h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Arrghh, I made a list of suggestions, and you've gone and changed half of them already! You are too fast for me.

I must say you have written an excellent article, I hope other hootooers get as much out of it as I did. I now know so much more about baby massages and can't wait to give some of those ideas a whirl.
Well written and well done!

Just a few small suggestions, please don't feel in any way obliged to include them, this is just my personal thoughts on it.

When you said about getting too warm, and changing into shorts and teeshirt, wouldn't it be better to just suggest removing some clothing yourself. Personally I feel comfortable being naked around my kids, I know not everyone does, but if I felt too hot I'd just strip off myself.

I thought a babys changing mat might make a good surface to put the thick towel on? One of those large ones with the raised foam sides.

The phrase communicating good vibes sounded a bit wierd to me, maybe sending good vibes would fit better, communicating imples two way traffic.

Talking about best times to give a massage, how about suggesting just after the babys bath, that's generally when I would do it.

I loved the bit about the enrgy flows and if it was your kind of thing, perfect way to put the message across to two audiences. I'm not a believer in that kind of thing, but I could read the entry without feeling it was too out there.

I am not sure about the asking permission first. It's a nice gesture, but babies are hardly going to say no, that did seem too silly for me. if my baby was talking I would ask, but I hope I could tell from his./her reaction if they wanted a massage or not.
I agree it sets a good precidence for the future, but still seems a little silly.

And you mention the local courses, could you mention which local bodies run them? i.e. hospitals, ante natal classes, adult education centres, health centres. just give an idea where to look to find out where the classes are held.

Don't take any of the above as critesism, i thought your article was absolutlely perfect, you have done a very fine job.
Many thanks
si

Thanks for your help Simon - all really helpful!

let me go through it - I printed it off to work on it, but Elsepth's been chewing it

Getting too war - valid. I was struggling for a neat way to say it, and your comments have helped me to put my finger on it better

Changing mat as Massage surface - Brilliant! Why didn't I think of that it's perfect, and so obvious - it was staring me in the face! When your milking the arms you may find that your baby tends to spin a little, the bumpers in the changing mat should counteract that

Communicating good vibes. see what you mean. 'Sending' sounds like it is deliberate, but of course it isn't - what do you think of 'transmitting? I've put it in the tex to try it out...

Baby's bath time - good thought - added it

Energy flows - thanks - I wonder if - as and when this ever gets to PR - I may be asked to put more of that kind of stuff in? Wait and see I suppose...

Asking permission. Yes, this did feel very silly to me at first. I assumed it was just a weirdness of the course I did, but when I went looking into the subject before I started to write this up, I found that it is absolute standard practice, so I think i will leave it in. I've made sure that the text says (a) that you may feel silly and that (b) it is accepted good practice, so I hope people will take it in that context. Of course people can always just not do it! I find that I often speak to else in questions anyway (I think we should change that nappy, don't you? Shall we go and change it?) so after six weeks or so, I'm not finding it too weirtd. I suppose the terrible spectre of child abuse may be part of the issue here, but I don't see why I should say that in the article. There's too many (psychological) barriers between natural behaviours between parents and children nowadays, alas..

E has now ripped the paper in three and is literally eating your words!

Local courses - yes I would like to provide pointers, but it's hard to get a balance between the bleedingly obvious suggestions, and things that are too time ans place specific for a hootoo entry. Will look into it.

Can't cncentrate anymore; Madam's doping her screech owl impression.

I'd be very interested in your further thoughts, especially if you do try it out with Grace

Wow thanks for that
I'd have put a bit more thought into my reply if I'd known you'd take it all on board, I was just spouting off my initial thoughts.

Glad Else enjoyed my words There is a first.

Transmitting good vibes sounds just about perfect, good call.

Yeah, I'll be interested to see if they want you to add more egergy flow stuff to the entry. Massage is still very tied up in that spectrum isn't it. I think that restricts it appeal to alot of people, but each to thier own right. Stay on the middle of the fence and keep both camps happy if you can.

For the local course locations, I know what h2g2 can be like with things like that, but maybe just a suggestion of where to look for courses. I mean I wouldn't have a clue, and they aren't likely to be in the yellow pages. How would I go about finding out where my local ones were held?
I know they will be held by different groups in different places, but it would be nice if the article pointed you in the right direction if you wanted to carry it on.

Oh and Grace had her first baby massage last night, only a brief one after her bath before her brother came and jumped on me, and just as I was starting it she said her first word ... 'Dadda'
Hmm you could say I'm a fan of massaging now then

Right.

Few more changes
Few more links
Suggestions on finding courses

whaddya think?

Perfect!
Go put it in peer review.

Well written Cloviscat, I hope many more parents give it a try.

I loved the bit about almond oil getting water marks off. Whenever I give a massage i always manage to knock the bottle over at some point. Never understood why they make baby oil bottles with such high centres of gravity!

Thanks for adding the bit about who to ask for more info. It is probably common sense to most people, but I wou;nd't have known.

Keep me posted on how the entry gets along, I'll try and folow it in peer review too.

Thanks Simon

Don't be surprised that I took your suggestions on board - they were all great! You shouldn't undervalue yourself, you know...

Would you care for a writing credit on this?

No, I don't want a credit, I didn't write any of it now did I.
Many thanks for the offer, but this is your baby

I wouldn't have got round to writing it up if you hadn't been waiting for it

It wouldn't be so good if you hadn't made your suggestions

And you've been willing to use your baby daughter as a guinea pig!

I think that counts as considerable input....hmmm?

Hmmm if you say so, the way I see it I was just being nosey and pestering about the leaflet, I picked holes in your work, and all I did was rub a little baby oil on my daughter, I didn't get the time to do it properly.
I am intending to soon though
Thanks you for implying I helped though, I do appreciate that, and I guess a few of the points I suggested helped the entry a bit, but I won't take credit for your hard work.
I have got enough reward by learning such an interesting new technique and enjoyed chatting to you about it in the process.

Some people just don't appreciate themselves (rolls her groovy new eyeballs)

Into PR with it!

Thankfully my wife seems to appreciate me enough for the both of us, so I'm happy in my modesty.
Thanks for the ego boost though, and good luck in PR!

You'll find the thread at F48874?thread=223487

Thanks for the link, I'll go subscribe, and make sure they don't give you a hard time in there. PR can be very harsh sometimes, but critecism helps make the entrys better I guess.

thought ur entry was great. excellent job

Thanks ghia, you're very kind!

If you've got a kid, why not pop over to the h2g2 parent and child group at A265169 and introduce yourself? You'll be very welcome.