Orihuela’s Family Department, in collaboration with the Spanish Association of Infant Massage, AEMI, has organised two free activities in Orihuela City to mark the 16th National Infant Massage Week.
The initiative aims to raise awareness of infant massage as a tool to support wellbeing and strengthen emotional bonds during early childhood.
Both activities will take place on Friday, June 5, at the Palacio del Agua and will be led by Laura Sánchez, an IAIM-AEMI infant massage educator and AEMI member.
The programme begins at 5pm with a talk entitled “Emotional bonding through touch”, aimed at expectant mothers, families and the general public. This will be followed at 6.30pm by a practical infant massage workshop for families with babies aged up to 12 months.
Family councillor Mª del Carmen Portugal said the activity was being repeated following the success of last year’s event.
“This activity was held last year and, due to its success and the excellent response from mothers, we wanted to repeat it this year,” she said. “From the Family Department, we support motherhood and fatherhood and work to offer resources that accompany families during such an important stage as raising children.”
The talk will cover the importance of massage in early childhood, active listening, respect, the value of touch for babies and the benefits of infant massage, as well as information on available courses.
The workshop will offer families practical guidance on how to apply infant massage and understand its role in babies’ physical, psychological and emotional development. It will also focus on how massage can help create secure bonds and positive communication between parents and children.
Both the talk and workshop are free, but prior registration is required. Places for the workshop are limited to 20 families. Reservations can be made by calling Laura on 621 04 52 94. Registration for the talk is also required through the same number until capacity is reached.
AEMI has been promoting “nurturing touch” and emotional communication for more than 30 years through training, education and research, with the aim of ensuring that babies, parents and caregivers feel loved, valued and respected.
