One of the key safety issues is dilution. This is true for adults, but it is doubly true for children. Essential oils are pure oils from the plant or flower, which means they are potent. If being used topically on the skin or in a bath, essential oils should always be diluted as 1-2 drops of essential oil for every ounce of carrier oil.
Essential Do’s And Don’ts Of Essential Oils For Kids
If you are careful and pay attention to what you are doing, there should not be an issue with using essential oils to help your children. However, for the sake of completeness, here is a list of the most important do’s and don’t. These include:
- Ensure essential oils are always kept out of the reach of children and are safely locked away. Some oils are toxic if ingested and can be particularly bad for children’s immature systems
- NEVER give or allow a child to ingest an essential oil, no matter how much it has been diluted
- If a child does swallow any essential oil or carrier, DO NOT MAKE THEM VOMIT! Take them to hospital, or emergency room, together with the bottle they have ingested from
- NEVER use an essential oil in its neat form on a child – it should always be well diluted with a suitable carrier oil
- NEVER use a nut-based carrier oil on a child if you do not know their allergies
- ALWAYS use a carrier oil if you add essential oils to a bath as this will avoid irritation to their skin. If you do use essential oils in a bath avoid contact with the face and eyes
- CONSIDER ALLERGIES: Your child may not have shown any sign of allergies, but they may have a reaction to something. Therefore, always ensure you introduce one essential oil at a time to be safe. Do not use more than one oil a day as sometimes the body will take a little time to respond
- DO NOT use essential oils on babies under 5 months old
- ALWAYS research the essential oil and its properties and effects on children before using it.
Using Diffusers Or Burners With Essential Oils
Many people choose to use diffusers or vaporizers for essential oils. The same rule applies, ensure the essential oil blend mixture is not too strong – just a couple of drops in a large amount of water. Children have very delicate lungs and you do not want to induce bronchial issue. You can create the mixture and then transfer it to your oil burner for use. Ensure you keep the mixture well labelled and locked away.
Always Do Your Research
There is a lot of information about essential oils and it is very important to do your research before using them either topically, or in a diffuser for kids. For example, you may think that Eucalyptus essential oil would be great to clear the nose or bronchial when a child has a cold, but there is research to suggest that if children are exposed to the menthol and cineole in Eucalyptus or Peppermint oil it can cause a trigger in children and reduce their breathing, which could be dangerous.
The staff at Plant Guru are here to help! Ask now.