OILING MY CHILD PART 1


OILING MY CHILD PART 1

This post is contributed by One Drop member – Faith Teo

PART ONE – IS THIS OR THAT OIL SUITABLE FOR MY BABY / YOUNG CHILD?

I’m often asked, sometimes to the point of daily…

“Can I use this oil on my baby? Is it safe????”

“How can I use the oil?”

So I thought that I would write a post to address this and allay parents out there, especially the new oilers. 

You have heard testimonials from your friends or even from websites or social media on how good the oils are, how they have helped to support children’s health and so you eagerly buy some… only to realise now you have a lot of doubts as to WHAT TO USE, HOW TO USE and IS IT SAFE? Doubts assail you and it seems like oiling is mind boggling and you feel discouraged.

So let’s talk about YOU as an oiler. Are you open to trying different oils or do you only want to stick to a few oils that are pretty gentle for young ones?

In my humble opinion, you can use MOST oils on your babies and kids. There isn’t really a definition on which are “baby and kid safe” and which are “not”. The ones I tend to skip for my kids (they are age 1 and 4) are the oils / products that work on their hormones. Again this is my opinion and comfort level, and not a fact. 

HOWEVER if you are a parent that wants to take a SUPER DUPER CONSERVATIVE approach to oiling (I totally understand, I was there before) because you are new or you want to take it slow and cautious, then I will recommend THREE oils per category that are excellent for babies and kids. There’s actually so many more I could name but I will keep it simple for easier remembering.

RESPIRATORY – Myrtle, Frankincense, Balsam Fir

IMMUNITY – Frankincense, any citrus oils, DiGize

SKIN – Lavender, Frankincense, Melrose

DIGESTION – TummyGize, DiGize, Lavender

SLEEP – Lavender, Peace and Calming, Frankincense

My own favourite 3s currently (which include a mix across the board because I take a balanced view in oiling)

RESPIRATORY – Myrtle, Eucalyptus Radiata, Pine

IMMUNITY – Frankincense, Immupower, Thieves

SKIN – Helichrysum, Frankincense, Melrose

DIGESTION – DiGize, Aroma Siez, Life 5 (probiotics)

SLEEP – Tranquil, Peace and Calming, Lavender

Again, I do use a lot more than these listed but well just to keep things simple. 

PART TWO – How and where to apply, diffusing durations and diluting ratios.
https://www.onedrop.sg/oiling-my-babykid-pt-2/

PART THREE – How frequent can I oil my baby / child?
https://www.onedrop.sg/oiling-my-babykid-pt-3/
Faith is a member of OneDrop. She and her team supports oil users via their facebook group – Let’s Add Oil and their blog – School of YL. If you like Faith’s articles and would like to purchase the Young Living oils, please feel free to get in touch with Faith or sign up directly here.

OILING MY CHILD PART 2


OILING MY CHILD PART 2

This post is contributed by One Drop member – Faith Teo

PART TWO – I AM NEW TO THE OILS AND I WANT TO OIL MY BABY / KID BUT I HAVE THESE QUESTIONS….

1. HOW and WHERE to APPLY
2. DURATION AND AMOUNT to DIFFUSE
3. DILUTION RATIOS

So it sounds like yesterday’s post about whether this oil or that oil is safe for our kids resonate with a lot of folks here…


Aaaannnd let’s continue! 
 
1. HOW and WHERE to APPLY

Let’s keep it simple simple simple. You only need to remember TWO tips from me.

FIRST TIP:

If you are applying, WHICH PART of the body do you want to work on? If its a respiratory condition, then it’s the lungs and you apply where the lungs are at – CHEST and BACK.
SLEEP? Well that is the brain yes? So you apply on the forehead and scalp. Rims of ears too if you like.
GROWING PAINS? Where is the growing pains at? Apply there. Simple? Yes it is that simple.

SECOND TIP:

If you get flustered on where to apply, then just oil the soles. The soles is a mirror of our bodies (Google “foot reflexology” then click Images).

Some examples:

Your hubs SNORE and you want to kick him out of the bed. You hear that THYME works but well its a hot oil and you probably are too kind to apply it on his face. What do you do? Answer: Rub it on his soles.
Your baby. She’s so young and so delicate. You worry that the oils may be too potent for her skin. However SOLES are thick and fleshy and have LARGE PORES. So rubbing oils on her soles would be wonderful for her.

Ok here comes the TRICK QUESTION! What if you want to work on your child’s immunity? Where do you apply? After all, there is no “immunity organ”.

Usually when a person is under the weather, the unwelcome guests first reside in the SPINE of the body. So yes please oil the spine or again, if you want to keep things SUPER SIMPLE, just oil the soles ALL THE TIME.

How about temperature management? Well, how about oiling where it feels hot? 

2. DURATION AND AMOUNT to DIFFUSE

Moms tend to go into worry mode when they see this on the bottle – “Diffuse up to 10 mins 3 times a day.” The diffusers we use tend to go up to a few hours and IS THAT TOO MUCH FOR MY KID???

My answer – the directions you see is for the YL USA Therapro diffuser. Therapro works like the AromaLux that we have in Asia, where it DIFFUSES DIRECTLY from the bottle. No water. Just spraying EO neat into the air.

Because it’s pretty potent, the label recommend 10 mins. And labels also tend to go conservative… well they have to, from a legal standpoint, you know what I mean? 

So let’s talk about the usual diffusers that most people use, which tend to be water based, such as the Dewdrop diffuser.

And now, we apply a bit of Common Sense and take a look at the instruction manual which says 100 ml of water to diffuse 5 to 8 drops of EO into a room….

In my humble opinion, this is the gentlest way to introduce an eo to a little one because firstly there is water involved and secondly the drops of EO is SPREAD AROUND in the room.

However if you are worried or want to go CONSERVATIVE, I’ve TWO tips for you:

FIRST TIP:

Cut down the amount of EO used. How about going down to just 2 to 4 drops for 100 ml of water? You can also cut down on the duration diffused too.

SECOND TIP:

You can apply the EO on yourself and then spend time with baby. Parents are the BEST diffusers for their kids!

3. DILUTION RATIOS

So I do get a lot of “How much eo can I apply?” “Neat or diluted?”

Ok so let’s keep it simple for everyone to remember…. ONE DILUTED DROP TILL AGE 3.

This is not a hard and fast rule though. I have done neat for Ju when she was younger. I have done neat for Sol but realized that his skin gets rashes quicker. But if you are new to oiling, why not start with this first then adjust as you go along?

Perhaps you might have a kid who don’t respond quickly enough to heavily diluted oils and so you dilute lesser. Perhaps you have a baby whose skin turn red and bumpy if you try neat. Go slow go gentle first and adjust along the way.

DILUTION RATIOS? A simple way I remember my dilution is that I remember the ratio of 80%. That means I go 20% EO and 80% carrier oil. And well you will see various websites recommending different ratios but for simplicity, this is what I use.

In practical terms, it’s about 1 drop eo to 1 teaspoon of carrier oil. OR you can take an empty 15 ml bottle, drip 20% eo into it then top up with carrier oil.

MY CHEAT TIP:

Because I hate fussing with oily carrier oils, this is how I oil my babies WITHOUT BLENDING carrier oils and EOs together.

  1. I take a drop of EO and rub my palms together for a couple of seconds. The drop becomes lesser since it is first absorbed into me.
  2. I apply what’s remaining on my child. I then take 1 to 2 drops carrier oil (I use an empty eo bottle and put in carrier oil for easier usage) and apply on him. Done!
If I have to oil 3 different EOs on him, I go EO 1, EO 2, EO 3 then carrier oil. 🙂

I hope this post helps! Drop me a comment if you have any questions or just to let me know whether this post is useful. Have a wonderful day!

PART ONE – Is it safe to use this or that oil on my baby / kid?
https://www.onedrop.sg/oiling-my-babykid-pt-1/

PART THREE – How frequent can I oil my baby / child?
https://www.onedrop.sg/oiling-my-babykid-pt-3/
Faith is a member of OneDrop. She and her team supports oil users via their facebook group – Let’s Add Oil and their blog – School of YL. If you like Faith’s articles and would like to purchase the Young Living oils, please feel free to get in touch with Faith or sign up directly here.

OILING MY CHILD PART 3


OILING MY CHILD PART 3

This post is contributed by One Drop member – Faith Teo

PART 3 – FREQUENCY – HOW OFTEN CAN I OIL MY BABY / KID?

So besides the common questions of “is this safe?” and “how can I apply / diffuse?”, the last question I am often asked is “how often can I apply on my child?”.

So here are my suggestions. 

PHYSICAL HEALTH

Say your baby or child is under the weather and you are the ever loving and concerned parent wants her to get better ASAP. How often should you oil?

I have oiled my kids for 4 years now from newborn and have tested from the frequency of three times a day (well this was when I was pretty new to oiling), to 3 times an hour (every 20 mins) to 6 times an hour (every 10 mins) to non stop oiling for under 1 hour. And these are my conclusions:

  1. When my child is well and I want to support her immune system, I would oil 1 to 2 times a day. For example, Thieves and Immupower on her soles before and after school.
  2. When my child is STARTING to show signs of being unwell, the oils are very effective when I DON’T PROCRASTINATE and oil every 20 mins for a few hours. RULE OF THUMB? Little but often is BEST.
  3. When my child is stuck with something persistent, oiling between every 10, 15 or 20 mins for half a day would tend to improve the situation. Anything LESSER than that, and sigh I will be in for a long ride over the next few days.
  4. There are only 3 times in my 4 years of being a mother that I have to oil continuously for an hour.
The first time was when Ju was transitioning to solids as a 1 year old and was stuck with horrible constipation. Her worst record was 4 days without pooping and she was in a lot of discomfort. So I stripped her down to her diapers, we watched TV and I oiled her on and on and on until she POO-NAMI! I didn’t even mind cleaning up the mess! 

The second and third time, while I cannot say for compliance, what she had, but it was urgent and critical at that time. I didn’t want to risk her health and was prepared to send her to the hospital if I couldn’t shift it within the hour. I was using oils to support her immune system and manage to shift her to a better state after 40 mins non stop oiling.

EMOTIONAL BALANCE

Your kid has been throwing tantrums at home… or refusing to do his homework…. or having some fears about school so what are your options? (Please note that the oils are not a replacement for you as the parent to talk things out with your child!)

1. REACTIVE OILING

Tantrums! Anger! Quarrels! Quickly drip the oil of your choice out and apply anywhere on your child. He probably will hate it but it may help defuse the situation.

Can’t reach him? Apply on yourself or use your hands to sprinkle the eo in the air.

2. PROACTIVE OILING

It’s homework time and uurgh you know it’s gonna be a uphill battle with your kid. You can choose to apply on him in advance or just set up a diffuser near him. I usually diffuse Harmony or Peace and Calming in the kitchen / dining room cos family squabbles tend to break out during meal prep and meals.

3. STATE MANAGEMENT

Say your child has a phobia over Maths. And you would like him to shift into a state that have him be open to learning and perhaps even improving his grades on it. In this case, I would oil him twice a day… perhaps before school and before homework would be ideal.

MY TIPS AROUND FREQUENCY:

i. Always offer water to your child. If she’s completely breastfed and has not taken solids, offer breastmilk. The body needs fluids to assist the oils to do their work.

ii. If you are a new oiler, choose a frequency that feels comfortable to you. You can always tweak it less or more as you go along.

iii. Observe your child. Any progress? Yes? Continue at same frequency. No? Then you have 2 options – switch oils and/or change frequency.

Oiling is an amazing thing… it strengthen the bond between parent and child and help parents to develop a 6th sense of what oils will help their kids.

I hope this helps! Drop me a comment below if you have any feedback or questions. 

PART ONE – Is it safe to use this or that oil on my baby / kid?
https://www.onedrop.sg/oiling-my-babykid-pt-1/

PART TWO – How and where to apply, diffusing durations and diluting ratios.
https://www.onedrop.sg/oiling-my-babykid-pt-2/
Faith is a member of OneDrop. She and her team supports oil users via their facebook group – Let’s Add Oil and their blog – School of YL. If you like Faith’s articles and would like to purchase the Young Living oils, please feel free to get in touch with Faith or sign up directly here.

SEEDLINGS


SEEDLINGS

This post is contributed by One Drop member – Ranna Seah.

I was most excited when Seedlings – whole new line of products for babies, was introduced during Convention 2017!

The logo is very cute!!! Just the appearance of the logo being animated made me go ga-ga and I know I just have to purchase the entire set! Convention special bundle not only included the products but also comes with a bath towel, wash cloth and cloth basket! Perfect for a new nursery!!!!!!!

Ahem…back to the topic…

Why are we more concerned about what we put on our babies? Sometimes I thought I was being a bit over…aren’t babies humans too? Why do we have to spilt so many things…well for starters,

Baby’s Skin Needs Special Care

Baby’s skin is much different when compared to adults or even older children. The structure, composition and function of baby skin differ.

Babies Are Not Small Adults

Pound for pound, children consume more food, water and air than adults. And due to the physiological make up of baby’s skin versus that of a child or adult, baby is more vulnerable to toxins.

Research suggests that there is a link between neurobehavioral disorders in children and exposure to toxins!

The body breaks down many of the toxins we are exposed to, but not all of them. Continuous exposure overloads our natural detoxification systems and leads to a buildup in our bodies. Chemical can stay in the body and build-up over time.

Hence it is very very important to use natural products on babies and Young Living just provided one of the best you can ever get for your precious one!

The Seedlings Product Line

Not only are they all natural, they are specially formulated with our 100% therapeutic grade essential oils, all Seedlings products are created with our Calm Scent Blend made up of Lavender, Bergamot, Coriander, Geranium and Ylang Ylang! (can I squeal just for a moment how awesome they SMELL??? I hope Calm is release as an oil blend! Or give me the recipe!!! I wanna DIY!!!)

…ahem…let me continue…

 The line now currently includes:

  • Seedlings Baby Wash & Shampoo
  • Seedlings Baby Oil
  • Seedlings Baby Lotion
  • Seedlings Baby Wipes
  • Seedlings Diaper Rash Cream
  • Seedlings Linen Spray (coming soon)
Young Living Seedling Diaper Rash Cream — Over The Counter (OTC), hypoallergenic, clinically tested for sensitivity, mineral based, no nanoparticles, promotes healthy skin, reduces redness, helps relieve diaper rash, reduces the duration and severity of diaper rash when applied at the first sign of redness

Hypoallergenic
Clinically tested for sensitivity
Mineral based
No nanoparticles
Promote healthy skin
Reduces redness
Helps relieve diaper rash
Reduces the duration and severity of diaper rash when applied at first sign of redness

(Item #20398, wholesale US$27.75, retail US$36.51)

Young Living Seedling Baby Wash and Shampoo — leaves skin and hair clean, soft, and smooth, extra gentle, mild formula developed specifically for infants’ delicate skin, tear-free, 100% plant-based, naturally derived, ingredients, dermatologist tested and hypoallergenic, vegan friendly formula
Extra gentle, mild formula specifically formulated for infants delicate skin
100% plant based, naturally derived ingredients
Dermatologist tested & hypoallergenic
Vegan friendly formula

(Item #20438, wholesale US$19.75, retail US$25.99)

Young Living Seedling Baby Lotion — prevents dryness by soothing and moisturizing skin, non-greasy formula that absorbs, made with plant-based, naturally derived ingredients, dermatologist tested and hypoallergenic, vegan friendly
Prevents dryness by soothing and moisturizing skin
Non-greasy formula that absorbs into skin
Made with plant-based naturally derived ingredients
Dermatologist tested and hypoallergenic
Vegan friendly formula

Ingredients: water, caprylic/capric triglyceride, glycerin, glyceryl stearate, coco-caprylate, cetearyl alcohol, glyceryl caprylate, xanthan gum, cellulose gum, pyres malus (apple) fruit extract, lavandula angustifolia (lavender) oil, glyceryl undecylenate, astrocaryum murmur (murumuru) seed butter, mangifera indica (mango) seed butter, theobroma cacao (cocoa) seed butter, carthamtinctorius (safflower) seed oil, coriandrum sativum (coriander) seed oil, citrus aurantium bergamia (bergamot) peel oil (furocourmarin free), calendula officinalis (marigold) flower extract, sodium hydroxide, bixa orellana (achiote) seed extract, canaga odorata (ylang ylang) flower oil, pelargonium graveolens (geranium) flower oil, tocopheryl acetate

(Item #20438, wholesale US$19.75, retail US$25.99)

Young Living Seedling Baby Oil — dermatologist tested and hypoallergenic, mild, gentle formula developed specially for infants’ delicate skin, moisturizes, soothes, and nourishes skin, made with 100 percent plant-based, naturally derived ingredients
Moisturizes, soothes, and nourishes skin
Extra gentle, mild formula specifically formulated for infants delicate skin
100% plant-based, naturally derived ingredients
Dermatologist tested and hypoallergenic
Contains 100% pure essential oils diluted to appropriate strength for baby’s delicate skin

(Item #20373, wholesale US$24.25, retail US$31.91)

Let me interrupt here for a moment. The baby oil is awesome for massaging your baby! And research had show that routine touch and massage by a loving parent or caregiver are critical to a baby’s growth and development!

Touch is the first way a baby learns to communicate and is a wonderful way to strengthen your bond with your baby! MUST GET THE BABY OIL!!!

Young Living Seedling Baby Wipes — ultra soft and comfortable on infants’ delicate skin, soothing and non-drying, leaves skin moisturized, soft and smooth, dermatologist tested and hypoallergenic, vegan friendly
Ultra soft and comfortable on infants delicate skin
Soothing and non-drying
Leaves skin moisturized, soft and smooth
Dermatologist tested & hypoallergenic
Vegan friendly formula

(Item #20428, wholesale US$11.75, retail US$15.46)

Young Living Seedling Linen Spray (coming soon) — adds a calming aroma to linens, refreshes crib sheets, blankets, car seats, clothing, carpet, and other fabrics, vegan friendly, made with 100% naturally derived ingredients, gentle enough for use around infants and breastfeeding mothers
Adds a calming aroma to linens
Creates a soothing and relaxing atmosphere
Refreshes crib sheets, blankets, car seats, clothing, carpet, or other fabric
Made with 100% naturally derived ingredients
Gentle enough to use around infants and breastfeeding mothers
Vegan friendly

(Item # and price to be announced)
Lastly, congratulations to you if you are just starting to prepare your nursery! 😀 Seedlings line will looked so gorgeous in your nursery. Your baby will thank you for your choice!
If you like my articles and would like to purchase the Young Living oils or have further clarifications, please drop me a message here or email me at fabulana@gmail.com. If you are ready to sign up as member to purchase, you can click here 🙂 I would love to support you in using the oils for yourself and your loved ones.

RESTFUL SLEEP FOR BABIES & MUMMIES


RESTFUL SLEEP FOR BABIES & MUMMIES

This post is contributed by One Drop member – Charlene Tan

As a first-time mum, sleep is a topic that has recently become especially close to my heart. The focus is for babies to sleep as much as possible so that mummies can rest well!

For reference, check out this baby, children and adult sleep chart:

Years \ Per dayTotal Sleep (hrs)Night Time (hrs)Naps (hrs)
Newborn ~ 4 months16 – 188 – 97 – 9 (3-5 naps)
4 ~ 12 months12 – 169 – 104 – 5 (2-3 naps)
1 ~ 2 years11 – 1410 – 112 – 3 (1-2 naps)
3 ~ 5 years10 – 1310 – 110 – 1
6 ~ 12 years9 – 1210 – 110 – 1
Adults7 – 97 – 90

For newborns and babies, it is important to have them sleep as much as they can both in the day and at night. Many first-time parents are excited to introduce the world to the newborn and may over-engage the senses in the day. For some parents who would prefer the baby to sleep longer through the night may try to restrict naps in the day. These activities actually result in overtired babies and compromise on the quality of their sleep.

Both babies and adults thrive on having a routine and having a fixed sleep schedule allows you to have a well-deserved rest too. For me, this worked well for Baby Aven for 6 months! Having a schedule for him allowed me to find pockets of time to rest and sleep amidst the demands of being the primary caregiver.
At around 7 months however, Baby Aven decided that he was all grown up and naps are not for him. It was extremely difficult to get him to nap in the day. The maximum number of nap hours he would take in the day was 2 hours! The sudden change in his once predictable sleeping pattern threw me off guard. I was frustrated and upset with Baby Aven and would try ways and means to get him to stick to his old schedule. We can’t win a baby, can we? After one week with many failed attempts, it struck me – if he’s not following his schedule, then maybe the schedule needed to change to suit his new needs! After all, we are all unique individuals and will have different needs at different stages of growth.

Take time out to learn about your child’s needs and adapt your schedule accordingly. I focused on his total sleep hours instead of the number of naps in the day. So, I would have Baby Aven begin his sleep routine earlier at 5.30 – 6pm and if he wakes up earlier than 7am the next day, I would leave him in his cot and not engage him until his supposed wake time.

I’ve found the following routine and actions extremely useful in promoting a baby’s sleep:

1) Implement a fixed routine before bedtime

Performing the same set of actions daily from birth will help your baby recognise the cues for bedtime. Come up with your bedtime routine and do it every day. This is Aven’s bedtime routine for your reference:

  • Wash his bum bum with Kidscents shower gel
  • Sing a song and wipe him down with clean warm water
  • Change into a new set of diaper
  • Quick massage (see next point)
  • Change into his long sleeves pyjamas
  • Feed him his milk
  • Pat to sleep
2) Gentle massage with Sensation Massage Oil

  • Pump Sensation Massage Oil on hand and rub your palms together
  • This action is to promote rest and bonding between mummy and baby. Therefore, technique is not important over here. Focus on your touch and build that connection with your child
3) Diffuse your child’s favourite essential oil

Some of my favourite oils for Baby Aven’s night time diffuser are:

Single Oils: Cedarwood, Idaho Balsam Fir, Northern Light Black Spruce, Pine, Cypress, Hinoki
Blends: Gentle Baby, Peace and Calming, Sacred Mountain, Stress Away

You may notice that my choice of single oils consists of oils from big, tall trees. If you have ever been to the woods, you would have experienced a very special sense of serenity and calm. These oils from the big, tall trees help to promote a sense of security and stability. The blends, as evident in their names, promote the emotions that will support the baby in sleep and rest.

4) Sing or hum a lullaby

Honestly, the tune, pitch and lyrics do not matter to the baby. What your baby wants to hear is your voice, and to feel your calming presence. Apply some oils on your chest and neck, and allow yourself to unwind for the day too. Rockstarpapasan’s favourite tune is Edelweiss. Seems to work 90% of the time with Baby Aven.

These suggestions may help to promote rest for your baby and you too! Ultimately, you will want to pay attention to your baby’s growth and adapt your schedule accordingly. I pray that as mums, we get to rest as much as possible so that we may have the energy to give as much of ourselves to our families!
Charlene is a trained ontological coach who partners women in discovering and embracing their innate giftings and strengths. She has incorporated Young Living into her profession, and home. Today, she travels extensively to empower women in achieving balance and help other mothers embrace the Young Living lifestyle. Follow her adventures at www.mygiftroom.me or @minimomma on Instagram. If you like Charlene’s articles and would like to purchase the Young Living oils, please feel free to get in touch with Charlene or sign up directly here.






 
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