This list of essential oils for babies and holistic protocols was a list I referred to many, many times when my kids were babies. If you are new to oils, this gives you step by step with things you can do naturally to help your little ones’ immune systems. Having what you need on hand is key and knowing a protocol for when it comes up will help it be easier.
There is also a separate post for pregnancy and labor HERE.
*TIP Remember it will always go away faster if you 1. catch it early and 2. be consistent using it till it is gone.
Safety first: Essential oils are strong, and little bodies are sensitive. For babies under 3 months, skip oils or ask your pediatrician first. For older babies, always dilute well (about 1 drop of oil to 2 Tbsp of carrier oil), try a small patch first, and keep oils away from the nose, mouth and eyes. These protocols are what I used at home and are not a replacement for your pediatrician, especially for fevers, breathing trouble or anything that is getting worse. The National Association for Holistic Aromatherapy has a helpful safety guide.
Essential Oils for Babies: Protocol List
Burn protocol: Get the heat out of the skin as soon as possible by running cool (not ice cold) water over the burn for 10 to 20 minutes. Do not use ice, which can hurt the skin more. For any burn on a baby that blisters, is bigger than a coin, or is on the face, hands or diaper area, call your doctor. Then use Lavender essential oil or bentonite clay with a bandaid.
Colic for babies: Bergamot, ginger, mandarin, marjoram, Roman chamomile, rosemary, or ylang ylang. Blend: Combine 2 Tbsp. Almond oil with 1 drop Roman chamomile, 1 drop lavender, and 1 drop geranium. Mix and apply to stomach and back. Note: Burping the baby, and keeping the abdomen warm with a warm (not hot) water bottle will often bring relief.
Common Cold: Cedarwood, lemon, Melaleuca ericifolia, rosemary, rose, sandalwood, or thyme. Blend: Combine 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil with 2 drops melaleuca(Tea Tree), 1 drop lemon, and 1 drop rose otto. Massage a little of the blend on neck and chest.
Constipation: Ginger, mandarin, orange, or rosemary. Dilute one of the oils and massage on stomach and feet.
Cradle Cap Blend: Combine 2 Tbsp. almond oil with 1 drop lemon and 1 drop geranium or with 1 drop cedarwood and 1 sandalwood. Mix and apply a small amount on head.
Croup: Marjoram, ravensara, rosewood, sandalwood, or thyme. Dilute for massage or diffuse. Bundle baby or child up and take outside to breathe cold air. If your child is struggling to breathe, makes a high-pitched noise breathing in while resting, or looks pale or blue, call 911 or go to the ER.
Crying: Cypress, frankincense, geranium, lavender, Roman chamomile, rose otto, or ylang ylang. Dilute for massage or diffuse.
Diaper Rash: Lavender (dilute and apply). Blend: Combine 1 drop Roman chamomile and 1 drop lavender with vegetable oil and apply.
Digestion (sluggish): Lemon or orange. Dilute and massage feet and stomach. Some older remedies use a little molasses in warm water; ask your pediatrician before giving a baby anything besides milk.
Dry Skin: Rosewood or sandalwood. Dilute and apply.
Earache: Lavender, melaleuca (Tea Tree), Melaleuca ericifolia, Roman chamomile, or thyme (sweet). Put a diluted drop of oil on a cotton ball and place on the surface of the ear (never inside the ear canal); rub a little bit of diluted oil behind the ear. Blend: Combine 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil with 2 drops lavender, 1 drop Roman chamomile, and 1 drop melaleuca (Tea Tree). Put a drop on a cotton ball and put on surface of the ear, rub behind the ear and on the ear Vita Flex feet points.
Fever: Lavender. Dilute in vegetable oil and massage baby or child (back of neck, feet, behind ear, etc.). Any fever of 100.4°F (38°C) or higher in a baby under 3 months needs a call to your doctor right away.
Flu: Cypress, lemon, Melaleuca ericifolia. Dilute 1 drop of each in 1 Tbsp. bath gel base for a bath or diffuse.
Hiccoughs: Mandarin. Diffuse and breathe.
Jaundice: Geranium, lemon, lime, mandarin, or rosemary. Dilute and apply on the liver area and on the liver Vita Flex feet points. Give baby a Vitamin E soft gel. You can pop the gel capsule with a pin and squeeze it in baby’s mouth, then feed them. Many moms believe this helps the liver get going. Always have your pediatrician check any yellowing, and ask before giving your newborn anything besides milk.
Premature: Since premature babies have very thin and sensitive skin, it is best to avoid the use of essential oils.
Rashes: Lavender, Roman chamomile, rose otto, or sandalwood. Dilute and apply.
RSV: RSV can get serious quickly in little ones, so always keep your pediatrician in the loop and get help right away if you see fast breathing, ribs pulling in with each breath, or trouble feeding. For babies, a remedy I like is homeopathic ColdCalm. I would keep these on hand for most everything infants/kids get. You can give them drop doses of Elderberry (no honey for under 1 year). If you find a tincture with no honey, that’s great, just do drop doses. Wild cherry is also great and Echinacea in 1-3 drops, once or twice a day. If the cough is dry and not much mucus, steam baths in the shower can help (skip eucalyptus and peppermint for babies, since they can affect breathing in little ones; a little chamomile is gentler). A liquid Vitamin C is also key to give them every day.
Teeth Grinding: Lavender (rub on feet). Look into magnesium.
Tonsillitis: Ginger, lavender, lemon, or melaleuca (Tea Tree), Roman chamomile. Dilute and apply.
Thrush: Geranium, lavender, lemon, melaleuca (Tea Tree), Melaleuca ericifolia, rosewood, or thyme. Dilute and apply. Blend: 2 Tbsp. garlic oil, 8 drops lavender, 8 drops Melaleuca ericifolia, 1 ml. Vitamin E oil. Apply to nipples after nursing and wipe off before the next feed. Thrush in babies should also be checked by your pediatrician.
Essential Oils Safe for Babies (Diluted)
Bergamot (Citrus bergamia)*, Cedarwood (Cedrus atlantica)**, Chamomile, Roman (Chamaemelum nobile), Cypress (Cupressus sempervirens), Frankincense (Boswellia carteri), Geranium (Pelargonium graveolens), Ginger (Zingiber officinale), Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia), Lemon (Citrus limon)*, Mandarin (Citrus reticulata)*, Marjoram (Origanum majorana), Melaleuca-Tea Tree (Melaleuca alternifolia), Orange (Citrus aurantium)*, Rose Otto (Rosa damascena), Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis)**, Rosewood (Aniba rosaeodora), Sandalwood (Santalum album), Thyme (Thymus vulgaris CT linalol), Ylang Ylang (Cananga odorata)
*These oils are photosensitive; always dilute. To prevent a rash or pigmentation of the skin, do not use citrus oils when exposed to direct sunlight.
**These oils should never be used undiluted on babies and children
