Dr. Marissa, are Essential Oils safe for Babies & Children?
Working with women, I get this question a lot! And while the answer is YES – essential oils are absolutely safe for babies and children – there are some things that you should know before you start oiling up your little ones.
- There’s no need to ingest – for infants & children up to 10 years old, stick to aromatic and topical use.
- Always dilute – essential oils are potent, and should always be properly diluted, especially for children. Use a carrier oil for topical application and ventilate any space that has a running diffuser.
- Rinse & Repeat – unlike the over the counter and prescription meds we are used to, holistic remedies need to be reapplied every 3-4 hours to see their maximum benefit.
Why choose Essential Oils over the commercial OTC products?
We live in a world and an environment that is unfortunately filled with synthetics and chemicals that are extremely toxic to our health. There are approximately 85,000 chemicals in use in modern manufacturing around the world, and we’ve only studied approximately 4,000 of them in relation to human health and safety! All of these chemicals and synthetics in combination place a burden, referred to as a Toxic Load, on our bodies. And even though it might seem counter-intuitive, there’s a suggestion that our homes are sometimes even more toxic than the outdoor environment! Those stainproof carpets and furniture you love? Coated in chemicals. The heavy duty cleaning products you don’t think you can do without? Loaded with chemicals. And the over the counter pharmaceuticals? Yup. Ditto.
What if I told you that there’s a better way? A safer, easier, cheaper, and HIGHLY EFFECTIVE way to care for the physical AND emotional health of your kids, while detoxifying your homes and eliminating those toxic cleaning, body care, and hair care products? A way that actually helps your children’s bodies and minds to flourish, to repair from the deepest levels, and to function at a far more optimal level?
What else do I need to know?
Well, lots.
Some oils are safe to use topically from birth, but some should not be used at all until the child is much older. The dilution rate changes from toddler, to young child, to teen years. This was the essential oils for kids intro!
And as a mum, I know that all of this information can be a bit daunting (or, you know, cause you to slam your laptop shut in frustration – maybe you can just get one of those giant bubbles for your kid after all!!). That’s why I’ve broken this very important subject down so even the busiest of mums (like myself) can confidently start using essential oils with their babes – no PhD-like time commitment required!
{0-3 – 6 months} {6 months – 2yrs} {2yrs – 3 yrs} {4-12yrs} {13+ yrs}
