Child Safe Essential Oil Use

Scroll Down for Printable Recipe Card Size Chart

The Herbal Toad makes finding child safe essential oils with our Child Safe Category easy.  Along with that category, we provide you with both safety and dilution guidelines to help you shop and use essential oils with confidence.

The right essential oils can be very beneficial for a variety of things that ail your baby or child, but cautions do apply. Read the 'extra information' section on each essential oil listing to help you determine if an oils is safe for infants, children, breastfeeding, and lactation. Also: See our list of favorite child safe essential oils.

• Essential oils are highly concentrated. Dilute properly for children and spot testing is recommended before using on larger areas of sensitive skin.
• I do not suggest using essential oils on a baby under 3 months old, unless advised to do so by a certified aromatherapist who is trained in infant techniques and safety.
• With premature infants, wait until the infant is 3 months past his/her original due date.
• Essential oils need to be diluted, even more so than when using on an adult, when using on baby.
• Some essential oils are photosensitive and must be used properly. Please read warning on photosensitivity at the end of this article.Figuring Dilutions Rates

Diluting Essential Oils for Children

Right click on the chart above and save. Open. Print. Cut out and add to your herbal recipe box.

Okay, so dilution is actually really easy!  Each product page clearly states dilution guidelines. Using some simple math and the chart below and you are ready to confidently dilute your essential oils for use on the entire family.

Most essential oil bottles are 10 ml, so in that case we simply multiply the suggested dilution rate by 3.

ex: 3% dilution rate would be 9 drops in 10 ml  (2 tsp) carrier oil

After figuring a regular adult dilution rate, look at the chart above to figure dilution per your child's age.

Photosensitivity Warning

Even properly diluted essential oils can be a problem when using oils that can cause photosensitivity, such as many of the citrus oils. These oils should not be used topically if you will be exposed to direct sunlight within 8 hours. Oils that are photosensitive react to UV light and may cause a severe rash. The Herbal Toad always tells you which essential oils are photosensitive in the "more information" tab of the oil page.