Is Aromatherapy Bad For Babies?
A client of mine who is a new mother asked me if you should you use aromatherapy in the nursery? The answer is a very hesitant “yes” as long as the oils are gently dispersed through the room using a diffuser. Never ever apply essential oils to a baby’s skin, especially undiluted. Actually I am not so sure I would subject a baby to aromatherapy if it were my child. First of all an infant’s eyes, skin and nasal passages are lot more sensitive than ours. Second of all many essential oils directly affect the limbic system and the brain, so even inhaling them could have some kind of stimulating or sedative effect on your child.
The worst case scenario that I could see happening here is the mother who has a child that is allergic to ragweed who is subjected to odorous wafts of chamomile (used to calm a child down) without realizing that chamomile is a plant that is a member of the ragweed family.
Lavender is probably pretty safe to use in a baby’s room and so are vanilla and orange oils. Lavender would also serve to purify the air. Still I would not spray the bedding or use a diffuser in a child’s room, especially if the baby is under three months old! I would definitely stay away from any strong smelling oils like eucalyptus or stimulating oils like peppermint.
I think what I would do is add a few drops of lavender oil to the wash as it does serve to get rid of dust mites in bedding and eliminate any other kind of aromatherapy until the child is well over a year old.
Peace Be Still. Sam