No sooner do I clean up the bathroom and put the box away then it seems to come back out!
What box? My essential oils, and particularly the bottles that are safe for my kids, tend to be like the proverbial bad penny on my bathroom counter.
It’s not that we’re always sick, although it can feel that way sometimes in mid-winter. At least we’re ready with natural remedies when the sick bugs do come knocking!
I just keep thinking of uses for our KidSafe essential oils, like helping my toddler sleep, easing cough and congestion symptoms, diffusing Germ Fighter to protect other members of the family from colds and stomach viruses, helping people focus, and more. So out they come.
I was honored to host Retha Nesmith from Plant Therapy for a short interview and am even more excited to share it with you – she shares such gems of wisdom that I know it will make you feel very comfortable using essential oils around children and babies. Knowledge is power when it comes to essential oils and if they have side effects.
Here’s the video, and we even included the audio in case you just want to put it on your phone and listen while you’re busy doing something else (and some notes to help you “skim” the video too).
Hope you love it!
Video: The Importance and Use of KidSafe Essential Oils
If you can’t view the video above, click KidSafe Essential Oils to see it directly on YouTube.
Grab the Audio:
Click here to download the mp3 version of the interview (to take with you) or just listen to it now without taking the resources on your device for video.
The Busy Mom Notes on What Essential Oils are Safe for Kids
I completely understand that life is busy and that you may not have the time at this exact moment to watch the full video (we kept it short- only about 25 minutes!). So if you’ve only got a few minutes, here are the things you’re going to want to check out.
3:00 – Why are certain oils KidSafe while others are not?
3:20 – Why do we call some oils “hot oils” and what does that mean for your child. Retha also touches on an interesting fact about asthma. (Also see 5:05 for more asthma related information.)
4:23 – What are the consequences of using a non-KidSafe oil? Does it matter if you have used one previously? Does application make a difference? As a mom who has voiced regret over ignorantly using non-KidSafe oils in the past on my very young children, I was SO relieved to hear this answer!!!
5:05 – Retha provides a list of a few essential oils you should have your asthmatic child avoid. And yes, eucalyptus is one of them.
5:59 – Why you should not put “hot oils”, such as cinnamon, undiluted on your child’s skin.
6:22 – Responses that children might have to essential oils and a few cautionary notes.
8:15 – Importance of properly diluting essential oils. Plant Therapy always recommends that you always dilute for topical use.
9:12 – If you have a current blend that you love, but are now worrying about it begin a KidSafe oil, you still have options. Although it is challenging, Plant Therapy has staff to help you figure it out. You can reach them by e-mail at [email protected] or print their chart for KidSafe Oils By Need.
KidSafe Essential Oils Guide
11:08 – Retha explains why Plant Therapy made blends specifically for kids. What are they trying to accomplish with a synergy blend – it’s super cool to be able to harness the power of multiple oils to solve your problem, partly because oils may be more or less effective depending on the person and also to access different effective points of the oils for the symptoms you’re trying to help.
13:28 – Eucalyptus use alone may not be KidSafe, but using a blended KidSafe oil may yield positive results that surpass those of the single oil. Why does that happen? Retha explains it here.
Retha totally impressed me with those standards, specifically that the KidSafe labels are applied on each batch based on the GCMS report.
Wow!
So if an oil surprises the company with a non-KidSafe constituent, that specific batch gets a normal label.
Frankincense is the only one that this has happened to – new constituents showed up in a batch that might not have been safe for children, so that batch wouldn’t have the KidSafe label. Blows my mind!
Do you know how to properly dilute essential oils?
Katie here, popping in to tell you how important it is to be sure you’re diluting those essential oils properly. Knowing you’re supposed to dilute essential oils for use on the skin is a good start – but as usual, I did it wrong for a few years before I got smart enough to find some resources and do the math.
I took a moment to make a one-page printable for you so you can snip an easy-to-read chart and tape it right onto your medicine cabinet door – wherever you keep your essential oils – so it’s always handy. It includes all the dilutions in drops of EO + tsp. or Tbs. of carrier oil for babies, toddlers, younger and older children, and adults. You shouldn’t have to do any math when you need a remedy now (you’re welcome).
Why be so vigilant? Here’s one example that Retha shared with me after we turned off the video:
Essential oils are changing, as is research on them. Blue Tansy now has 10-15% chamazulene content but used to have 30%+. Why? It’s being picked sooner because there’s a shortage. You’d never find 30% anymore – but you don’t have to use more oil as people are still having great success with it at the same 1-5% dilution they’ve always recommended.
Blue tansy is used for allergies primarily and also to relieve discomfort (most blue oils are good for that). There’s so much to learn! Robert Tisserand emails them about once a week with something new. Love, love, love.
How to Use Essential Oils with Kids and Babies – the Practical Stuff!
15:00 – We’ve had a great experience so far with the Growing Pains blend, and I share some anecdotes.
15:38 – Parents can use personal aromatherapy inhalers to benefit their children while at school! Simple and portable use for everyday needs.
16:52 – What is Plant Therapy’s blend that was added to the KidSafe line after it was originally created? And how popular is it? Retha gives us all the details on the new EarEase and how to use it.
18:14 – Retha’s favorite oils to use with her own children.
20:29 – Retha’s most successfully used oil is Immune Boom-hear how she uses it to completely protect her family from illnesses. This story got me thinking and adding stuff to my next PT order!!
21:49 – Try Sniffle Stopper to ease congestion for your little one.
23:03 – Dilution of oils is important. Try this easy way of diluting with a simple kitchen ingredient – love that you don’t need to order special carrier oils, don’t you?
23:16 – Storage of diluted oils and potency safety – hint: they won’t last long if you just mix them up in a bowl.
23:58 – A reminder of my little memory trick to remember how to dilute oils. Get the printable here to put with your EOs so you’ll never forget!
This is the chart from Plant Therapy that I started with, in case you like to look at the source – but trust me, I distilled all these numbers down into an easy-to-remember phrase…1-2-3
Plant Therapy also shares more on how to read their chart HERE.
- Their aromatherapists on staff and partnership with Robert Tisserand makes me feel so comfortable about the safety and efficacy of the oils! I truly love the KidSafe labels and have even more respect for them after this interview.
- They’re totally affordable.
There’s still so much I still don’t know about essential oils…
…and so many readers are hungry for more information!
I’ve often been sent to other blogs or blog posts about EOs, but so many sources are from a particular brand and/or someone who isn’t a certified aromatherapist. It’s hard to know who to trust.
Dr. Eric Z and his wife have a great reputation for reliable, high-quality information, and they’ve filmed a 10-Part Video Masterclass that will give you the confidence that you need to make healing remedies for your body & non-toxic natural recipes for your home with essential oils.
Their Essential Oils for Abundant Living Masterclass distills down what takes aromatherapists months and even years to learn and delivers an easy-to-follow roadmap so you can start to use essential oils in your home with confidence.
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links from which I will earn a commission. See my full disclosure statement here.
Katie Kimball is a trusted educator and author of 8 real food cookbooks. She is passionate about researching natural remedies and making healthy cooking easier for busy families. She’s been featured on media outlets like ABC, NBC and First for Women magazine as well as contributing regularly on the FOX Network. Over the last 10 years, Katie has spoken prolifically at conferences, online summits and podcasts and become a trusted authority and advocate for children’s health. Busy moms look to this certified educator for honest, in-depth natural product reviews and thorough research. She often partners with health experts and medical practitioners to deliver the most current information to the Kitchen Stewardship community. In 2016 she created the #1 bestselling online kids cooking course, Kids Cook Real Food, helping thousands of families around the world learn to cook. A mom of 4 kids from Michigan, she is a Stress Mastery Educator and member of the American Institute of Stress.
Mrs. M says
Great info- would like to just listen to it. Where is the link for the audio only?
Thank you so much!
Katie Kimball @ Kitchen Stewardship says
Oh dear Mrs. M, so sorry about that! Adding audio is a new feature for us and I had the note in the post but forgot to add the actual audio until later in the morning. It is in the post now! So glad it’s helpful to you – we’ll keep doing it and hopefully next time actually get it in before the post is live. 🙂 #lifehappens
Thanks!
Katie