Which essential oils belong in a young child's bedtime routine, and how to use them

Which oils, at what dilution, from what age, and what to leave out.

Dr Bo Hendgen DO ND AM. Osteopath, naturopathic physician, post-graduate degree in paediatrics, 35 years clinical practice.

Four essential oils belong in a young child's bedtime routine: Lavender Sweet, Chamomile Roman and Rose from birth, and Frankincense from 2 years. Use them in a diffuser 30 minutes before bed, in the bath with the drops in full-fat milk (any), or diluted on the soles of the feet from 1 year. The scent is one small part of it. The routine does the rest of the work.

1. Start with the routine, and the essential oils

Children rest well when bedtime happens the same way, in the same order, every night. Bath, warm towel, low light, the same scent in the room.

Scent reaches the brain faster than any other sense. Breathed in, the molecules pass straight to the limbic system, the part of the brain that handles mood and memory. For a baby everything is new and there is no overload of scent memory yet, so the response is quicker than in an adult.

That is the opportunity. Pair one scent with sleep from the first weeks and that scent becomes the signal for sleep. Choose one combination and keep it for bedtime only. You can increase its strength as the child grows.

2. Safety comes down to 3 things

1. The quality of the essential oils
2. The application method
3. The frequency

Quality first. An essential oil for a child's room must be certified organic by a named certifier and distilled low and slow. Absolute Essential's products are certified by BioGro and AsureQuality. A slower, lower heat distillation keeps the delicate molecules intact, which is what makes an oil gentle enough for babies and during pregnancy, and less likely to irritate skin.

Look for the Mother & Child symbol. It goes only on the oils and blends I have personally approved for use at half adult dose or less in pregnancy, while breastfeeding, and on babies and children. The products designed for the Mother & Child range, the pink label, are used as directed, because the formulation has already taken those circumstances into account.

Application next. Never put an essential oil neat on a baby's skin. In the bath, the drops go into full-fat milk (any) first, because oil does not mix with water and would sit on the surface. In the bedroom, the diffuser does the work, not drops on the bedding.

Then frequency. A little, at the same point in the routine each night. Replenish the diffuser as needed. Increase frequency and dose with age.

3. The 4 oils

Lavender Sweet. The soft lavender, and the one for children under 5. From 5 years, Lavender True (Lavandula officinalis) at half the adult dose.

Chamomile Roman (Anthemis nobilis). Comforting to skin and to emotions. 3 drops in the diffuser, or 1 drop into full-fat milk (any) for the bath. For the smallest babies, the ready made Chamomile Roman 3% in Jojoba goes straight onto the soles of the feet, no mixing needed.

Rose. Rose (Rosa damascena) is the scent of angels, a scent to welcome new life. It helps a baby feel loved and supported, and it cares for sensitive new skin. A few drops into Sweet Almond Oil: Virgin for baby massage, or on the parent's chest and pulse points so the scent is there at the feed and the cuddle. Rose 3% in Jojoba is ready made for direct application.

Frankincense, from 2 years. A soft, resinous scent that quietens a busy mind at bedtime. Blend it with the Lavender Sweet and a drop of Chamomile Roman, in drops for the diffuser or in ml for a 10 ml bottle:

Bedtime blend from 2 years

Lavender Sweet	7 drops	7 ml
Frankincense	2 drops	2 ml
Chamomile Roman, pure	1 drop	1 ml
Total	10 drops	10 ml

4. How to use them, by age

• Diffuser, any age: 5 drops in an ultrasonic diffuser in the bedroom, 30 minutes before and into sleep time.
• Bath, always with the drops in full-fat milk (any) first. Up to 1 year: 1 drop, 5 minutes. 1 to 5 years: 3 to 5 drops into a quarter cup of full-fat milk (any), 10 minutes. From 5 years: 5 to 10 drops into half a cup of full-fat milk (any), 15 minutes.
• Feet, from 1 year: 1 to 2 drops into 15 ml of certified organic Sweet Almond Oil, rubbed into the soles before sleep. Under 1 year, use the ready made 3% in Jojoba.
• Massage, from birth: 1 drop of essential oil to 15 ml of Sweet Almond Oil: Virgin. Hands, feet and back, after the bath. Or use our Baby Oil: Rose & Chamomile, professionally formulated and ready when you want to indulge your baby with a little massage.

Babies keep their reflex points at the wrists and ankles until they crawl and walk. The soles of the feet and the palms absorb fastest, because there are fewer oil glands there. That is why the feet are the place for a drop before sleep.

5. What to leave out

• Any oil whose label does not name the plant species and the certifier.
• Neat essential oils on the skin, at any age. Always dilute: in full-fat milk (any) for the bath, in certified organic Sweet Almond Oil on the body.
• Long baths. 5 minutes up to 1 year, 10 minutes to 5 years, 15 minutes from 5 years.

If you would rather not blend your own

Sleep Easy is the blend I formulated for babies, children and pregnancy: Lavender Sweet, Orange Sweet, Lavender True, Mandarin, Eucalyptus Blue Gum and Chamomile Roman, all certified organic. It carries the Mother & Child symbol. 5 drops in an ultrasonic diffuser 30 minutes before and into sleep time, or 5 ml in our Portable Metal Diffuser, which runs without water. In the bath, in full-fat milk (any), by age as above. From 1 year, 1 to 2 drops into 15 ml of Sweet Almond Oil on the soles of the feet.

Sleep Easy Essential Oil Blend, 10 ml

The short version

• Lavender Sweet under 5, Lavender True from 5 at half dose. Chamomile Roman. Rose. Both pure or in 3% Jojoba. Frankincense from 2 years, 7:2:1 with Lavender Sweet and Chamomile Roman.
• Diffuser 30 minutes before and during bedtime, any age. Bath with the drops in full-fat milk (any): 5, 10 or 15 minutes by age. Feet from 1 year, diluted. Massage from birth, 1 drop to 15 ml. Never neat on the skin.
• Certified organic, named certifier, named botanical species, plant part and country of origin, low and slow distillation, Mother & Child symbol.
• Same scent, same order, every night. The routine does the work.