We believe in empowering our customers with safe essential oil information to ensure they get the most out of all their essential oils. We’ve talked about dilution, KidSafe essential oils, and many more educational topics. For those of you who are familiar with our KidSafe line of essential oils, you probably already know that they were formulated for common concerns faced by parents with children 2 and up. But what about children under the age of 2? Can I use essential oils on children under 2? What oils can I use? What dilution rates should I use? These are some of the questions we get asked by our customers a lot, and we have decided it is time to provide. So, without further ado, let’s take a deeper look into using essential oils safely with our littlest children.
Can I use essential oils on children under 2?
The short answer, yes! Essential oils can be used on and around children under the age of 2. But there are some things to take into consideration. For instance, the essentials you choose to use, how you decide to use them, and what dilution you decide to use.
Which essential oils can I use?
We took the guesswork out of determining which essential oils are safe to use with our little ones. All you have to do is look for the KidSafe logo. When properly diluted, essential oils marked with the KidSafe logo are gentle enough to be used on our littlest children.
What dilution rate should I use?
The dilution rate you use with your little ones is the most important thing to take into consideration when using essential oils with children under 2. As always, we recommend starting with the lowest dilution and working your way up as necessary. Here are the dilution guidelines you should follow for infants and toddlers:
For children ages 0-3 months, we recommend using 1-2 drops of essential oil per 1 ounce of a carrier oil when used for whole body application. This would leave you with a dilution of 0.1%-0.2%.
For spot usage, you can use 3-9 drops of essential oil per 1 ounce of carrier.
For children ages 3-24 months, we recommend using 2-4 drops of essential oil per 1 ounce of carrier when used for whole body application. This would leave you with a dilution of 0.25%-0.5%.
For spot usage, you can use 9-27 drops of essential oil per 1 ounce carrier.
Why are KidSafe essential oils and dilution rates important?
Using KidSafe essential oils and low dilution rates is important when used on children under the age of 2 for almost the same reasons it’s important for children 2 and up. It’s no surprise that younger children have super sensitive skin. The thin, sensitive skin is much more permeable to essential oils than the skin of an older child or adult. Too high a dilution could cause skin irritation and other problems later down the road.
Are there gentler options?
Having spoken briefly about the risks of using essential oils topically on our little ones, you may be asking… are there gentler options available? The answer is yes!
One of our favourite ways to share essential oils with our little ones creates an emotional and physical bond between baby and parent through touch. To use this method, all you have to do is apply the KidSafe essential oils to yourself using a low, 1% dilution and then snuggling your baby closely. This allows the baby to obtain the essential oils benefits in an easy, gentle way.
You can also use infused carrier oils (or just plain carrier oils!) on your little one without any added essential oils. This is an excellent option for relaxing baby and helping promote a healthy relationship between baby and parent. Let it sit and infuse in a dark, cool place for a couple of weeks. Once you’ve let it infuse, strain the lavender buds, and use as needed.
So what about diffusion?
We’ve talked about how to use essential oils safely through topical application, as well as other safe ways to use essential oils on little ones, but what about diffusion? We recommend diffusing KidSafe essential oils for 30-60 minutes a few times a day. It is also worth noting that there are fewer risks diffusing than using essential oils topically. We recommend taking that into consideration when deciding how to use your KidSafe essential oils with your little ones. If you can accomplish your goals by diffusing, that would be the way to go.
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