Certificate Program-Infant Massage Instructor

Infant Massage Specialist Certificate Program

This course is frequently sought by massage therapists looking for infant massage certification training approved for license renewal. The IST Infant Massage Specialist Advanced Certification/Certificate is a continuing education program designed to give you the clinical knowledge, practical techniques, and professional confidence to support infants and their caregivers through the profound benefits of nurturing touch. 

This is the course we have offered since 2017, formerly called "Certified Infant Massage Instructor," and hundreds of therapists have completed it. To receive the title of Infant Massage Specialist, Advanced Certificate, please read the disclosure below.

A Note on Credentialing Language

In 2022, the NCBTMB the national board that sets professional standards for the massage therapy profession retired its own use of the word "certification" for massage programs, and has since raised concerns about continuing education providers using that term broadly. A growing industry standard now holds that the words "certification" and "certified" should be reserved for credentials issued by independent organizations that administer formal examinations, require ongoing recertification, and maintain independent third-party oversight of their programs. This is the capacity of traditional institutional massage schools which we are not. Nor are there many continuing education providers who are.

Because no national accrediting body currently exists that certifies infant massage specialists or other maternal and pediatric health massage practitioners, the Institute of Somatic Therapy is honoring this shift by moving toward updated credentialing language. We are now issuing Course Specific Specialist Certificates in place of the term "certification." Until the industry evolves further or establishes a recognized independent body for these specialties, we will be transitioning away from using that term.

Our credentials represent your advanced training, clinical proficiency, and demonstrated expertise in working with these specialized populations. It is a meaningful mark of your commitment and we stand fully behind its value. We recognize that many employers require a therapist to be "certified" to work with infants and young children. We are sensitive to this and can help you navigate that requirement by providing a certificate that reflects the language your employer recognizes. As far as our marketing and course descriptions are concerned, we have had to shift away from using the terms "Certification in Infant Massage" or "Certified Infant Massage Instructor" exclusively. This is something practitioners across the country are navigating. Be patient with us as the industry standards evolve.

Certificate Program-Infant Massage Instructor 

The Transformative Power of Infant Massage Therapy

As an infant massage therapy instructor, I often tell my students that the work they're about to embark on is more than just a skillset it's an invitation to create meaningful connections that can last a lifetime. Infant massage is a deeply rewarding practice that nurtures the bond between caregivers and their babies, improves infant health, and opens a fulfilling career path for massage therapists. If you've been considering specializing in this unique and impactful field, let me guide you through why infant massage therapy is such an important and rewarding journey.

Why Specialize in Infant Massage Therapy?

Infant massage therapy is a rapidly growing niche within the massage therapy field. It focuses on teaching parents and caregivers how to use safe, gentle massage techniques to enhance their infant's physical, emotional, and developmental well-being. By learning this specialization, you'll not only gain a valuable skill but also help families build connections and create a strong foundation for lifelong health.

A Growing Demand for Holistic Infant Care: Parents today are increasingly seeking natural, non-invasive ways to support their baby's health and development. Infant massage is recognized by pediatricians, lactation consultants, and child development experts as a powerful tool to aid digestion, improve sleep, reduce colic, and soothe fussiness. By becoming an instructor, you can meet this demand while making a profound difference in families' lives.

A Rewarding Career Path: Teaching infant massage allows you to work closely with families, providing them with tools that empower them to care for their babies more confidently. Whether you work in clinics, wellness centers, hospitals, or your own private practice, this specialization sets you apart and opens up meaningful opportunities in your career.

The Benefits of Infant Massage for Babies and Parents

One of the most inspiring aspects of this work is seeing the immediate and long-term benefits that infant massage provides. When you teach this practice, you're giving families more than just a technique you're giving them the gift of connection.

For Babies:

• Enhanced Development: Gentle touch stimulates the nervous system, aiding in physical development and improving muscle tone and coordination.
• Improved Digestion and Colic Relief: Infant massage techniques such as circular strokes on the abdomen help relieve gas, constipation, and colic symptoms.
• Better Sleep Patterns: Babies who receive regular massage often sleep more deeply and for longer durations, benefiting both them and their parents.
• Reduced Stress: Massage lowers cortisol levels in babies, promoting calmness and emotional regulation.

For Parents:

• Strengthened Bond: Infant massage fosters secure attachment by allowing parents to connect with their baby through touch, eye contact, and verbal interaction.
• Confidence in Parenting: Learning how to respond to their baby's cues through massage empowers parents to care for their child more effectively.
• Emotional Support: The act of massaging their baby can be a therapeutic experience for parents, helping them reduce stress and build resilience during the demanding early months of parenting.

What You'll Learn as an Infant Massage Therapist

Training in infant massage therapy goes far beyond the physical techniques it's about understanding the holistic needs of both baby and caregiver. As an instructor, I focus on equipping students with the knowledge and confidence to teach this skill effectively.

• Safe and Effective Techniques: You'll master a variety of strokes designed specifically for infants, each tailored to promote relaxation, relieve discomfort, and support healthy growth. Techniques include soothing strokes for the back, tummy, arms, and legs, as well as targeted movements for common issues like teething pain or gas.
• Understanding Infant Cues: Babies communicate through subtle cues, and part of your training involves teaching parents how to recognize these signals. Whether it's a yawn, a cry, or a turning away of the head, you'll help parents interpret their baby's needs and respond accordingly.
• Adapting Techniques for Individual Needs: Every baby is unique. You'll learn how to modify techniques for preemies, babies with special needs, or those born with certain medical conditions. This ensures your skills are inclusive and adaptable for every family you work with.
• Educating Parents: Teaching parents is the central part of your role. You'll learn how to communicate effectively, demonstrate techniques clearly, and create a supportive environment where caregivers feel confident in their ability to practice massage at home.

Practical Application of Infant Massage Therapy

As a certified infant massage therapist, you'll find opportunities in a variety of settings, including hospitals, pediatric clinics, private practice, or in conjunction with complementary practitioners such as prenatal massage therapists and lactation consultants. This specialization complements other modalities, enhances your professional credibility, and allows you to make a lasting impact on families.

Expanding Your Professional Network: Infant massage practitioners often collaborate with healthcare providers, pediatricians, and other specialists. This expands your professional network and opens up opportunities for continued growth.

A Career That Nurtures Connection and Growth

Specializing in infant massage therapy isn't just about mastering a set of techniques it's about becoming a trusted guide for families during one of the most meaningful times of their lives. As an infant massage therapist, you'll have the privilege of fostering connection, promoting health, and empowering parents with skills they'll cherish forever. If you're passionate about making a difference in the lives of families, this field offers a fulfilling and impactful career path.

Are you ready to start this transformative journey? Join us and learn how to create lasting change, one gentle stroke at a time.

About the Instructor: Dr. Deanine Picciano AP, LMT

Dr. Deanine has been a passionate and accomplished professional in the massage therapy field since 1994. She has developed comprehensive courses in massage therapy for all stages of pregnancy, labor, and delivery, as well as foundational techniques for infant massage and movement. These courses empower therapists to provide safe, effective, and transformative care to expectant mothers and their newborns.

Are you ready to start a career where you can witness miracles every day? Join this course and learn how to bring comfort, empowerment, and joy to mothers during one of the most extraordinary times of their lives.

About the Course

This course awards 16 continuing education credits. The average massage therapist should expect to devote one clock hour for every CE credit earned, based on NCBTMB calculations. (Example: If you work 8 hours a day, it should take approximately two days. If you work 1 hour a week, it should take approximately four months.) These are online, home-study CEs.

Attention Florida Massage Therapists: This course is approved by Florida as an approved distance learning course for required hours of "general" category hours through 8/31/2027. You are allowed to complete only 12 hours of approved online courses through 2027. Of the 24 required hours, 12 hours must be live and in person; 7 must be the required Florida Laws (2 CEUs), Ethics (2 CEUs), Prevention of Medical Errors (2 CEUs), and Human Trafficking (1 CEU). The approval number for this course is 20-441867.

Course Classification: Kinesthetic (course materials teach specific techniques to use on clients during a massage therapy session.)

Course Format: This course is offered online and available instantly at your convenience. We are not currently offering live seminars.

Approved By: The Institute of Somatic Therapy is approved by the NCBTMB (Provider #280672-00) as a continuing education Approved Provider. The Institute of Somatic Therapy is also approved by Florida (#MCE-326) and New York (#0019).

New York Massage Therapists Please Note: You are not authorized to teach any persons who are not licensed as massage therapists to give massage to another person. This includes teaching infant massage to new parents. As such, this course is not valid for New York CEs.

Our courses are also valid for most individual states, as well as for renewing your AMTA or ABMP membership. Some states limit how many hours can be completed online or by home study. Please refer to our State Guidelines section for specific information about your state. Laws can and do change, and your state will hold you responsible for knowing the laws that apply to you.

Canada: This course meets requirements for Ontario (CMTO) and NHPC in Alberta, and is potentially valid for other Canadian associations. Please refer to your individual association rules to determine if this course is valid for your Canadian massage therapy continuing education requirements.

Course Details

Course Description

Basic infant massage can soothe an anxious baby and will provide all of the wonderful benefits that massage holds for adults. This home-study continuing education course teaches simple routines for general massage, as well as exercises to stimulate muscle development and coordination. We also cover special situations such as colds, colic, hiccups, constipation, diarrhea, teething irritability, and other conditions.

This course focuses on teaching parents to massage their baby, because most new parents cannot afford to pay a therapist to massage their baby, and because they are the ones who need to experience the bonding that massage can bring. They also need tools to settle a fussy baby in the middle of the night. For this reason, the techniques are simple by design meant to be used with confidence by non-massage therapists on their most precious asset: their new baby.

This course does not cover advanced techniques such as cranialsacral therapy or therapy for birth defects. It is designed for parents to learn massage skills to help them with a healthy infant.

Course Outline

• Conducting an Infant Massage Class for Parents
• Massage and Aromatherapy Oils
• The Importance of Bonding
• Benefits of Infant Massage
• Contraindications
• Infant Massage Routine
• Special Needs Situations:
  • Colic, Crying, and Digestive Issues
  • Congestion, Colds, and Fever
  • Hiccups
  • Premature Infants
  • Teething
• Marketing Infant Massage

This course is open to non-massage therapists in most jurisdictions. Because you teach new parents using a doll and are not performing massage on their babies most states do not require a massage license, as you are not actually practicing massage therapy on another person. It is your responsibility to determine whether you are able to teach infant massage in your jurisdiction without a massage license. The Institute of Somatic Therapy does not make any legal determinations on your behalf.

Earning Your Title: Infant Massage Instructor Specialty Certificate

To earn the title, you will be required to perform two practice sessions in which you teach new parents how to massage their baby. You then complete an online application. Upon completion of this process, along with a one-time $35 processing fee, you will earn the title of Certified Infant Massage Instructor from the Institute of Somatic Therapy. Neither the NCBTMB nor any state massage therapy boards are involved in the awarding of this title.

The process consists of a self-analysis of your practice sessions. For example, you will answer questions such as:

• Looking back at your session, what was the best part of the experience? How can you build on that in future sessions?
• What was the biggest challenge with this session? What can you do to mitigate this challenge in the future?
• What questions did your client have? How can you implement that information into future work?
• Based on this experience, what are three things you can do better next time?

To find the homework documentation requirements: There is a PDF located in the course materials, in the PDF section to the right. Log into your account, click "Access Course" to the far right of the course title, then access the course materials and look to the right at the PDF file section. Your homework requires live, in-person teaching of new parents in infant massage. We do not accept online or virtual infant massage classes, as new parents are not massage therapists and are less likely to learn successfully without hands-on instruction.

Student Feedback

"I have completed the Infant Massage course and enjoyed it tremendously, especially as I await the birth of my first grandchild next week. I watched each video several times and read through the coursework twice. I have been a massage therapist for 14 years, so I have had the wonderful opportunity to massage many babies and moms as well as grandmas. I took the course because I wanted to know everything I could for my own grandchild. Certainly, even after all my years of experience, there were new things to learn. The videos are excellent concise, clear, and so easy to watch again and again. The written materials follow along nicely and tie the whole package together. I appreciate the marketing advice as well. I found this course informative and fun, and working with the Institute of Somatic Therapy has been very easy and enjoyable. This is not the first technical question I have had, and my questions have been answered quickly, professionally, and completely. I look forward to studying with you in the future."
- Marlaine Darfler, LMT, Ithaca, NY

Frequently Asked Questions

Is baby massage the same thing as infant massage?
Essentially, yes, with the possible difference being how someone defines the age of the child. A newborn is considered a child during its first month of life. Some define a baby as being in the first two months of life, while others use the term through the first year. An infant is usually thought of as a child during its first period of life typically before it begins to walk, or through its first year. There are some modifications for massaging very young babies based on whether they have gained head control, begun to roll over on their own, or started to sit up independently.

What is infant massage? How is it different from any other massage?
Infant massage is generally taught to the parent to give them the bonding experience, as well as tools to help calm a fussy baby at all hours of the day or night. It is a simple routine, often performed in bits and pieces as fits the baby's needs and level of cooperation. This course will focus on teaching you how to teach new parents how to massage their babies, as well as how to guide parents through simple movement exercises that help the baby develop muscle control and coordination.

Is baby massage important?
Yes. Massaging a baby is very important from several standpoints not just for the baby, but for the parent. When a parent gives infant massage, it helps promote good parenting skills, helps them feel more confident about enhancing their baby's health and development, and gives them methods to relax the baby when it is fussy. It promotes bonding and increases non-verbal communication between baby and parent. The physical benefits are similar to those adults receive from massage therapy: it stimulates circulation, digestion, lymph flow, and muscle tone. For an infant, it can also help reduce discomfort from colic, gas, constipation, and teething. Emotionally, massage helps increase the baby's sense of being loved and accepted.

How can I become an infant massage therapist or instructor?
To become an infant massage therapist, you can complete this training program. The course will teach you to become an infant massage instructor specifically, how to teach new parents to massage their babies. This course is open to non-massage therapists in most jurisdictions. Because you teach new parents using a doll and are not performing hands-on massage on babies, most states do not require a massage license. It is your responsibility to determine if you are able to teach infant massage in your jurisdiction without a massage license.

Does this course teach how to massage premature infants in the NICU?
Premature babies are discussed in the course, but as you will learn, true massage is often not recommended due to their condition. Gentle human touch such as a hand resting on the back of the head and on the low back and buttocks, or very simple stroking may be all that they can tolerate. The main focus of this course is teaching parents how to massage a healthy, full-term newborn.

I want to have a business where new parents bring their babies to me for massage. Will this course help me achieve that?
The focus of this course and virtually all infant massage courses available is to teach new parents how to massage their own babies. The parents are the ones who need to bond with the baby and who need resources to calm an upset baby at all hours of the day and night. It is highly unlikely that you would find enough new parents willing and able to pay you to be a full-time infant massage therapist.

Upon completion, can I use "CIMI" on my marketing materials?
"CIMI" has been trademarked by one particular school, so unless you complete their training, you are not legally permitted to use it. Beyond the legal issue, we strongly advocate that students proudly use their full and complete titles. Not only does it look and sound more professional, but there are no guessing games as to what an acronym might mean.

What is the study guide that comes with the course?
The course study guide is a copy of the questions you will find on the online exam. As you study the course materials, you can fill in the answers on the guide to reference when you complete the online exam. We do not provide page numbers where answers can be found, because we want you to study the entire course materials. Because the study guide contains the actual test questions, we do not provide an answer key. You will receive your grade when you complete the online exam.

Can I review the course materials after I've completed the test?
Yes. Even after completing the test, you will have the option to access the online course materials, print another CE certificate, or review your test results. We promise this access for at least one year. We recommend saving copies of your certificates and any downloadable PDF files that you may wish to access indefinitely.

Do you offer installment payments or financing?
We accept credit cards, so you can make payments to your credit card company as it fits your budget. We do not offer private financing.

I enrolled in the course but don't see where to access it.
If you just enrolled, there is an "Access Course" link immediately on the enrollment confirmation page. Once you have left that page, follow these steps:

1. Go to www.massagecredits.com and log in with your email address and password. If you have forgotten your password, use the "Forgot Password" option to have a new password emailed to you.
2. Once logged in, you will be on your account page. Scroll down beyond your account information to the heading titled "Your Courses". To the far right of the course title, click "Access Course."

The status will say "Incomplete" until you complete the course, at which time it will update to "Passed." If you do not complete the course within one year, the access section will change to "Reinstate," at which time you can pay a $35 fee to renew for another year.

Once I complete this course, will I be able to teach infant massage to other massage therapists, or just to parents?
Upon completion of the course and online exam, you will receive a certificate of completion evidencing 16 continuing education credits. Upon completing the online documentation process in which you document two in-person teaching sessions with parents you will receive a certificate awarding you the title. In most jurisdictions, this qualifies you to instruct parents how to massage their newborns, in conjunction with any required massage licenses. If you wish to become a trainer of infant massage to other massage therapists, you would need to complete the teaching qualifications of the national board or your state agency, which generally require 3–5 years of experience in a modality before applying. This is not something the Institute of Somatic Therapy has the authority to confer.

Related Courses

If you are interested in this massage therapy CEU course, other courses that may be of interest to you include: Prenatal Fundamentals, Prenatal Massage Techniques, Massage Doula, and Fertility Massage.

To contact the Institute of Somatic Therapy about this or any other massage therapy CEU course, please use the Contact link above.