby.'
-From the foreword by Dr Steffen Fischer, practising paediatrician

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Author information

Karin Kalbanter-Wernicke initially trained as a physiotherapist and went on to study shiatsu in Japan for several years. In 1985, together with her husband Dr. Thomas Wernicke, she founded an institute for Complementary and Alternative Medicine just outside Frankfurt, Germany. She has written several books in her native German including "The Five Elements in Children".

Tina Haase is a journalist, specialising in health and family issues. She lives and works in Munich, Germany.