We all want our children to be healthy. And if you are like me you want to avoid over doing the pharmaceutical medications when they are not feeling their best. Let me make a very clear and important piece of opinion here; modern medicine has it's place in our lives. However often times they are over used and misused. There are times when we need these medicines to treat serious illnesses and help the body to reach a stage where the natural options can do a better job at correcting the problem. Natural medicines are meant to help us stay well and need to be used properly and along with clean eating, plenty of exercise and morally objective life choices. The goal should be to not get so I'll that we now have to use the pharmaceutical medications.
When we use essential oils with our children there are a few safety guidelines that should always be followed.
1. Always use a 1% dilution ratio with children.
2. Be mindful that some oils should not be used with children under ten years of age:
Eucalyptus Oil Ravintsara Oil Rosemary Oil Clove Bud Oil Birch Oil
Saro Oil Niaouli Oil Cinnamon Oil Tulsi Oil Wintergreen Oil Hyssop Oil
Corn Mint Oil Cajeput OIl Peppermint Oil
This is not a complete list of oils that children should avoid under the age of ten years. Please use your own discernment and always research before choosing an essential oil for young children. Whenever possible use a hydrosol of the same plant as they are gentler substances.
3. Some oils are sun sensitive so you should take care when using certain essential oils in the sun as it can cause skin irritation and burns:
Bergamot Grapefruit Oil
Lemon Oil Lime Oil ( if cold pressed)
4. Hydrosols are a better choice for children for topical use.
5. You can safely diffuse oils at a very low drop to water mixture. They are very strong so remember they go a long way in a child's delicate system. I never exceed ten drops of oil to a full tank of water in a diffuser for children under ten. I usually will put the diffuser in the bedroom close the door and let it run for about 15 min then let the person enter the room,close the door again and get comfy. Allow the diffuser to run 5 min more and then turn off. The aroma will fill the room and will be enough to do the job in most cases. This is how I used to get my kids to sleep at night. Or we would never sleep again! oils with a well established bed time routine to teach the body that sleep is coming is a great way to help ADHD settle and sleep.
Using plants is a great way to help our children build strong immunity and to focus during the day and sleep better at night. They are helpful for those times they get sick or hurt. But it is important to know when to use them, in what form to use them, and how to use them. That is what I hope to accomplish here with these posts. I want to break down the barriers and fears of the complexity of these substances and give you what you need to know to confidently use plants in your home every day.
Add comment
Comments