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.

BABY PRODUCTS


BABY PRODUCTS

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

In 2004, a study spearheaded by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) in collaboration with Commonweal, researchers at two major laboratories found an average of 200 industrial chemicals and pollutants in umbilical cord blood from 10 babies born in August and September of 2004 in U.S. hospitals. Tests revealed a total of 287 chemicals in the group. The umbilical cord blood of these 10 children, collected by Red Cross after the cord was cut, harboured pesticides, consumer product ingredients, and wastes from burning coal, gasoline, and garbage.


So…what did this study proved? I don’t know about you, but for me, I really feel like flipping the table…jumping on top of a mountain, hammering my bhest and shouting out to everyone….”The environment we are in…the products we use…the air freshener, perfumes… laundry soap et etc…all plays a part!!!”

Toxic accumulation started way way way…earlier than we realise! YET somehow, mothers always get the blame for…on a smaller scale, baby acne…to a larger scale, birth defect…

We get questioned…was it something you ate when you were pregnant? Did you sew on the bed when you were pregnant…whatever it is, mothers always get the blame! And we already have so much coping to do! Leaky boobs and post-delivery pains. Physically and emotionally we are already facing so much changes! And now we have to get all these accusations and blames! It’s no wonder that postnatal blue hit so many of us in various scale!!!

And if i had known earlier about this, I would have hopped on the oily wagon with Young Living much much earlier on! And do the ditch and switch asap!

Now…let us take a look at those super duper cute packaged for baby products…

One of the moment that shocked me during my training as a infant massage instructor was that baby oil is actually mineral oil! and Mineral oil is made from petroleum! It’s really omg! omg! omg!!!

I did not believe my instructor and I really went in to the nearest supermarket I can find, grab hold of a J&J Baby oil just so I can read the label and…tadah!!!

What have we been putting on our babies??????? I must say J&J has marketed themselves very well. So well that we are happily putting petroleum stuffs on our babies and INHALING them deeply off our babies for decade! Thinking its good for them… OMG!!!!

NOT ONLY THAT…  do you see the word fragrance?!?! That is J&J’s way of adding anything they want into the product and not having to declare it. It could be vials of synthetic perfumes that is going onto tthe baby’s skin!

Lesson deeply learnt…from now onwards, you and I, lets make a pact to never ever assume that anything with a cute baby logo or icon on the packaging means it is good for the baby, ok? Let us promise to read the labels diligently and not just trust blindly. Let us equip ourselves with the basic knowledge and know what is good for us and what we should avoid.

So I present to you a piece of very exciting news…well, in case you don’t know about the Seedlings range, Young Living launched a special range dedicated to babies during convention in 2017.

Here’s why you should be excited about Seedlings:

  1. Products are formulated to be naturally safe, gentle and pure.
  2. They are free from harsh chemicals.
  3. They are infused with Young Living calming blend made of Ylang-ylang, lavender, bergamot, coriander and geranium. (and you know we have the best essential oils ever!)
  4. Formulated without alcohol, parabens, sulfates, lanolin, chlorine, mineral oil, phthalates, petrochemicals, synthetic fragrances, synthetic preservatives or synthetic dyes.
  5. Dermatologist tested and hypoallergenic.
  6. Formulated with plant-based, naturally derived ingredients.
This is definitely something I will feel smug about to give to parents with newborns as it is also a great opportunity to share with them the awareness of reading product labels.

Do refer to the blog entry here for details about the details of Seedlings range here

I can’t wait to start an infant massage class with mommies using the Seedlings baby oil! The calming blend is SO NICE!

One of my favourite question to the mommies in my group is this question… “Will you put the moisturizer you are using on your baby?”

To my surprise…All of them said no.

“Why not?,” I prompted. ,”Because subconsciously you are aware that there is something inside that is harsher and not good for the baby. So why are you putting them on yourself???”

It was an enlightening moment…I will like to end this blog with this message to all mommies and daddies that you deserve as much care and attention and organic stuffs just as much as your baby. We all deserve the best~
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.

OILING TIPS FOR YOUR CHILD


OILING TIPS FOR YOUR CHILD

This post is contributed by One Drop Business Manager– Kaye Ng

Mothers and new users of essential oils are always weary when it comes to oiling kids, but it actually isnt that difficult at all.

As long as you go by some basic safety rules, you can use any oil you want on your child. Essentially, the same oil you would use for an adult is also helpful for a child.

Lets go through a few SAFETY rules.

1. DILUTION: Always ensure that you dilute.

  • Child below 2: Dilute 1 part EO to 1 part carrier oil
  • Child between 2  to 4: Use one drop of EO
  • Child above 4: Use 2 – 3 drops of EO
2. CHECK! Is the oil HOT?

Is it a hot oil? How do you know? Well, apply it on yourself. If it feels minty or hot on your skin, it means that it is going to be hot for your child too!

3. APPLY ON BOTTOM OF FEET.

As a general rule, apply all oils on the bottom of the feet. If you are working with a hot oil, it MUST  go on the bottom on the feet. However, if you are working with their digestive system, you can always choose to apply the oil on their tummy, or perhaps even on the chest if you are dealing with respiratory support. HOWEVER, in doubt, just apply to the feet.

4. EMERGENCY! HELP!

Well, in all situations, kids or not, accidents happen. Oils can get onto the hands and get into the eyes. Oils can suddenly feel extremely hot on the skin and ur kid may start to cry. Don’t panic. Thankfully you are using oils! You are likely NOT to overdose on the oils. :)) In fact you probably will NOT unless u decide to drink 10 bottles of oils. All you need to remember when your child experiences discomfort when using the oils, NEVER USE WATER to wash the oil away. Oils and water does not mix. Washing away the oil with water actually pushes the oils further into the skin. Instead use a carrier oil to dilute and wipe away the excess oil after.

THATS ALL U NEED TO REMEMBER! Simple right? After you checklist and do the above safety, you can use any oil which is of relevance.

Here are some of my favorite oils to use to support the various body functions:

  • NOSE: Breathe Again, R.C, Raven, Eucalyptus (all three), Peppermint
  • CHEST: Idaho Blue Spruce, Dorado Azul, Balsam Fir, Raven, Cypress, Peace and Calming, Frankincense
  • STOMACH: Digize, Aromaease, Ginger, Fennel
  • SKIN: Lavender, Tea Tree, Purification
  • IMMUNITY: Thieves, Immupower, Lemongrass + Eucalyptus, Exodus II
So now you know how and what to use, have no fear and start oiling happily!
If you are interested in trying out the Young Living oils, or would like to find out more do drop me an email at kaye@onedrop.sg or sign up here to buy the products.