Infant Massage Class teaches parents new way to connect with baby - Camp Lejeune Globe

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While Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune has its fair share of infantry, a class at the Midway Park Community Center was more focused on the installation’s infants.

The New Parent Support Program (NPSP) on MCB Camp Lejeune hosted an Infant Massage Class for parents of babies aged six weeks to six months, March 10. The class was focused on giving parents a new way to bond with and care for their children.

“The whole thing for massage is to really build that bond,” said Wendy Sandling, a licensed clinical social worker with the NPSP. “When you have skin to skin contact, you are connecting and growing in a whole new way. It is also good for brain development.”

The five-week classes are taught on MCB Camp Lejeune as well as Marine Corps Air Station New River to provide a wider swath of availability for parents of small children. Home visits can also be scheduled through the NPSP.

“In home visits I have found that it engages the father a lot,” said Debbie Cooper, registered nurse with the NPSP. “The class settings can help parents who might be feeling a sense of isolation to connect with other parents.”

The course is broken into different “strokes” for keeping a baby engaged and happy, with focuses on separate parts of the body. Each week, new strokes are added while others are reviewed to be implemented into a regular routine.

To find the next available course, visit New Parent Support Program.