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Aromatherapy to Help Children Sleep & Parents Relax
By: Jeanine
Byers
"A relaxing treatment for children before bedtime is a warm essential-oil
bath. Most children love taking aromatherapy baths, particularly if they
have their own personal blends.”
--Health World Online
Aromatherapy is the use of plant oils to enhance well-being. Although one
must be cautious about using essential oils with children, there are several
that are safe to use, and they can be great at helping children settle down
to go to sleep.
For babies, there are a couple of ways to use essential oils. One way is by
giving your baby an all-over massage, and the other is by scenting the room.
To scent the room, instead of using a diffuser, put the oil in a bowl of hot
water, which allows for a more gentle approach.
If you would prefer to give your baby a massage, here are a few suggestions
to get the most out of this bonding time…
1)Wait at least 30 minutes after the baby’s meal.
2)Make sure that the room you use is warm and that your hands are warm.
3)Don’t push hard, but instead, use gentle, light, stroking motions.
For more massage tips, download the article on aromatherapy and massage, by
Aroma Health Tips, a UK company.
Your toddler may benefit from having an aromatic massage right before story
time. This will give the essential oils plenty of time to soothe and relax
and comfort as your toddler settles in for a story.
Older children may prefer room fragrancing or an aromatherapy bath.
Teenagers may want to use the oils to massage themselves. Best areas would
be the neck and shoulders, temples and forehead.
Here are several essential oils that both children and parents find relaxing
and soothing…
Lavender: generates peace, eases tension, calms stress, opens the heart,
feels gentle and nourishing and soothing, creates relaxation. Great for
insomnia.
Mandarin Orange: encourages calm, creates tranquility, is soothing,
uplifting and inspiring, promotes gentleness of spirit. Helpful for
insomnia.
Marjoram: encourages balance, creates feelings of security, heightens
intuition, keeps the heart open, grounds energy, releases fear--and the
vulnerability that comes from fear of being hurt, allows more joy.
TAKE FIVE is a relaxing aromatherapy blend that contains lavender, mandarin
orange and marjoram essential oils. Parents often use it to help their
children sleep peacefully, but they find it brings them peace of mind, as
well.
"We took it (Take Five) with us on a trip, and used the spray bottle in our
hotel room when we got there. Sometimes our kids have a harder time getting
to sleep the first night because it's a strange environment. Well, this
time, they went right to sleep! So my husband and I sat down for a few
minutes to read and talk, and the next thing we knew, we were waking up an
hour later! I love that oil and I use it every night in my children's rooms
to make for a quicker, quieter ritual."
--Michele
"I bought an extra wax melter just so I could have the Take Five already
burning in our bedroom when we go up for the night."
--Cheri, Michele's sister
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Jeanine Byers is a licensed self-care coach and a holistic aromatherapy
practitioner. She introduces Take Five in the hopes that it will help the
tired, cranky, sleep-deprived moms, the fussy, colicky babies, the overtired
young children and the angst-ridden teen ALL get a good night’s sleep!
http://www.takefive.ws
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