Must Have Essential Oils for Moms

     With Mother's Day coming up soon, I wanted to share how I've been using essential oils as a mom. With the limited number of medications you can use on infants and small children combined with how unhealthy some conventional medicines are for young ones, essential oils are a great alternative for our family and I love being able to help my children naturally. 
      I got into using Young Living Essential Oils in January of this year because I was fed up with my family being sick. To give you an idea of what we were dealing with, we had racked up a bill of more than $500 in just the four months after Graham was born and were in the pediatrician's office at least once a month dealing with one major illness after another (whooping cough and RSV to name a couple). My poor sweet newborn was put on more rounds of antibiotics than any tiny baby should be on. So after learning about oils and doing research for a month (during which we contracted two more different illnesses), I stopped making excuses (money being a big one) and made the decision to try them. And since then, the only one of us to get sick was me! I had a stomach bug in April, but with the help of my essential oils, the duration of my illness was greatly shortened and neither the boys nor Tim caught it! Four months of the boys being illness free might not seem like much to you, but for us it's a record! I am so thankful that for the past four months, we have finally gotten to see what Graham's personality is like. We thought we had a "high maintenance" baby because he seemed so unhappy all the time. Turns out he just felt bad from being sick. Now he's all smiles and crawling and chasing after his brother and loving every single food we give him to try. These oils have so helped my family and I am so grateful!

     Now, I am not anti-modern medicine or against taking my kids to the doctor ever, but if there is a natural alternative that I can try, then I'm going to take that route first. Essential oils are so versatile and there is likely one (if not many) that if used correctly, can ease symptoms and help with a number of issues as well as if not better than medications. I now reach for my oils before I use anything from my medicine cabinet. 
       There are so many issues related to babies and kids that you can use oils for: teething, sleep, upset tummies, colds, fevers, allergies, and so many others. I wanted to go over some of my must-have oils for treating children and for helping moms. (I'm not a doctor though, so don't take this as medical advice. I'm just relating how these oils have worked for me in certain situations with my kids.) 

      Also, Young Living recommends not using oils on babies younger than six months. I personally did not follow this recommendation completely because Graham dealt with colic a lot as an infant so at around five months old, I began using an oil on him that helped with gas. I would rather use a natural oil than an over-the-counter medication so I just recommend that parents do their own research and use their best judgment. And of course, diluting an essential oil with a carrier oil (coconut, olive, grapeseed) is also recommended with children as they may be more sensitive than adults. To begin with, try diluting essential oils 1 drop to 30 drops of carrier oil. I also diffused around Graham as an infant. 

So here are my Must-Have Oils for Moms:

Lavender:

• Lavender is one of the most common and versatile oils. 
• It is antiseptic, analgesic and a relaxant. 
• I combine lavender with whipped coconut oil and use the cream for a number of things.
• I use lavender to help heal scrapes and cuts and ease painful burns, including sunburn. 
• I use the lavender cream on diaper rash. 
• I diffuse lavender for sleep and also put a drop on Graham's lovey so he will inhale it while he is falling asleep. 
• Lavender is also a natural antihistamine and I use it, plus lemon and peppermint diluted in a mix for Owen's allergies. Tim also loves using this blend. 

Peppermint:

• Peppermint is anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and antiviral. It can be used for pain relief, stomach issues, and curbs appetite.
• I use peppermint to help bring down fevers naturally to a level I am more comfortable with. Dilute one drop to a few drops of carrier oil and apply to back of the neck, down the spine, around the belly button and under the arms. 
• For nausea or upset stomach, you can dilute and apply to the stomach or simply smell it from the bottle. If you have a child that deals with motion sickness, put a few drops on a cotton ball and stick in the air conditioning vents to diffuse in the car. 

Thieves: 

• Thieves is an essential oil blend of clove, lemon, cinnamon bark, eucalyptus and rosemary. 
• It is highly antibacterial, antiviral, antiseptic, and anti-infectious.
• Studies at Weber State University in Utah showed that Thieves had a 99% kill rate for airborn bacteria when diffused for just twelve minutes. 
• I dilute Thieves and use it on the bottom of the boys' feet any time we are going somewhere where they will be around other children or somewhere like the grocery store where they will be in germy grocery carts. If we are around someone who we later find out has become sick, I will diffuse Thieves in our house. I also diffuse after playdates. 
• If any of us were to get sick, I would apply Thieves to the sick person every few hours and diffuse a couple times a day to help lessen the duration of the sickness and help keep the rest of us healthy.  
• Thieves can also be used for oral care so it is great for teething because it contains clove oil. Clove oil is a natural source of eugenol, which is used in the dental industry to numb gums. Simply dilute with a carrier oil and apply to the gums with a Q-tip.

RC:

• RC is a blend of three types of eucalyptus, myrtle, pine, spruce, marjoram, lavender, cypress, and peppermint. 
• It provides relief for people suffering from colds, sinus congestion, bronchitis, coughs, sore throats, allergies, and other respiratory issues. 
• When Owen seems congested, I diffuse in his room at night and apply it to his chest and upper back and to the bottoms of his feet on the Vitaflex points for the sinus area (under his four toes.)

Breathe Again Roll-On:

• Breathe Again is a blend of four different types of eucalyptus, peppermint, copaiba, myrtle, and manuka.
• It relaxes airways, reduces sinus congestion, and reduces coughing. 
• Owen has pretty bad allergies and sinus issues so I tend to roll this onto his chest at night. It helps him to breathe better and not snore. 

Di-Gize:

• Di-Gize is a blend of tarragon, ginger, peppermint, juniper, fennel, lemongrass, anise, and patchouli. 
• The blend was made specifically for stomach issues like upset stomachs, nausea, stomach bugs, gas, constipation, and reflux. 
• I used this for Graham's colic and constipation as an infant. I simply diluted it and applied to his stomach in a clock-wise direction to give him relief. It can also be used for babies with reflux. 
• I also used this when I had a stomach bug and felt relief from the nausea and stomach pain. 

Purification: 

• Purification is a blend of citronella, lemongrass, lavandin, rosemary, melaleuca (tea tree), and myrtle.
• I used Purification, plus lavender and Thieves, when Owen had an ear infection and was able to get rid of it without antibiotics. Here is the tutorial I used (I used the oils I had on hand): http://instagram.com/p/iuO2u2GuK_/
• When diffused, Purification can help with stink issues. Put a few drops on a cotton ball and put in the bottom of a trash can or diaper pail or a stinky gym bag (I'm thinking ahead to when the boys potentially participate in sports). Put some in with stinky laundry. 
• Apply to bug bites and stings. 
• Use this recipe to make all-natural bug repellent: Combine 4 ounces distilled water, 4 ounces witch hazel, and 10 drops each of Thieves, Purification, and Peppermint in a spray bottle and apply before going outside. 
• Purification and lemon can be used together to help heal poison ivy rashes. I had great success doing this and Tim's rash was almost completely gone in a week.

Stress Away:

• Stress Away is a blend of copaiba, lime, cedarwood, vanilla, ocotea, and lavender. 
• The blend can help ease nervous tension and reduce nervous tension. 
• I use Stress Away topically on myself or diffuse when I am feeling - you guessed it - stressed. 
• Graham also responded well to this oil when he was a little baby. He was younger than six months so I wouldn't apply it to him directly, but I would swipe my roll-on bottle across my neck and cuddle him close as I rocked him and nine times out of ten, he would fall asleep within five minutes. 

Peace and Calming:

• Peace and Calming is a blend of blue tansy, patchouli, tangerine, orange, and ylang ylang.
• This blend promotes relaxation, improves mood, and can help with sleep. 
• I like to diffuse this in the late afternoon when we I am waiting anxiously for Tim to come home from work and trying to make dinner and the kids are going crazy. 
• I use a combination of Peace and Calming and Peppermint for coughs. I combine both oils with a carrier oil and apply to Owen's chest and upper back. 

If you want more information on using oils on babies or children, contact me at jessrumely@gmail.com.