THE INTERNATIONAL� ASSOCIATION OF� INFANT MASSAGE���
The IAIM Program:
Why we need it in the third millenium!
By Sylvie Hétu
April 2026
The IAIM programme� is not a luxury!���It is a necessity for contemporary families��Let’s explore that together
This presentation:
Thank you for your presence!!!
� Special thank you to Vimala�It is an honour for all of us to be serving your vision�
Thank you to Audrey Downes, my Trainer in 1983 who was a true inspiration and who trusted my capacity to be a CIMI.
Thank you board members, all committees members, employees, persons doing volunteer work in IAIM, and all CIMIS…. for their dedication to our mission statement.
Our secret:
Babies in the 70’s and 80’s…..
Babies 2026….
Parents 2026….
What are the BIG differences???
Nowadays, parents are faced with various challenges.
Parents also have high expectations ….
It created the myth of the « perfect baby, raised by the perfect parent
…and then reality sets in with its challenges
Why did I even wanted a baby!!
While parents are trying to bring it all together....
…advice mushrooms from all sides, often leaving the parents confused…
Always more advice…
Then parents are burried under piles of information
Most modern babies are also now subjected to commercialisation
Babies, so it is said, need so many « things »
And babies need to go to…. classes!
And more classes…..
And more classes…..
Then, babies have to go to the spa
Babies can even now have their massage therapists
Babies, it is said, need to be « stimulated »
Then, later on, the show must go on….
More and more children suffer from several various forms of nervous sytem disorders, agressivity, disengament, attention and concentration challenges. to name a few. Teachers are dsicouraged.
And…what is happening????
-learning what it means to be relaxed��-learning concetration with one to one full attention interaction��-healing physical and emotional trauma��-developping a strong sense of self��-developping resilience��-creating low stimulation environment (protection)��
And…what is IAIM doing?
PREVENTION!
And what is IAIM doing for parents and babies??
A time-space in eternity,
where one can just BE
Where parents learn to love and respect their baby
IAIM:�“Evidence based”�Read the studies. Use them for promotion.
Most of all, now, we must all be following the studies on TOUCH!!��
Nurturing and appropriate touch, and its multiple positive effects, is finally starting to get a number one place in neuroscience
It started a while ago….��
I had the chance to see it evolving, step by step
Science Times
See the article in its
original context from
February 2, 1988
The Beginning of neuro science and research on touch
Quite simple neuroscientific really:���The brain is illuminated with….�� �
-touch and holding�-eye contact�-voice
The discovery of how the brain and nervous sytem react to stimuli brought great knowledge for us members of IAIM��� �
C-Tactile afferents
“new” touch receptors
For touch research and reasearch that do mention touch, see works and studies of:��� �
Francis McGlone
Michael Banassy
Greer Kirshenbaum
Margot Sunderland
Sue Gerarht
Sally Goddard-Blythe
Quote form Francis McGlone:��� �
“Touch is not important, it is mandatory!”
“Touch is the forgotten sense
Touch is necessary for brain development.”
Francis Mcglone
British neuroscientist specializing in the study of touch and its effects on
the human brain.
Michael Banissy: a must read!!� �
Back to our IAIM program;�
What parents tell us in their evaluations�
The famous « regulation »�
“ regulation” is a fashionable word
Nowadays
Research shows that babies brain
and nervous system can’t regulate.
The maturity is not there!!
The baby will regulate if the parent regulates.
We can teach that to the baby.
Science also tells us that babies are not able to calm down and regulate themselves as their parasympathetic part of their nervous system is not mature yet!
The IAIM program helps tp regulate the parent. Then baby regulates
What specialists also say:
IAIM instructors beleive in parents’ insight!!!
The IAIM program considers:�� ��the parents being the most important persons in the world for their baby
In IAIM we bridge ancient wisdom with modern knowledge��
We in IAIM contribute to heal from: ������► birth trauma, health issues, isolation, maltreatment, neglect, abuse, depression, confusion, disregulation… � �� �
What is it that babies really need??�Yes! Love, nurturing, closeness.�
�
Babies need very little
They need warmth for their body
and warmth for their heart
－Rudolf Steiner
Really….
Keys for the future of IAIM
Accept the realities:
Less trainings
Less parents in our classes
Loads of competition
Less willingness for volunteer work
(international and local)
We face a paradox:
Keys for the future of IAIM
Thinking outside the box, beyond the box
Suggestions for a switch of approaches:
Letting go of our existing paradigms
without loosing our quality
Rethink our collective ways
of organising ourselves (our association)
Suggestion for a switch of approaches:
Look at what all our competitors are doing and match it…
YES!!! Apps, Youtube, get into the mouth of the dragon and
transform it from inside
All these tools to attract parents into classes: Demo classes, Short videos,
All possible social media
Creating short apps with some of our theory points: Bonding, Reflexes, Crying
(behavioral states, etc. always ending by: you want to learn more, join a class.
Keys for the future of IAIM
Review how we train, our methodologies, our approaches
our assignment.
Create digital materials
Keep parents and babies classes in person,
to keep communities alive around babies.
Accept that sometimes it might be impossible
Keys for the future of IAIM
Getting into the system, what exists already
Approach authorities
Grants
International humanitarian
Speak about long term budgets, our program is prevention
BEiNG PROUD OF IAIM
Keys for the future of IAIM
INVADE THE WORLD…
WITH ALL TOOLS
Keys for the future of IAIM
SHARE what you have done already
with others of IAIM!!
SHARE our promotional tools
Keys for the future of IAIM
TOGERTHERNESS!!!!!
( we are sorry about the wars
on earth and we are at war
within IAIM)
Keys for the future of IAIM
HONOR THE OTHER ONE
Keys for the future of IAIM
EVERONE, EACH OF US
HAS PART OF THE TRUTH
and makes the whole brighter.
Keys for the future of IAIM
POSITIVE THINKING:
IAIM IS THERE TO STAY
Keys for the future of IAIM
REPLACE “I” (ME ME ME)
BY “WE”, “IN OUR ASSOCIATION”
Keys for the future of IAIM
REPLACE individualism and competition by collaboration
“I” (ME ME ME)
BY “WE”, “IN OUR ASSOCIATION”
Keys for the future of IAIM
Seeing the good
in our colleagues
Keys for the future of IAIM
REPLACE BLAMING
BY GETTING INVOLVED FOR
THE WHOLE
Keys for the future of IAIM
HONOR the road so far,
( it is after all what has been
“proved OK” by science)
and design together a map
for the continuity
of the journey
REPLACE : WE SHOULD, THE BOARD SHOULD, THE COMMITTEES SHOULD…���
By:
Today I will do this for IAIM!
I engage myself to…
The IAIM is a work of love,�for love.���IAIM is an antidote to several challenges, AND IT STARTS BETWEEN US.
We are the first, we are the best.����
Let’s keep the essence and use different spays!
Because parents and babies are waiting for IAIM instructors, even of they do not know yet..���
Let’s show them we are here to stay.
Dialogues, questions, comments?���
���Thank you for listening and your willingness to participate in IAIM’s growth
Sylvie Hétu
April 2026