Page 4 - The First 60 Days Magazine - April 2025

Science Says...

The Sweet Science of Healthy Touch

by Dan Berman and Dr. Mary Kay Keller

Healthy touch is a cornerstone of optimal child development and wellbeing, and parent-child bonding, beginning from
birth. “Almost all of human infants’ experience and learning takes place in the context of caregiving relationships…In
particular, infants understand care relationships as intimate, altruistic, and asymmetric.” 1 Touch is a core component
within the Physical needs key area of The Neuro-Nurturing Model, alongside nutrition, hydration, movement and sleep; all
crucial to survival!
For mothers, fathers and “alloparents” 2 the moments immediately after birth can create lifelong connections, and feelings
of love and protectiveness. In fact the first 60 minutes of life are referred to as “the golden hour” for its incredible bonding
capacity. This is primarily due to the brain’s release of oxytocin, also known as the “love chemical,” in both parent and child
during skin-to-skin contact.
“Manufactured in the brain’s hypothalamus and stored and released by the pituitary gland, Oxytocin is biology’s own
version of Cupid’s arrow, promoting love, affection and caregiving behaviors in new parents”, as said by child development
expert Dan Wuori. This “love bombing” is not limited to mothers, as fathers also receive an oxytocin release whether
holding their baby traditionally or with skin-to-skin contact. 3 Holding an infant also reduces cortisol levels for the adult,
lowering stress. 4 It is important, therefore, to encourage and support “baby-friendly” hospitals and alternatives that
encourage and support touch in the first hour after birth.
Beyond the first 60 minutes, through the first 60 days, healthy touch, along with responsiveness, remain crucial to develop
a child’s sense of security, love and well-being. Infant Massage is a wonderful opportunity for caregivers and babies to
develop bonding and an affinity for healthy touch. Unlike massage for adults, which focuses on pain and stress relief, Infant
Massage empowers family connections through nurturing touch. Caregivers learn about consent and permission for touch,
as even non-verbal babies will express their desire to be touched and are provided opportunities for “serve and return”
interactions. For babies, dedicated time with eye contact and nurturing touch, in a calming environment, can have positive
impacts on everything from sleep to digestion 5 . Most of all, it positively supports a life-long healthy relationship to touch.
Infant Massage is most effective during the First 60 Days until the baby is able to move their head and body around, at
which point there are many things more interesting than touch. A positive early experience though will lead to a desire to
resume and accept healthy touch later on.
A beautiful thing is that these concepts are universal; rich or poor, all humans produce the same chemicals and have the
same needs. As a society, we need to re-imagine and restructure our systems to prioritize healthy touch from birth; the
impacts could be beyond imagination.

Dan Berman and Mary Kay Keller are the past and current Presidents, respectively, of Infant Massage USA, a
chapter of the International Association of Infant Massage. Both are Certified Educators of Infant Massage. Mr.
Berman is Founder and Chief Content Creator of BABY STEP and Dr. Keller is Chair of Applied Family Service at
Wilmington University.

“ 1 Ashley J. Thomas, Christina M. Steele, Alison Gopnik, and Rebecca R. Saxe., “How Do Infants Experience Caregiving?,” Daedalus (Winter 2025):
2 Hrdy, Mothers and Others.
3 Gettler LT, Kuo PX, Sarma MS, Trumble BC, Burke Lefever JE, Braungart-Rieker JM. Fathers' oxytocin mresponses to first holding their newborns:
Interactions with testosterone reactivity to predict later parenting behavior and father-infant bonds. Dev Psychobiol. 2021 Jul;63(5):1384-1398. doi:
10.1002/dev.22121. Epub 2021 Apr 16. PMID: 33860940.
4 Kuo PX, Braungart-Rieker JM, Burke Lefever JE, Sarma MS, O'Neill M, Gettler LT. Fathers' cortisol and testosterone in the days around
infants' births predict later paternal involvement. Horm Behav. 2018 Nov;106:28-34. doi: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2018.08.011. Epub 2018 Sep 11. PMID: 30165061.
5 https://www.infantmassageusa.org/blog/2022/6/12/the-magic-of-touch-and-connection-483t7

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