Baby Massage And Exercise

If we excuse the obvious (that babies need massage about as much as snails need barbiturates), this reasonably well made video should please young parents who want to feel as if they're doing something that hasn't been done before in the history of parenting. (Let us also excuse the absurd instruction that you respect your child's individuality and ask his/her "permission to massage." What exactly should the response of a three-week old baby be? "Goo?" "Gaa?" And how would one interpret these remarks?) The first section of the program demonstrates simple massage strokes for the entire infant body. The second section is basically a form of baby aerobics. In the third section viewers are given specific suggestions for helping to relieve colic (this may be the only true physical advantage of baby massage). But this is undercut by the somewhat ridiculous suggestion to "visualize" the gas bubbles moving through the baby's intestine. Self-visualization makes sense; visualizing for another and expecting results is strictly Twilight Zone material. The final section offers general recommendations and directs viewers to books on the subject. Recommended, due to the increasing popularity of the subject. (Available from: actiVision, 815 W. Armitage, Ste. 200, Chicago, IL 60614.)