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There's a good reason why so many people like the idea of becoming a Baby Massage Therapist. Research has shown that when a person massages a baby there is a release of endorphins, the bodies 'feel-good' hormone. Endorphins trigger a positive feeling in the body and essentially when you think of how wonderful it would be to become a Baby Massage Therapist, this is the feeling that is coming to mind.
 
 

When you train in baby massage, you learn to acknowledge the fact that while it would be awesome (for you) to spend each day massaging babies, this isn't considered best practice because providing massage to a baby yourself doesn't achieve the best outcomes for your clients.

People trained in baby massage are trained to work with parents and teach them how to provide massage. There are number of reasons for this:

  • Parents have the most success with infants during massage as babies are more comfortable and relaxed when being handled by their parent.
  • Babies will not keep to appointment times and cannot be forced to receive massage at an inappropriate time (for example, when they want to feed, sleep or just do not want massage).
  • Massage cannot last for a predetermined or set amount of time. The length of each massage has to be based on the baby's response cues (some massages can be extremely short).
  • For massage to be most effective, parents need to massage at opportune moments when they recognise the baby is in what is referred to as a 'quiet alert state' (this usually occurs after a nap or for newborn infants may be after a feed following their nap).
  • Liability is vastly different when providing massage directly as opposed to allowing parents to massage their own child.
  • One of the most important benefits of massage for infants is the impact it has on bonding and attachment. Children need to bond with their parents as opposed to a therapist.
  • Children are able to begin learning lessons about appropriate touch from infancy and as massage is an intimate form of touch (i.e. skin to skin and stroking on the skin) it is best this comes from someone the child is familiar and comfortable with.
  • There are benefits experienced by the parents when massaging, including increased confidence, reduction in stress hormone levels, increased attachment and bond with the baby, reduction in symptoms of postnatal depression and anxiety.
  • Parents need to know how to assist when needed. For example, in the instance where a baby has wind pain in the middle of the night and parents are unable to call and have a therapist come over and help.
  • Ideally, infants receive a small amount of massage once or twice a day, every day as opposed to periodically (as would be done in massage appointments).
 

Learning about and appreciating why it is important for parents to learn massage techniques (as opposed to providing massage directly as a therapist) is one of the most interesting aspects of training in baby massage. Coincidentally, it is also a topic that Infant Massage Instructors and Paediatric Massage Consultants tend to become more passionate about the longer they are in the industry.

Ultimately, achieving the best outcomes for both parent and child is the most important thing.

Research has shown there are many ways that infants and their families can benefit from baby massage. If this is work you would like to be involved in, you need to complete training as a Certified Infant Massage Instructor or Paediatric Massage Consultant.

Training can be completed through the Infant Massage Information Service via a 3-day intensive course (held in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth, Gold Coast and Brisbane) or training is available for students internationally via correspondence.

Both Infant Massage Instructors and Paediatric Massage Consultants are able to work with parents, teaching massage techniques for infants and older children. Consultants are also able to provide short presentations to professional groups, educating them on the benefits of massage and helping to address common myths and outdated information about baby massage.

Students complete either 3 or 4 competency tasks depending on the qualification they wish to obtain (3 for instructors and 4 for consultants). Tasks involve successfully demonstrating all massage techniques on a demonstration doll, completing a practice teaching session with a volunteer parent and infant, completion of a multiple choice theory exam and for consultant students, preparation of a 1-hour talk directed towards a relevant professional group (for example, nursing staff, early childhood educators, social workers, natural therapists, occupational therapists etc).

Related information:

What does an infant massage therapist do?

How much does an infant massage therapist make?

Course dates, locations & correspondence study

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Units of study

 

 

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Eligibility and Course Prerequisites

No prior training or qualifications are required for the Certified Infant Massage Instructor(CIMI) qualification.

Wanting the Paediatric Massage Consultant (PMC) qualification and wondering if you meet the prerequisite requirements?

If your qualifications fall under the categories of health, allied health, natural therapies or education, you are guaranteed to meet the prerequisite requirements for the paediatric level qualification.

Some examples of qualifications that meet the prerequisite requirements for the PMC qualification are included below (please note, this is not a full list). 

Examples of health qualifications approved for PMC:

Nurse, midwife, aboriginal health worker, community health worker, retired nurse, child & family practitioner, paediatric nurse, maternal/child health nurse, neonatal nurse, paediatrician, medical doctor.

Examples of allied health qualifications approved for PMC:

Chiropractor, doula, childbirth educator, lactation consultant/educator, science degrees, mental health professional, social worker, occupational therapist, physiotherapist, psychologist. 

Examples of natural therapy qualifications approved for PMC:

Massage therapist, yoga instructor, nutritionist, Chinese medicine, kinesiology, myotherapist, naturopath.

Examples of educator qualifications approved for PMC:

Early childhood educator, early childhood teacher, other educator (e.g. B. ED Studies, diploma in primary teaching)

PMC students receive both qualifications, the Certificate in Infant Massage Instruction and the Paediatric Massage Consultant qualification. To obtain the paediatric qualification you need to meet the prerequisite requirements, complete your baby massage training through the Infant Massage Information Service and successfully complete 4 competency tasks. In addition to working with parents, and teaching them how to massage their babies, PMCs can provide theory presentations to other professionals, educating them on the researched benefits of massage for infants and children and ensuring they are aware of services available to families in this field. 

Course Fees and Variations

Course fees are the same regardless of your method of study (face-to-face or online).

Fees for the Certificate in Infant Massage Instruction range from $1125 - $1650, depending on the enrolment package (inclusions) selected. Interest-free payment plans are available and these are personalised for each student. 

Fees for the Paediatric Massage Consultant qualification range from $1485 - $2010, depending on the enrolment package (inclusions) selected. Interest-free payment plans are available and these are personalised for each student. 

The course fee table outlining the enrolment packages (inclusions) can be accessed here: Fee Structure | Baby Massage

Please note, the table automatically displays the fees for the Certified Infant Massage Instructor qualification. To view the fees and inclusions for the Paediatric Massage Consultant (PMC) qualification, be sure to click on the 'Paediatric Massage Consultant' box. 

Face-to-Face Course Details

Face-to-face training dates and locations can be found on our course dates and locations page: Locations | Baby Massage

The face-to-face training is completed over 3 days and courses are always held on a Friday, Saturday & Sunday.

Career and Qualification Pathways

Infant Massage Information Service 3-day face-to-face courses have a mixture of both Certified Infant Massage Instructor (CIMI) and Paediatric Massage Consultant (PMC) students.

All students cover the same content/units of study.

The differences are:

- Our CIMI students are usually going into the industry as something new i.e. with no prior related background. There are no pre-requisite requirements they need to meet.

- CIMI students complete the 3-day course successfully and are then able to work with parents, teaching infant massage. All assessment work is completed within the 3 days of the course.

- Our PMC students have prior, related training and/or experience in health, allied health, natural therapies or early childhood education and care.

- After the 3 days in class, there is one additional assignment completed. The additional PMC task takes approximately 2 days to complete and does not need to be done in the 2 days directly following the course. PMC students can complete their additional assessment when convenient and follow the instructions provided to upload their submission for marking when they're ready. 

- Our PMC students receive both qualifications – the CIMI qualification and the PMC qualification. The CIMI level qualification is provided immediately after the 3-day face-to-face course and the PMC qualification is issued after the additional PMC assessment has been completed. 

- PMCs can work with parents, teaching infant massage in the same way that CIMIs can. What PMCs are also able to do is provide theory presentations to professional groups on infant massage. The presentations are fairly straightforward and usually follow the same format e.g. – Self-introduction, benefits of infant massage, research reviews, dispelling common myths relating to infant massage and information on services available to parents in this field. 

Various industry bodies request these types of presentations and PMCs are paid a presentation fee for this work directly by the organisation or body who has requested them. PMC presentations offer a unique opportunity to network with other professionals and potentially receive additional referrals for your infant massage work with parents.  
 

What if I'm completing the course via correspondence study?

Each correspondence intake period has a mix of both Certified Infant Massage Instructor (CIMI) and Paediatric Massage Consultant (PMC) students.

All students cover the same content/units of study.

The differences are:

- Our CIMI students are usually going into the industry as something new i.e. with no prior related background. There are no pre-requisite requirements they need to meet.

- CIMI students successfully complete 3 competency tasks at their own pace and are then able to work with parents, teaching infant massage. 

- Our PMC students have prior, related training and/or experience in health, allied health, natural therapies or early childhood education and care.

- There is one additional assignment completed for the PMC qualification.

- Our PMC students receive both qualifications – the CIMI qualification and the PMC qualification.

- PMCs can work with parents, teaching infant massage in the same way that CIMIs can. What PMCs are also able to do is provide theory presentations to professional groups on infant massage. The presentations are fairly straightforward and usually follow the same format e.g. – Self-introduction, benefits of infant massage, research reviews, dispelling common myths relating to infant massage and information on services available to parents in this field. 

Various industry bodies request these types of presentations and PMCs are paid a presentation fee for this work directly by the organisation or body who has requested them. PMC presentations offer a unique opportunity to network with other professionals and potentially receive additional referrals for your infant massage work with parents. 

Online Study

The correspondence program is thorough, easy to work through and offers a convenient way to study. 100% of the course requirements are completed from home, including all practical work meaning no travel or onsite attendance is needed.

Once your enrollment is complete and the course fees are paid, you will receive a welcome email providing you with full access to the course content. Your welcome email includes your pdf training manual with all of the course theory work and assessment instructions as well as links to the practical video files you need to watch. A training pack containing your demonstration doll and any other resources in your enrolment pack is sent via post.

There's no need to wait for your training pack to arrive via post before you begin studying. As soon as you receive your welcome email you can get started with the course theory work, then move on to the practical techniques once your demonstration doll arrives. 

You're welcome to study at your own pace to complete the course. Most students complete everything within the space of a few weeks. If students have a lot of other commitments and limited time, they might finish the course over a few months instead. Whatever study period you need is ok, there are no enforced deadlines you need to meet. 

There are 3 or 4 assessment tasks to complete depending on the qualification level you enrol in. The tasks are easy to complete and personalised assistance is available throughout the course if you need help with questions or clarifications. 

Your theory assessment is an open book, multiple-choice exam which ensures you've worked through the training manual. You're provided with an answer sheet to complete which can be emailed as an attachment or uploaded for marking. Practical tasks are recorded using any device (most students use their phone). The recordings are uploaded for the trainers to view and report on. Practical reports are extremely detailed to ensure you're confident in practical techniques prior to certification. 

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