Gentle Aromatherapy For Children

Gentle Aromatherapy For Children

Aromatherapy is a gentle, safe, and effective therapeutic technique for a host of childhood ailments and disorders. Essential oils have brilliant healing properties and help regain and maintain health and well being. Working within a holistic framework, aromatherapy helps provide everyday healthcare. Children are vulnerable, and require gentler and sometimes slightly different treatment from adults. Aromatherapy for children and babies uses essential oils that are considerably more diluted.

Benefits of Using Aromatherapy for Babies and Children

The health benefits of using aromatherapy are innumerable. A massage using essential oils yields wonderful advantages. Massaging is a lovely way for a parent and child to really connect with one another.

Certain essential oils have a mildly sedative effect, and when massaged onto baby’s skin will induce a peaceful sleep. Myrtle mixed with Lavender is a gentle, effective, and safe blend for children.

Essential oils used for inhalations help fight cold, cough, and sore throat instantaneously. Use only four drops of the essential oil (preferably, Lavender and Benzoin) in the inhalation.

Chamomile Essential Oil

Some essential oils, particularly Chamomile, are nick-named ‘children’s essential oil’. Chamomile is one of the best essential oils to use with babies. The oil exerts soothing and calming effects and is highly recommended in cases of sleeplessness, irritability, peevishness, temper tantrums, tummy upsets, and teething trouble.

Safety Guidelines While Using Aromatherapy for Babies and Children

For the purpose of aromatherapy, children are categorized in to infants of one to five years and six to fourteen years. Above fourteen years, the child can be treated as one would treat an adult.

The following guidelines enable one to safely and successfully use aromatherapy for children:

• For infants who are one year old, use ½ % essential oil, i.e., one drop of the essential oil in 10 ml of base oil (coconut oil, almond oil, wheat germ oil or avocado oil).
• Safe essential oils for children are: Lavender, Myrtle, Chamomile, Neroli, Rose, and Benzoin.
• Essential oils can be used in the bath or as massage oils. But, always remember to mix the essential oil in the base oil (even for the bath).
• For children of five to fourteen years, 1 % essential oil can be used, i.e., one drop of the essential in 5 ml of base oil.

Aromatherapy is nurturing, comforting, and promotes a sense of happiness, security and well being in children. It has a role to play in the physical, as well as psychological health of the child. Aromatherapy helps relieve fear, restlessness, impatience, stress, grumpiness, and nervous energy, along with effectively treating cold, cough, sore throat, fever, skin ailments, and sleeplessness.