How to Safely Use Essential Oils in a Baby’s Nursery (And a Great Gift Idea!)

I’m so excited about this post, 1) because I love great gifts, and 2) because I know there are lots of fellow natural mamas out there who read this blog.

When the time came to bring my daughter home from the hospital I wasn’t quite sure how to use essential oils safely around her. Which scents would help calm her down? Which would help purify the air? Could any of them counteract full-on diaper pail stench? (Spoiler alert: oh yes they can.)

As a lover of essential oils and beautiful ways to enjoy their aroma, I was SO psyched when I came across Terra Cotta Pendants and immediately purchased three of them as gifts. They are exactly what they sound like – pendants that can be worn as a necklace or hung around the home or in a car, and they diffuse drops of your favorite or most needed essential oils. And now Lori, the creator of Terra Cotta Pendants, brought on a genius way to use them in a baby’s nursery.

Lori answers all my questions below, and offers her practical and helpful advice on how to safely diffuse essential oils in a baby’s nursery. And if you’re looking for a great gift idea for that new or expectant natural mama in your life, the ‘Footprints’ pendant is a slam-dunk! It comes with the beautiful poem you see above and is something both mom and baby can enjoy. Once you’ve read Lori’s tips below on how to safely use essential oils in a baby’s nursery, make sure you enter to win the giveaway for a free ‘Footprints’ pendant at the bottom of the post!

Essential Oils and Babies

I wish I had been familiar with essential oils when I had my babies! My children were already eight and ten years old when I discovered essential oils and they loved them. Now I am waiting to become a grandmother so I can coach another mother on how to use essential oils with a baby. I have a plan!

My plan will be initiated on the day of the baby’s birth. To welcome the baby, I’ll be toting some Terra Cotta Pendants and essential oils when I go to meet the baby at the hospital or the place of birthing.

Visiting baby – and parents – for the first time

I will bring a Terra Cotta Pendant with a drop of calming essential oil like Lavender or a calming blend for mom to wear and infuse the baby’s breathing space with the aroma. There is a bonus effect of this: not only will it calm the baby, but also it will also affect the parents and anyone close enough to smell the oil.  And the baby will later associate the aroma with his/her first days of life.

I would gift the parents with several Terra Cotta Pendant “Car Diffusers” which have magnetic clasps and can be hung at different places around the home.

You have questions? Good. Allow me to try to anticipate them.

Which oils should I diffuse in our home– and where?

• By the crib; Lavender (the all-purpose calming, balancing oil)
• Next to the diaper pail; Lemongrass (purifying and uplifting)
• In the diaper bag; a purifying blend (cleansing to the air)

Which essential should I wear on a Terra Cotta Pendant?

1. Chamomile (calming)
2. Palmarosa (soothing)
3. Orange, Lemon, Tangerine, Bergamot (uplifting and fresh and can add variety to your essential oil collection)
4. Any calming blend

Which essential oils can I use to give the baby (and my other children) a gentle massage?

Put one drop of essential oil in your palm and rub your palms together until they are completely dry. Then add a drop of baby moisture cream or pure carrier oil (such as coconut oil). I would suggest not putting any essential oil directly on a baby’s skin and I would rotate the oils so you are not using the same one, day after day.

Other benefits to using essential oils around babies:

• If the baby, or someone else in the home, is coughing or sniffling, diffuse Clove, Lemon or Peppermint. This helps to keep the air clean.
• Essential oils not only purify the environment, they calm and balance us. This can be helpful in the days when parents are bringing a first, second, third – or fourth child home. It can also be soothing to the toddlers who have waited at home.
• Imagine how your home will feel with all these beautiful essential oils diffusing into the air!

Important Note

It is important when purchasing essential oils to source the pure, unadulterated, uncut oils from organically grown plants. They should also be distilled properly. Do your due diligence in shopping for essential oils.  Here are some more tips for choosing the best essential oils for you and your baby: 3 Ways to Tell An Essential Oil is Pure

 And now, the contest!

The pendants are adorable, personal, and not only useful, but enjoyable. And the “Footprints” poem and diffuser make excellent gifts for a new mom to welcome her baby home. Enter to win a free ‘Footprints’ pendant, below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

You can purchase some of those oils mentioned for the baby’s nursery, here. And to recap, look for:

• Lavender (near the crib)
• Lemongrass (near the diaper-changing station)
• Purifying Blend (in the diaper pail)

The contest starts at midnight, and we will draw the winner a week from today (Tuesday, April 8, 2014). GOOD LUCK!

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