Posts Tagged ‘aromatherapy for babies’

Aromatherapy For Baby Care

Friday, April 9th, 2010

Baby care is a concern of every new parent. A new born baby is prone to the adversities of the external environment; therefore, appropriate baby care is a must for babies.

There are several ways and methods of baby care; one of the most effective ones is aromatherapy. Aromatherapy is the use of concentrated plant extracts like essential oils, hydrosols, and distillates. Aromatherapy is a medicinal technique that works wonders for babies, with minimal or no side effects.

Essential Oils For Babies and Infants

The specifics of aromatherapy for baby care are listed below:

  • While feeding the infant, you can keep a tissue paper with a few drops of lavender essential oil sprayed on it. This will enhance the mood of the baby and will keep him engrossed in eating. This will help in the normal growth and development of the baby.
  • You can also deploy essential oils to give your baby an aromatic bath. You can add a few drops of lavender essential oil and Roman chamomile essential oil to the water while bathing your baby.
  • Chamomile essential oil may also be used for easing the process of teething in babies.
  • Essential oils are instrumental in pacifying the irritated young ones. You can put a drop of lavender essential oil on your shoulder and let the head of the baby rest on it. This will soothe the mind and body of the baby, making him calm and happy. You can also use lavender essential oil while putting him to sleep.
  • You can also use mandarin essential oil to relieve irritability in babies and to calm them.
  • You can use citrus essential oils like lemon or orange essential oil to clean the room of the baby. This will avert the proneness of baby to infections and diseases.
  • Babies are prone to cough and cold. You can use eucalyptus essential oil to relieve cough in babies. You can use it to relieve a chest infection and a running nose.
  • If your baby is infected by an insect bite, you can use tea tree essential oil to relieve the pain, itching, and septic effects of the sting.

Aromatherapy can be a boon for your baby; however, if the dosage is incorrect, it might prove a bane. You must dilute the essential oil with a carrier oil like olive oil or coconut oil. Babies have very sensitive skin; excess concentrated essential oils can cause adverse reactions that may vary in severity.

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Baby Aromatherapy

Friday, March 20th, 2009

Aromatherapy for babies can be extremely useful as many oils like Lavender and Roman Chamomile contain compounds that directly affect the brain and promote relaxation. In addition to this, many of these compounds have therapeutic effects and can therefore be used to treat various ailments. Aromatherapy oils are the distilled extracts of various plants and the undiluted oils are very strong and even harsh.  It is important that you consult an aromatherapist before using these oils on babies and children.

Children and adults are not the only ones attracted to fragrant aromas; studies have shown that babies too are attracted to sweet smells. You can use the oils and methods listed below for both relaxing and therapeutic benefits.

  • Romann Chamomile is a fragrant soothing oil that promotes relaxation. Babies require long hours of sleep so a nappy rash or teething problems can leave them restless and howling. Mix two drops of this oil in an equal quantity of a carrier oil and dab the mixture onto a tissue. Place this tissue in the drawer where you keep your baby’s sheets and pillow cases. Do not place the tissue in your baby’s crib as the smell will be overpowering to a baby’s sensitive nose.
  • Lavender Oil is a sweet, floral and slightly fruity fragrance that is renowned for its ability to relieve pain and nervous tension as well as enhance blood circulation and disinfect the skin and scalp. Mix a drop of this essential oil along with three drops of a carrier oil in a bottle of warm water. Shake the bottle well so that the oils mix with the water and then add this water to your baby’s bath. This bath will help to prevent skin infections as well as induce relaxation and sleep.
  • Citrus oils like Orange and Lemon are natural cleaning agents. Add two drops of your essential oil to an equal amount of a carrier oil and mix them well in a bottle of warm water. Soak a clean cotton cloth in this mixture and squeeze dry. Wipe the insides of your baby’s drawer to naturally disinfect it. When cleaning the room, you can also add a few drops of this oil to a bucket of water and swab the room with it. This is a natural alternative to chemical disinfectants that can be overpowering. Once every fortnight or a month you can take your baby out of the room and add a few drops of any citrus oil to an aroma lamp or a diffuser. Close all the doors and windows and leave the lamp on. This will allow the vapors to permeate every nook and cranny and eliminate harmful bacteria. After two hours or so, put the lamp off and open the windows to allow the room to air out completely. Citrus oils are very harsh so do not leave your baby in the room while you are doing this.

When using aromatherapy for babies, the general rule of thumb is to use 1/2 the recommended amount for children. Do not use aromatherapy if your baby is less than three years old. Also make sure that you are using essential oils and not fragrance or perfume oils as these oils have no therapeutic effects and in fact contain harsh chemicals.

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