NORWALK, Conn.(AP) – It’s hard to imagine what sort of stress affects the life of 6-week-old Hannah Smick.

All of her needs are attended to by her mother, Niki, and Hannah appears to be a happy baby who is loved and fawned over.

Then why does Hannah’s stress-free life require a massage by her mother? It may seem unnecessary, but more parents are learning the techniques of massage to use on their children.

“In general, people are turning to more holistic ways to have healthy children and keep them healthy,” said Tina Botticelli, a certified infant massage instructor and a physical therapist with the Advanced Center for Rehabilitation Medicine at Norwalk Hospital. “These are things that moms are doing and seeing the results of so they want their children to participate in them as well.”

While massage for adults is a relaxing experience, infant massage is different. It is a learning experience and a method for relaxing the child while also gaining her attention.

“Massage is not something you do to your baby; it is something you do with your baby,” Botticelli said.

Infant massage, baby yoga and other mother and child-type classes have become popular recently as more parents open up to the idea of doing these types of activities with their children.

“Parents and caregivers are much more receptive to alternative child care,” Botticelli said.

Infant massage first gained attention in the United States in the late 1970s when Vimala McClure, a pioneer of infant massage, learned the practice while working in an orphanage in northern India.

Massage is a popular part of the culture in India, as well as in Sweden.

McClure began teaching the age-old practice to parents in her hometown of Boulder, Colo. She developed a course around her training in Indian, Swedish and Reflexology methods, and she adapted her knowledge of yoga postures for babies to alleviate symptoms of colic and other common infant discomforts.

The massage movements, called strokes, were designed specifically for colicky babies though they can be used for children, regardless of their health.

Massage is also said to regulate digestion, improve sleep, provide a balanced sensory experience, enhance communication and promote brain development.

Botticelli cited several benefits of infant massage, including the interaction between parent and child.

“Eight to 10 weeks after a child is conceived their tactile responses are engaged and touch is the way that children learn the most,” Botticelli said. “Massage is very powerful to children.”

As a soft Bengali lullaby played in the background and Botticelli explained the hand motions of massage strokes like the Indian Milking, Back and Forth and Squeeze and Twist, Niki massaged Hannah’s legs and feet. The baby responded with several sounds and body motions. Both the mother and baby seemed to derive pleasure from it.

“Massage provides each of them with a deeper bond and cultivates feelings of trust, safety and respect,” Botticelli said.

It’s never too young to begin this bonding experience with a child, Botticelli said.

“Parents can do this with their children as early as they want and hopefully it is something they will continue to do throughout their child’s lifetime,” Botticelli said. “The children are more likely to continue with this or other forms of relaxation and exercise if they experience it when they are young.”