How to soothe a teething infant using essential oils?
Just the thought of a teething infant causes stress to many parents. Most parents first inclination for soothing a teething infant is to use one of the many popular teething gels offered over the counter. But, the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) recommends against the use of these popular gels. Their concern involves the benzocaine that is used in many of these OTC preparations. What then does a parent do to help their teething infant?
Many babies start teething as early as 3 months. Many infants start showing signs of discomfort way before the tooth even breaks through the surface. Babies start to drool more than usual, they don’t want to eat, and want to bite on everything. Some run a low grade fever, develop a rash from drooling, have a runny nose and complain of earaches. Many a sleepless night are spent soothing a teething baby.
Many parents are now turning to using essential oils to relieve teething symptoms. Are these oils even safe for babies? There are many essential oils that are safe to use on babies without the fear of jeopardizing their health.
Teething remedies using essential oils
Any time an essential oil is used on infants, a carrier oil is always recommended to use as the base. Carrier oils frequently used are sweet almond, olive, or fractionated coconut (liquid). Recommended dose is 1 drop of essential oil to one tablespoon of carrier oil. Always test the mixture on yourself before placing on your baby.
For babies up to 3 months old: it is recommended to diffuse the oils rather than place directly on baby. Two of the safest essential oils for babies under 3 months are:
- Roman Chamomile
- Lavender
Older than 3 months: it is recommended that you can either diffuse or rub a preparation along the jawline using a 1 drop off essential oil to 1 tablespoon of carrier oil ratio. This mixture will help baby with their discomfort. If one preparation doesn’t work, you can either change the carrier oil or the essential oil.
You can continue to use the two mentioned above, or use these instead:
- German Chamomile
- Copaiba
The best way to use these oils on your baby is to rub the preparation on their jawline, face, and gums in a circular motion every 4-5 hours. And yes, these particular oils are safe to rub on their gums.
If you are leery about using essential oils on your infant, consider using hydrosols instead. Hydrosols are waters that are collected during the distillation process. These waters contain the water-soluble compounds from the plant material used. This process uses very little of the actual essential oil.
Hydrosols for teething infants are chamomile and lavender hydrosols and you can massage these directly along the jawline without adding a carrier oil.
*For those children over the age of 2, the recommended ratio is 5-6 drops of essential oil to 1 tablespoon of carrier oil.
DIY Preparation for infants older than 3 months of age:
- 1 tablespoon of carrier oil (almond, olive, or fractionated coconut oil)
- 1 tablespoon of cocoa butter (food grade)
- 3 drops of essential oils (lavender, german or roman chamomile, or copaiba oil)
Instructions:
- Melt the cocoa butter and carrier oil on low heat until melted (I always use a double boiler)
- Remove from heat and THEN add your desired essential oil
- Put into glass container and cool
- Apply along your babies jawline
* Note: I make this and pour into a glass rollerball container. Less mess for me and easier to roll along their jawline. One added benefit is that adults can also use this for toothaches.
Author BIO
Diana started her career as a Certified Hemodialysis Technologist in 1979. She retired in 2002 and was then successful in starting two businesses, as well as working as a Marketing Director for various online companies.
She started working with Tranquil Rivers in 2019 as the Marketing Director and Aromatherapist/Herbalist. She is a member of the International Association of Therapists. Her goal is to incorporate clean living and health awareness with every product created. Diana also calls mid-Missouri home and helps take care of her grandson, who lives nearby. You can email her at diana@doularivers.com.