Recently I was asked about essential oils to help support sleep in Children. Without restful or enough sleep we do not function at our best. With Children, lack of sleep can manifest by an increase in tantrums, reduced concentration. I have trouble winding down and getting to sleep and I am sure that some children are the same. There are a number of things we can do to help our bodies sleep well. Here are some things I do to help get a good nights sleep for my kids and myself
- Reducing screen time before bed. Artificial Blue light can be damaging to our natural circadian rhythm
- Go to bed at a similar time each night. Children(6-13) on average need 9-11hrs. It can be different for everyone so listen to sleep ques.
- Relax in a Magnesium bath. I add 1-2 tablespoons af Magnesium salts with 1-2 drops Lavender Essential Oil to my kids bath. The essentail oils can be mixed with a tsp of jojoba or coconut oil which will leave skin feeling moisturised. There are numerous benefits of Magnesium and sleep is just one of them. Magnesium is also best absorbed through the skin. Lavender Essential Oil has a calming scent and is also excellent for calming nervous tension and anxiety
- Foot massage. My kids love a foot massage and find it extremely relaxing. While sometimes it is a love hate relationship with giving the foot massage, I have extremely fond memories of one of friends mum’s doing this for me as a teenager and remembering how relaxing it was. Have a think about how long you are on your feet for each day? Young childrenen may find that massage helps them to relax and encourages a restful sleep. I will often massage a drop of Lavender Essential oil with a tsp of vegetable oil into their feet at bed time. Read more about and how to massage your kids feet here Applying essential oils to the feet is an excellent option as our skin on the soles is the least sensitive. Always follow instructions on the bottle and test patch first.
- Diffusing Essential Oils. Using a ultrasonic diffuser with a few (2-3) drops of essential oil can encourage a restful sleep. I use a small number of drops as I find that is all you need in a bedroom. Lavender is extremely relaxing. Orange Essential oil encourages feelings of happiness. Peace and Calming encourages deep relaxation and Gentle baby promotes a calm atmosphere for Mother and baby and in my experience everyone! Gentle baby would have one fo my all time favourites to create a calm environment.
For FAQ’s about dilution and safety of essential oils read here
To down load a chart by Robert Tisserand outlinging appropiate dilutions please click here
Topical dilution guidlines are as follows
0.5% for 2-6yrs old
1% for 6-12
2% 12 +
3% occasional use such as perfume
I don’t use concentrations higher than this as I don’t find it necessary at all.
For topical application for a 8yr old you could add 3 drops of Lavender to a 10ml roller bottle and top up with a carrier oil. All ready to roll on the feet for a night time massage!
Enjoy and have a restful sleep
Belinda x
If you would like to purchase essential oils, please click here and read about Young Living’s premium Starter pack that I started with. Lavender is in the pack!
Belinda Forsyth 