Essential oils for babies and young children

Essential oils with, their calming properties can help soothe aches and discomforts, encourage sleep and help protect delicate skin. But while there benefits to be gained from aromatherapy there are a few points to remember. (Also see advice on essential oil)

Pure undiluted essential oils are very potent. For babies and young children we use all essential oils in a very low dilution - by the drop- as only a few drops are needed for their powerful effects to be appreciated.
A leaflet on how to use and dilute pure essential oils is included with all our products
Not all essential oils are suitable for young children and babies; these are the ones we recommend. : Lavender, Roman Camomile, German Camomile, Neroli, Mandarin and Rose Otto (lemon and tea tree for limited applications) To be well diluted according to their method of application following instrctions on the product label or accompany leaflet.
Essential oils must not be taken internally
Essential oils may be used in various applications such as massage, baths, air vaporisation and skin care for older babies and toddlers - but they must be very well diluted and used with great care especially with babies under one year.
Baths. We do not recommend essential oils baths for babies under three months old. All pure essential oils must be diluted before adding to the bath water. Undiluted essential oils do not mix with water but form droplets on the surface where they could be transferred to the child's mouth or eyes or irritate their skin. To dilute : Add the Essential oil drops into 10 to 20 ml of full fat milk and stir well before adding to the bath water.
We don't recommend using Carrier/massage oils or mixing essential oils into carrier oils for the bath. They will make the bath slippery.
When using massage oils take care to prevent the mixture getting on the child’s face, especially near the eyes or mouth. Do not use massage oil on a child's hands -they may transfer it to their mouths when they suck their fingers, or rub it into their eyes.
When using essential oils in a diffuser (Aroma stone) or similar product, it is advisable to add 1 drop of essential oil to 10 ml of water, mix well before adding to diffuser bowl. Used without water the Essential oil molecules released into the air are very powerful . If using bowl of hot water use no more than 1 -2 drops of essential oil to 1 pint of water for babies. Whichever method you use keep both diffusers and bowls of hot well away from small children's reach and use while your baby is out of the room. Diffuser or water bowl should be removed before your baby goes back in the room.
It is not advisable to put drops of essential oils on pyjamas or bedding or place the oils directly near a child's nose especially near a dummy -the aromas are far too strong. They can also irritate the eyes. Flower water or hydrolats sprays -which are used on cotton wool pads at nappy change time- are not so strong -but do not spray near a baby or child's face.
Do not use synthetic fragrance oils and room fresheners/sprays near children.They do not contain therapeutic properties and may contain chemicals. At Allison England we only use aromas from pure Essential oils.
Keep all essential oils and essential oil products away from the reach and sight of children
Keep all products containing essential oils away from your baby’s eyes and mouth
Keep the caps on the bottles at all times

Carrier oils

Some carrier oils such as almond oil are nut based. Avoid all products that contain nut oils if you or your child has a nut allergy; or there is a family history.
Nut-free oils include Apricot ,Olive, Calendula, Jojoba, Sunflower, Grapeseed, Evening primrose and Rose hip.
Babies have very sensitive skin. Before using any carrier oil, or carrier oil containing essential oils, you may want to test the carrier oil on an area of skin before using for massage or on the nappy area.
Smear a very little oil on the inside of the elbow. There is no need to cover it. Leave the area unwashed for 24 hours. If any redness or irritation occurs there may be sensitivity or an allergy to that oil. If you are an allergy prone family, it would be advisable to do this elbow patch test with all skin products before use. However do not do this patch test using nut oils where there is known allergy to nut oils.

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