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Sam Evans

Baby movement classes were a lifesaver for Hong Kong mum Jen Cooper. Literally.
A teacher with 10 years’ experience in the UK and mainland China, Cooper was living in rural Scotland in 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic lockdowns when she gave birth to her daughter.
“Everything was shut. There were no cafes, there was no support, there was no way of leaving the house for several months. So it was kind of a recipe for mental health issues,” she says.
Following her daughter’s arrival, Cooper began to suffer from severe postnatal depression.

“My daughter was very much a wanted baby and I felt a huge wave of emotion, but then nothing. The doctors wanted to hospitalise me but my husband begged them not to, so they offered an alternative.”
That alternative was baby massage, a tradition practised by cultures around the world for millennia. It involves stimulating different parts of a baby’s body to promote healthy joints, better sleep, parent-baby bonding and more.
The baby massage classes were a turning point for Cooper and her daughter.
“I went from not being able to look at her to feeling that I was able to provide her with comfort and help her development,” she says.
The social aspect of being surrounded by other new mothers at the classes who could relate to her struggle also helped a great deal.

“It all allowed me to understand just how powerful a baby class really can be. It’s not an overexaggeration to say that going to those classes saved my life,” she says.
Baby massage is part of a wider discipline using movement to aid young children’s development. After taking part in various types of classes during her recovery process – and experiencing their benefits – Cooper became determined to learn more.
She read avidly about baby movement and became a certified instructor in infant massage, baby yoga and toddler yoga with a qualification recognised by the UK’s Royal College of Midwives.
From there she created her own curriculum, applying her knowledge to help other parents.
Then Hong Kong came calling.

“My husband got a job here, and I learned from friends here that there weren’t classes like mine available in Hong Kong,” says Cooper, who decided to bring these kinds of classes to parents in the city.
In September 2022 she set up her company Little HK, which offers baby movement classes at locations around the city for different stages of development, from newborns to four-year-olds. Her classes target muscle groups according to age group, to help children hit their next major milestone.
“For three- to six-month-old children, we’re doing a lot of work on the chest muscles because those babies need to be able to roll from stomach to back. We also do a lot of work on the core strength, because those babies need to be able to sit.
“Then, from baby massage, we move up through age-appropriate movements and stretches. All the classes and movements we teach are designed to boost brain development and coordination,” Cooper says.
Babies who are massaged outperform their peers in developmental assessments for over six months after the baby massage course is finished
Jen Cooper, baby movement instructor
Plenty of research supports her work.
A 2004 study by researchers at the University of Miami in the US state of Florida found that, compared to infants given regular light-pressure massages, infants given regular moderate-pressure massages gained more weight and were taller.
They also showed more advanced cognition and social interaction, and less agitated behaviour during sleep.
A 2023 study by researchers at Bandırma Onyedi Eylül University in Turkey found that infants who took part in weekly baby-massage classes were heavier after eight weeks than those who did not. After 20 weeks, they were taller and had stronger maternal attachment.
Another study carried out by Australian and Italian researchers and published in scientific journal Early Human Development, in September 2022, found that baby massage contributed to brain maturation in babies born prematurely.

“There’s a lot of very robust data that supports how effective baby-massage courses are,” Cooper says. “Babies who are massaged outperform their peers in developmental assessments for over six months after the baby massage course is finished, so it’s fantastic for brain development, muscle development, coordination strength.”
As well as being good for the children, Cooper says baby-movement classes are also beneficial for parents. They promote bonding and confidence, especially for those who may be struggling.
“There are a lot more parents, both Westerners and local Chinese, in Hong Kong who are going through issues related to postnatal depression than one might think. It’s kind of a secret, un-talked about epidemic,” she says.
“I work on helping to boost their confidence, pointing out the way that their baby is looking at them, and suggesting techniques that can help them as a parent.”
I’m not a mental health professional. I’m just somebody who’s been through it, and I’m really happy to be part of the conversation
Jen Cooper
Cooper, who speaks publicly about her own struggles to encourage a more open dialogue about postnatal depression, says there are some aspects unique to Hong Kong life that can exacerbate the problem.
These include the relatively short amount of maternity leave offered to new mothers by many employers in the city, and relationships between parents and helpers, which she says can lead to “hidden anxieties”.
“I’m not a mental health professional. I’m just somebody who’s been through it, and I’m really happy to be part of the conversation, bringing it out into the open and making it OK to talk about,” she says.
Cooper is part of a growing network of professionals in Hong Kong focused on baby movement to promote development and bonding. She recently teamed up with some of her colleagues to introduce “baby raves” to the city.

The concept – dance parties designed for young children and adults to enjoy – has taken off in other parts of the world.
“The idea of it was to have an event that was genuinely fun for parents and children, the kind of event that we would want to go to with our kids,” Cooper says.
The inaugural baby rave, co-hosted by Cooper’s Little HK and Hong Kong creative play specialist Baumhaus, took place in August at Hong Kong’s Fringe Club. The space was divided into a dance area where music was played at a volume safe for young ears, and a “chill out” zone where families could relax, play with toys and take part in a programme of infant and baby movement sessions.
Of the collaboration, Cooper says: “We’re really passionate about making sure the classes we provide are not only entertaining and fun, but also actually purposeful and have a solid foundation in education.”

A date and location for the next baby rave is still undecided, but the plan is for one later this year.
The baby raves provide an opportunity for parents who are curious about how baby movement classes can work for them and their children to see what the discipline – and Cooper and her colleagues – are all about, in a fun and safe environment.
To learn more about baby movement, or book classes with Cooper and her team, visit Little Hong Kong’s website.
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Baby massage eased postnatal depression for Jen Cooper (centre), who is now a teacher of baby movement classes in Hong Kong. Photo: Edmond So

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Baby massage classes helped Hong Kong-based Jen Cooper beat severe postnatal depression. Having seen their benefits she became an instructor


Baby massage classes helped Hong Kong-based Jen Cooper beat severe postnatal depression. Having seen their benefits she became an instructor.


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