Wellness Archives | Gessell Frisbee

How to Use Essential Oils on Kids

by Gessell | Jul 4, 2019 | Essential Oils, Natural Living, Natural Remedies, Wellness

Curious about how to use essential oils on kids? Learn the 3 ways to use essential oils on babies, toddlers and children, how to properly dilute essential oil and the best areas to apply essential oils to kids.

Being able to use essential oils on my kids is something I am so thankful for. I can’t imagine doing this mom gig without them.

A question I get asked fairly frequently is if using essential oils on kids is safe. I personally believe that using essential oils on kids can be very safe as long as you follow a few basic safety rules and common sense guidelines.

Are ready to start using essential oils in your home? I recommend starting with the FAMILY KIT

Listen to my Essential Oils 101 class to learn about how I use oils in my home.

(This post contains referral links and Amazon affiliate links. I only recommend products I use and love! Read my full disclosure here)

HOW DO I USE ESSENTIAL OILS ON KIDS?

There are three basic ways to use essential oils on kids. Aromatically, topically and internally. If you are just learning about essential oils, you may also want to check out my post HOW TO USE ESSENTIAL OILS

1) TOPICALLY

The main thing you need to know about using essential oils on kids, is that it is really important to dilute them first.

Making roller bottles is the easiest way I have found to dilute essential oils for kids. You can order empty roller bottles and make your own by mixing the essential oil with a carrier oil (such as fractionated coconut oil), or buy premixed ones.

If you’d like to make your own roller bottles, check out my dilution chart down below.

Get Roller Bottles here

You can also dilute essential oils by adding them to lotions or making a salve. This is a great option if you are trying to cover a larger surface area, as it will make it easier to apply.

Some examples when this might come in handy if if you are using essential oils for growing pains, or skin conditions. For example, if you are using essential oils for growing pains you may want to add them to a lotion to make it easier to apply.

2) AROMATICALLY

Having a diffuser running in the house is not only one of the easiest ways to use essential oils aromatically, it also smells wonderful! As the aroma of the oil is inhaled, tiny essential oil molecules enter the body, where they do their awesome job!

Putting a diffuser in your child’s room at night can help them sleep better, and during the day it helps with their mood.

My kids also like to use essential oils aromatically by inhaling directly out of the bottle. Or, drop a few drops into your hand and cup it over your child’s nose for them to inhale.

3) INTERNALLY

Generally speaking, I wouldn’t recommend using essential oils internally for kids under the age of 13. That said, I have used essential oils internally on my kids some. Like always, check with your doctor before using essential oils internally, use your good judgment and listen to your “mom intuition”.

If one of the kids is not feeling their best, I usually prefer the try natural remedies like essential oils first, before turning to antibiotics or over the counter medications, although there are times those become necessary as well. I weigh the pros and cons for each situation, and make the decision that seems best for my family.

The couple of ties that we used essential oils internally on the kids, I made sure to dilute them first. If you don’t want to use a whole drop of oil, you dip a toothpick in the oil bottle and then swirl it about in a teaspoonful of honey. My kids actually love it when I do this, because they get to eat honey!

You can also add it into a cup of warm tea or juice, a little applesauce or even yogurt.

PIN IT FOR LATER

WHERE TO APPLY ESSENTIAL OILS TOPICALLY ON KIDS

Applying essential oils topically is usually my go to method for my kids. The 3 best places to apply oils topically are usually on the bottoms of the feet, along the spine or sometimes directly over the area of concern. Don’t ever put essential oils in eyes or ears!

1) BOTTOMS OF FEET

The bottom of the feet is an idea place to apply essential oils on kids. Not only is the skin in this area less sensitive than other parts on the body, the oil absorbs into the body very rapidly from the sole of the feet.

Another perk of applying essential oil to the bottoms of the feet is the concept of reflexology. If you are familiar with reflexology, you’ll know that the bottom of the foot corresponds with different organs and systems of the body. When you apply oils to certain areas of the food it can help to support the relating body system. For example, the big toe is a good place to apply essential oils if you are struggling with respiratory challenges, as the big toe relates to the pituitary, throat and nose.

2) ALONG THE SPINE

Sometimes the biggest challenge about using essential oils on small children is doing it in a way where they can’t get it into their eyes and mouth. Applying essential oils along the spine is great for kids because it’s an area they can’t touch!

The spine also has a higher concentration of nerves and blood flow, which can help to absorb essential oils well and distribute them quickly throughout the body.

3) AREA OF CONCERN

Applying essential oils directly to the area of concern can be very effective. Just make sure they are properly diluted. For example, with a tummy ache, you could apply a digestive blend directly over the belly. Or if you child gets a scraped knee, you can apply an oil right the cut. You can apply diluted oil along the jaw line for teething pain, or around the ear for an ear ache. Just be sure -as always!- to avoid putting any oil into their ear.

IS ESSENTIAL OIL QUALITY IMPORTANT?

Um…YES! It is very important, ESPECIALLY when using essential oils on kids.

When I first learned about essential oils, I had just had my first baby, and was so excited to learn about these amazing natural remedies. It didn’t take me long to learn how many options were out there, and how many different places they were available for purchase. I quickly began to question what the difference in quality was.

Another thing I noticed was the wide variation in price, and wondered why some were so much pricier. I started to dig around online, doing some research, and learned some interesting facts.

REGULATION AND TESTING OF ESSENTIAL OILS

Essential oil are not regulated by the FDA, so that leaves a lot of “wiggle room” for honesty on the label. Basically, you need to research the company in depth, and find a company that you know you can trust. Look for how they source the oils, what kind of testing and quality control they use, and Essential oils are not regulated by the FDA, so basically you have to do your own research. You can’t trust the bottle or the label. Be sure to find a company you can trust. Be on the lookout for how they source their oils, the testing they do, and how they manage quality control.

After reading up on a lot of different companies (and there are several good ones out there) I personally settled on using doTERRA essential oils for my family. I feel extremely comfortable with the high quality of oils they produce, and like that they have all of their oil testing done through a third party independent lab, and that I can personally see the test results.

If you’d like to learn about the 10 essential oils that I started with, and that I recommend to others who are just getting started, you can watch my video class on it HERE.

DO I NEED TO DILUTE THEM?

In a nutshell, yes. When using essential oils on children and babies, it is always wisest to dilute them properly. Diluting an oil doesn’t mean you are lessening the effectiveness of the oil In fact, using a carrier oil such as fractionated coconut oil can even help the essential oil to absorb better into the body.

Here is a basic cheat sheet on diluting oils for kids. This chart is based on a 10mL roller bottle size.

Newborn-6 months: 1-2 drops per roller bottle
6 months- 2 years: 1-3 drops per roller bottle
2 -5 years: 2-5 drops per roller bottle
5-12 years: 5-10 drops per roller bottle
13 and up: 15-30 drops per roller bottle

As you can see, it doesn’t take much! Essential oils are so powerful and effective, a little goes a long way!

ARE THERE OILS I SHOULDN’T USE ON KIDS?

I am personally of the opinion that, as long as you are using high quality essential oils, you can use any oils on children that you would use on yourself. There are some oils that are extremely hot and can burn, and you will need to be cautious with those.

HOT OILS-USE WITH CAUTION:

Clove
Thyme
Cassia
Cinnamon Bark
Oregano

WHICH ESSENTIAL OILS ARE BEST FOR CHILDREN?

There are SO many essential oils that are great for kids! But I definitely have a few that I use more frequently than others, and have become standard favorites.

LAVENDER-This oil is very calming and can help with sleep. It’s great for all things skin related, as well.

WILD ORANGE-Citrus oils are very uplifting, and I like to diffuse them in the house to help promote positive moods! LEMON and BERGAMOT are other favorites. For more ideas on using citrus oils, check out my post 10 RECIPES USING ESSENTIAL OILS

ON GUARD-My favorite immune boosting blend. If people are feeling under the weather or we have been around a long of other kids, I will bust out my bottle of ONGUARD to help keep everyone’s immune systems boosted.

SUMMARY

Dilute essential oils properly before using them on children
Avoid eyes and ears
The 3 best areas to apply oils on kids are; along the spine, bottoms of feet or area of concern
Only use high quality oils that have been properly sourced and tested

What is your favorite essential oil to use on children? I’d love to hear your experiences!

Are you ready to get started using oils in your home? Get the Essential Oil FAMILY KIT or listen to my FREE CLASS

Meditation for Moms | 3 Tips to Reduce Stress on Busy Days

by Gessell | Apr 27, 2019 | Motherhood, Wellness

Meditation for Moms: 3 simple tips that have helped me reduce stress as a busy mom! Use these techniques even on your busiest days!

Meditation for Moms is Important

Motherhood is beautiful, and motherhood is sometimes very very hard.

I think we’ve all had those moments in our mothering journeys where we have realized that the only thing you can really control is your thoughts, and the only thing left to do is surrender to the moment.

Those beautiful, amazing little souls that you somehow created, and whom you love with the depth and breath of your soul and beyond, somehow-just somehow- have a way of managing to push you to the furthest edge possible.

An edge that, before motherhood, you didn’t even know existed.

The early years of motherhood especially can feel like a Boot Camp in finding new edges of endurance, patience and even love.

Have you ever been stuck on the couch with a baby attached to you who JUST drifted off to sleep after a long night of insomnia, while the toddler has a temper tantrum at your feet, and then your three-year-old has a potty accident? You haven’t eaten since sometime early yesterday, and the overwhelm and responsibility for the tiny little beings feels like it might suffocate you?

Suddenly, you just want your own mom.

But then you realize that you ARE the mom.

PIN THIS FOR LATER

Maneuvering Motherhood with Grace

When we are pushed up to these edges of our ability, when we feel so internally overwhelmed and stressed that we aren’t sure which way to turn, what do we do? How do we maneuver through these parenting moments with our grace (and sanity) still in tact?

This is why meditation for moms can be so important. Knowing how to deal with moments like these on an internal, mental/emotional level isn’t necessarily a skill-set many of us are taught. I know I wasn’t.

I wish I could give you a simple, one size fits all solution, but I’m afraid it’s not that simple. However, I do have a few tips that have helped me over the years to navigate these mothering scenarios with a little less stress and a little more grace.

Here are the top Meditation for Moms tips that have helped me reduce stress as a mother

Mom Meditation Tip 1) BREATH

There are a lot of really effective breath techniques that you can learn about and practice.

However, I have found that when I am in the stress of the moment and already multi-tasking out the wazoo, that practicing a complicated breath technique (no matter how effective) isn’t always an option.

Heck, who am I kidding! Even just remembering a complicated breath technique is often more than I can handle in these moments!

So instead, this is what I do.

Just Breath…

I tell myself, rather firmly, BREATH. Then, I start breathing THROUGH MY NOSE. I inhale through my nose, and exhale through my nose. If I’m extremely tense, it may start out as a fairly rapid, shallow breath.

Here’s the key: However long the inhale is, make the exhale TWICE AS LONG. Count it out in your head if you need to. 2 second inhale, 4 second exhale. 3 second inhale, 6 second exhale, etc. etc.

After a few rounds of breathing like this, I am able to deepen my breath a bit, drawing a fuller inhale, and lengthening my exhale a bit more.

Creating a lengthened exhale helps to calm central nervous system. When we are stressed we tend to begin breathing very shallowly, and even hyperventilating. Focusing on lengthening the exhale is the most quickest, most effective way to calm yourself internally that I have found.

This breath is simple enough that I can usually manage to do it even while changing diapers, comforting little ones or doing multiple other tasks. It’s something that I can do without having to set aside extra time to do it, which in this phase of life can be absolutely crucial for success.

Mom Meditation Tip 2) FOCUS

Often times, when I begin feeling overwhelmed and waves of stress or panic start to set in, I realize it’s not because of what’s going on in my outer world as much as what is going on in my inner world, or mind.

Noticing that my thoughts have become frantic, disorganized, repetitive and negative in nature helps me to recognize that it is these thoughts (not my external situation) that are causing me stress.

To calm my mind and retrain it toward a more positive mindset, I choose one word, and focus on it for several minutes at a time.

Some of my favorites are love, joy, or peace but I’m sure there are plenty others that would work as well. I pick one of those words and I hold the word in my mind as I inhale and I hold the word in my head as I exhale…sometimes in conjunction with the breathing exercise above.

If I maintain this for several minutes at a time it seems to help my brain to interrupt negative thought cycles. Unwanted thoughts always pop up during this process, but I just set them aside and keep going.

When I practice this for several days consistently-every time I am able to- after a while I find it that I am in a state of deep peace and joy that I rarely experience otherwise.

It’s almost magical. And the really magical thing is that this is something I am able to practice even during the most busy times of my day.

Here are some more tips on how to SIMPLIFY YOUR LIFE as a Busy Mom

Mom Meditation Tip 3) PAUSE

The third technique I have found that really helps me a lot when I am feeling frantic and stressed is to create a mental pause. Let me try to explain…

Often, if I am past the point of no return stress wise, the first two exercises feel almost impossible get started. If I am so tense I find myself unable to take a full breath, or on able to focus my thoughts on a single word, then I ask myself this question:

What is my next thought going to be?

For whatever reason, this simple question immediately creates a clear space in my mind. And as I sit and wait for the next thought, I am able to sense the separation between ME, and my THOUGHTS.

Sometimes my next thought appears within a fraction of a second. Sometimes it takes several seconds or even several dozen seconds to appear.

This allows me to see that I am not my thoughts, and my thoughts do not own me. Rather, they are a tool that I can choose to use. And then when I do have a thought I am very aware of what it is and if it is a thought I wish to entertain, or if I would rather choose some different thoughts that would better serve me.

Summary

While I am far from perfect, and hardly consider myself a master at these techniques, just having these simple tools in my “tool box” has made a very dramatic difference in my mothering life…at least when I am disciplined enough to use them consistently! I’ll be the first to admit I’m a work-in-progress, and am always working on improving in this area!

Meditation for moms is very important for reducing stress and taking care of yourself. I really encourage you to give these simple techniques a try. Please let me know if you do, and if they helped you, or if you have any other tips or techniques that help you experience less stress as a mother! (If you are a stay at home mom you might enjoy reading this post, too: STAY AT HOME MOMS ARE LAZY)

thriving mama