Kerrin Booth qualified as a Remedial Massage therapist in 1989 and a Naturopath in 1992.  In 2010, while she was pregnant with her son, she qualified through the International Association of Infant Massage (IAIM) as an Infant Massage instructor, teaching parents and caregivers to massage their own babies though the First Touch Program.

The First Touch course consists of five sessions, one per week, each lasting 1 to 1.5 hours.  Kerrin teaches both groups (only up to 8 families per group) and individual families.  Times are flexible, depending on the families and the age of the babies and their feeding and sleeping times.  The classes are baby-led, so dolls are provided to learn the massage techniques in class if your baby is feeding or sleeping, or simply does not want a massage at that time.  Partners or grandparents can also attend and use the dolls to learn with.

The First Touch Program is for parents and carers of any baby aged from birth to 12 months.  It is identified by medical researchers as the “Gold Standard” and highest quality program of its kind.  If you are a parent of any age or from any walk of life, the First Touch Program will help you experience the benefits and joys that come from using healthy touch, infant massage and many other forms of communication with your baby.

The benefits of infant massage range from improved sleep (for both baby and parents), less crying, improved confidence and independence, and a smoother transition though each developmental phase.  The First Touch program has been extensively researched and shown to support a baby’s sleep, settling and soothing abilities, physical and motor development, confidence and self esteem in both the mother and baby, empathy and other social skills. There has been much research to show that infant massage helps with bonding and attachment between parent and baby, and helps to reduce post natal depression.