Aromatherapy can be great for children
A friend of mine and new dad, JON DENNIS has come up with some excellent tips on using aromatherapy for children.
This technique works for children (and adults) of all ages and is a really simple and effective way to help snotty kids breathe easier at night. I tried it on my own congested three year old the other night and the results were immediate.
Jon has used his knowledge of aromatherapy and essential oils and integrated it into his new role as a father to ensure his beautiful new baby boy gets the restful sleep he needs to grow and be happy.
Jon goes on to say….
“…My son (who is now still only 3 months old) was, like many other babies, born with a lot of residual fluids from the womb still in his system.
The symptom quite simply presented itself as a blocked nose, and despite all the attempts to fish the gunk out nothing seemed to give him any lasting relief.
That is when I recalled the experience I gained working for an Aromatherapy company many years earlier.
I knew a bit about the essential oils and what they were good for, and had used them on and off myself for various reasons with success, so decided to give it a go with our little one.
We set up a vaporizer in the nursery where it wouldn’t be disturbed, and added a few drops of a blend that a relative had given us which contained the all important ingredient – Eucalyptus.
We started burning a candle in the vaporizer for a few hours before his night time sleep so that the room was full of the fragrance before we put him down. We always made sure to always blow the candle out before closing the door for the night.
The results were almost immediate. We started to notice how much clearer his breathing was straight away, and within 2 or 3 days he was breathing without any blockage at all.
We quickly realized that burning a candle in his room every couple of days ensured there was enough of the aroma in the room to give him the lasting relief we had been looking for.
We also knew when we needed to increase the burning time because we could hear when his nose started to block again.
Using Vaporizers is simple. A few drops of your selected oil in a vaporizer full of water, add a lit candle and you’re away.
Apart from being good for his breathing, we have also found that it leaves the room smelling nice and covers any baby smells left lingering around the change table…”
Now there is some great and effective advice on using aromatherapy for children. I thought I would add a couple of disclaimers to this advice just to ensure safety all around and they are as follows:
1) Never EVER leave a burning candle in your baby’s room.
2) Never leave a burning candle unattended.
3) ALWAYS check your dosages before burning essential oils. Eucalyptus oil in particular is quite toxic so make sure you follow the instructions and add a FEW DROPS ONLY to a full bowl of water in your vaporizer.
4) NEVER burn undiluted oils unless expressly told to by a Naturopath of Physician.
Aromatherapy for children can be great but make sure you use common sense. The idea is to fill the room with a gentle fragrance of Eucalyptus ( and others ) to help clear the congested passages of your little baby’s nose and lungs.
If it smells to strong for you then it will probably be to strong for your little baby. Start with a little essential oils and then work up to larger doses until the desired affect is achieved.
Once again, thanks for the tip Jon. I hope we hear more from you in the future and in the meantime – good luck with your parenting!