Essential Oils Are Not Toys or Harmless “Nice Smells”

Many paediatric resources describe essential oils in the same category as medicines and chemicals. A few key points come up again and again:

• Ingestion is a major risk: even a small amount of some essential oils can make a child very unwell if swallowed.
• Skin is more delicate: children’s skin is thinner and can absorb substances more quickly, which means irritation and reactions are more likely.
• Breathing systems are still developing: strong vapours may trigger coughing, wheezing or breathing difficulties, especially in younger children and those with asthma.
• Evidence in children is limited: there are far fewer studies in children than in adults, so many recommendations are deliberately cautious.

Because of this, most expert bodies encourage parents to focus first on established NHS advice for everyday illnesses and only use essential oils, if at all, as a small, optional extra for the overall environment — not as treatment.

Why Guidance Can Seem Confusing Online

If you search the internet, you will find many lists of “child-safe” and “child-unsafe” oils. These lists often disagree with each other and may be based on different training backgrounds, countries or assumptions about how oils are used. Some are also written from a marketing point of view, rather than a safety-first one.

• Some websites underplay the risks of ingestion or heavy use in small rooms.
• Others assume a level of professional knowledge that most parents do not have.
• Very few list the age of the child, the exact dilution and how often the oils are used — all details that make a big difference.

In this guide, we will not try to give a perfect list of “allowed” and “banned” oils. Instead, we focus on simple safety habits and age-by-age caution, so that you can have a more grounded conversation with your GP, health visitor or a suitably qualified aromatherapist if you want more tailored advice.

Newborns to 3 Months: Fragrance-Free Is Safest

For newborns and very young babies, the simplest approach is usually the safest one: no essential oils at all in their direct environment. These early weeks are when:

• Your baby’s lungs and airways are still developing and are very sensitive.
• The skin barrier is delicate and more easily irritated.
• Your baby is learning your natural smell, which helps with bonding and feeding.

With that in mind, conservative guidance often suggests:

• No diffusers or oil burners in the room where your baby sleeps or spends long stretches of time.
• No essential oils in baby massage oils, unless advised by a health professional with specific training in neonatal care.
• No drops of oil on cot sheets, blankets, muslins or toys, even if the label suggests “baby-friendly” blends.

Instead, comfort can come from very simple things: close contact, skin-to-skin cuddles, feeding on demand, gentle rocking and a calm, smoke-free, well-ventilated room. If you enjoy fragrance yourself, it is usually better to keep scents very light and away from areas your baby will breathe against (such as your chest and shoulders).

3 to 24 Months: Still Extremely Cautious — Environment Only (If at All)

From about three months onwards, some parents start to think about diffusers, chest rubs or “baby-safe” blends, especially during cold and flu season. It is understandable, but this is still an age group where many experts recommend extreme caution.

If you choose to have essential oils in your home during this stage, sensible steps include:

• Keeping oils away from baby’s hands and mouth: bottles should be well out of reach, and any oils used by adults should not be applied where baby might lick or chew (for example, hands or fingers).
• Avoiding diffusers in the same room as your baby: if you use a diffuser for yourself, do it in a separate space, for a short time, and let the room air out well before your baby is brought in.
• Choosing fragrance-free for baby baths: plain warm water and possibly a mild, baby-safe wash recommended by your midwife or health visitor are usually enough. Neat essential oils should not be dropped into bathwater.
• Cleaning first, scent second: if you use essential oils in cleaning blends (for example a tiny amount of lemon or tea tree in a surface cleaner), make sure surfaces are wiped down, rinsed where needed and dry before your baby has contact with them. Always store cleaning products safely.

If you would like ideas for gentle, adult-focused cleaning blends, our guide Top Essential Oils for Natural, Sustainable Cleaning may be useful. Any such blends should still be treated as normal cleaning products when children are around: used sparingly, rinsed off and stored securely.

2 to 6 Years: Limited, Diluted Use with Clear Boundaries

As children grow into toddlers and pre-school age, some families and some professional aromatherapy guidelines start to consider very low dilution and carefully controlled use of a few well-known oils. Even then, the emphasis should stay on safety and comfort, not on “treating” illness.

If your child is between two and six years old and you are considering essential oils, it is sensible to:

• Speak with a health professional first: if your child has asthma, eczema, allergies or any long-term condition, always check with your GP, paediatrician or pharmacist before introducing essential oils.
• Choose mild, familiar scents only: if your healthcare team is comfortable with it, gentle oils such as lavender or soft citrus (for example orange or mandarin) are often preferred over very strong or “minty” oils. You can find these in our essential oils collection, but they should still be used carefully.
• Keep diffusion short and occasional: if you use a diffuser, place it out of reach, use a small number of drops and run it for short periods in a well-ventilated room. It should not be on all day, and you do not need strong fragrance in the air.
• Be very cautious with skin contact: if a qualified professional has agreed that a topical blend is suitable, it should be extremely diluted in a carrier oil, used in tiny amounts, and kept away from the face, hands and any broken or irritated skin. Always patch test on a small area first.
• Respect your child’s preferences: if your child dislikes a scent, complains of a “funny” smell or rubs their nose and eyes, it is better to stop using that oil than to push ahead.

At this stage, it can help to think of essential oils as something mainly for the adults in the home, with just an occasional, very gentle role in children’s spaces if your healthcare team is happy with that. Calm routines, good sleep habits and time outdoors are usually more important than any particular fragrance.

Building Simple, Sensible Habits

• Keep scents light, not constant: even for older children and teens, there is usually no need to have a diffuser on all day. Short sessions in a well-ventilated room are normally enough.
• Be careful with strong “menthol” oils: oils such as eucalyptus, rosemary or high-menthol peppermint can feel overwhelming and may aggravate breathing or trigger headaches in some people. Save these for adult-focused blends, if at all.
• Ask about asthma and allergies: if your child has asthma or any long-term respiratory condition, talk to your GP or asthma nurse before using essential oils regularly, even in a diffuser.
• Introduce one oil at a time: if you do experiment, start with one mild oil, such as lavender or a gentle citrus, and see how your child responds before adding anything else.
• Involve your child: older children and teens can tell you what they like or dislike. If they find a scent irritating, heavy or “too much”, it is usually best to stop using it in their space.

As children grow, essential oils can sometimes form part of simple routines for focus, calm study time or winding down before bed. For older family members, you may find ideas in guides such as Best Essential Oils for Focus and Productivity and Morning & Evening Aromatherapy Rituals. These should always be adapted cautiously when you are sharing a home with younger siblings.

Diffusers in a Family Home

Diffusers are one of the most common ways families use essential oils. They can also be one of the easiest ways to overdo things if you are not careful.

• Location matters: place diffusers in shared spaces such as the living room, rather than in nurseries or bedrooms for babies and very young children. Keep them out of reach and away from where children play.
• Keep sessions short: instead of running a diffuser all day, use it for limited periods (for example 20–30 minutes) and then switch it off. Our guide to diffusion safety explains why breaks and ventilation are important.
• Use fewer drops: you rarely need the maximum number of drops suggested on a bottle. When children are in the home, it usually makes sense to use less than you would for an adults-only household.
• Ventilation is essential: open a window or make sure there is some airflow so vapours do not build up in a small space, especially if anyone has sensitive airways.
• Never cover up worrying smells: if you notice unusual odours such as gas, burning, damp or strong chemical smells, switch off diffusers and deal with the cause directly. Essential oils should never be used to mask potential safety issues.

Oils on Parents’ Skin, Hair & Clothing

Even if you never apply essential oils directly to a child, they can still come into contact with residues on your skin, hair or clothes. This is particularly relevant for babies who spend a lot of time being held close, feeding or cuddling.

• Go lightly with personal blends: if you enjoy using diluted oils on your own skin, keep the scent subtle and avoid heavily fragranced areas where a baby’s face will rest, such as the chest, shoulders and hands.
• Avoid oils around feeding times: for breast or chest feeding, strong scents on the upper body can be distracting for babies and may interfere with their natural feeding cues. Plain, fragrance-free skin is usually best.
• Change clothes if needed: if you have used a stronger blend for yourself (for example a massage oil), consider changing into a clean top before holding or feeding your baby for a long period.
• Keep bottles away during nappy changes and play: do not keep essential oils on the changing table, floor or low shelves where small hands can reach them.

For more general advice on how adults can look after their skin when using essential oils, our article Using Essential & Fragrance Oils on Skin Safely goes into dilution and patch testing in more detail.

Bath Time, Cleaning & Laundry

It is common to see recipes for “natural bath blends” or cleaning sprays using essential oils. These can be useful for adults, but need extra thought when babies and children are involved.

• Baby baths: for babies and toddlers, plain warm water and a gentle, baby-specific wash recommended by your health visitor or GP is usually enough. Neat essential oils should not be added directly to bath water, as they can cling to the skin and cause irritation.
• Older children’s baths: if, after speaking to a health professional, you decide to add a very small amount of diluted oil for an older child, it should be properly dispersed in a suitable bath base, used sparingly, and avoided altogether if your child has eczema or frequent skin problems.
• Cleaning: adults sometimes use essential oils such as lemon, tea tree or eucalyptus in DIY cleaning blends. When children are around, treat these like any other cleaning product: keep them out of reach, wear gloves if needed, rinse food-contact surfaces and let rooms air before playtime.
• Laundry: a drop or two of oil in a wash cycle for adult clothes can add a pleasant scent, but it is best to keep baby clothes, muslins and bedding fragrance-free or washed with products you have discussed with your midwife or health visitor. Our article Essential Oils in Laundry is written mainly with adult clothing and general household laundry in mind.

In many cases, fresh air, regular washing and a sensible cleaning routine go much further for family health than any specific scent can.

If a Child Swallows Essential Oil

• Stay calm but act quickly: keep the bottle and any packaging, so you can tell healthcare staff exactly what was swallowed and roughly how much.
• Do not make them vomit: do not give salt water, make them gag or use home remedies to bring it back up unless specifically told to do so by a medical professional.
• Contact NHS help immediately: call NHS 111 for urgent advice or 999 if your child is drowsy, having a seizure, struggling to breathe or seems very unwell.
• Follow professional instructions: the poison information centre or NHS service will tell you exactly what to do next based on your child’s age, weight, symptoms and the oil involved.

If Essential Oil Gets on Skin or in Eyes

• Skin contact: remove any soaked clothing and wash the area gently with lukewarm running water and mild, fragrance-free soap if your child tolerates it. If redness, burning or blistering develops, seek medical advice.
• Eye contact: rinse the eye immediately with clean, lukewarm water. The easiest way is often to gently pour water from a jug or use a clean cup, keeping the eyelids open if your child allows. Rinse for at least 10–15 minutes and then get urgent medical advice.
• Aftercare: even if your child seems fine at first, contact NHS 111 or your GP for advice, especially if the oil was known to be strong, or if you are unsure which oil was involved.

If a Child Reacts to Diffusers or Strong Scents

• Remove the source: switch off diffusers or burners straight away and move your child into fresh air, ideally another room or outdoors if practical.
• Open windows and doors: let the space air properly before anyone returns to it.
• Watch for warning signs: if your child is coughing, wheezing, struggling to breathe, complaining of chest pain or feeling dizzy, seek urgent medical help. Call 999 if symptoms are severe.
• Review future use: if a particular oil or product seems to have triggered symptoms, it is safest to avoid using it again around your child and to discuss the episode with your GP or asthma nurse.

Can I put essential oils in a diffuser in my baby’s room?

For newborns and very young babies, the safest approach is usually not to diffuse essential oils in their room at all. Their lungs are still developing and they cannot move away from scents they do not like. If you want fragrance in your home, keep diffusers in adult spaces and let baby’s room stay simple and well ventilated.

Are “baby-safe” essential oil blends always safe?

Labels such as “baby-safe” or “kid-safe” do not guarantee that a product is suitable for every child in every situation. It still matters how old your child is, how the oil is used, and whether they have asthma, allergies or other conditions. Always check with a health professional if you are unsure.

Are fragrance oils safer than essential oils for children?

Fragrance oils and essential oils are different, but both can irritate skin or airways if overused. Fragrance oils may avoid some plant allergens but introduce other ingredients instead. In both cases, the safest option for babies and young children is very limited use or none at all. You can learn more about how fragrance oils differ from essential oils in our guide Fragrance Oils Explained.

Is it OK to use pillow sprays in a child’s bedroom?

For babies and toddlers, it is usually best to avoid pillow sprays altogether. For older children, a very light mist on bedding, at a distance, may be acceptable if your GP or health visitor has no concerns and your child likes the scent. Avoid spraying directly where the face rests, and keep windows slightly open if possible. Our pillow spray guide is written with adults and general home use in mind.

Can essential oils help prevent colds or boost immunity in children?

Current evidence does not support using essential oils as a way to prevent infections in children or to “boost” immunity. The most important measures are still vaccinations, handwashing, good nutrition, sleep and following NHS advice. Some families use gentle scents for comfort when adults are unwell; this should always be secondary to medical care. Our article Essential Oils for Cold & Flu Season focuses mainly on creating comfort for adults at home.

What about pets as well as children?

If you share your home with both children and pets, extra care is needed. Some oils that humans tolerate well can be harmful to animals, especially cats. Our Essential Oils Pet Safety Guide explains the main points. When in doubt, use fewer products, not more.

Where can I find reliable information?

In the UK, good starting points include the NHS website, your local NHS Trust child health pages, and NHS 111. Your GP, health visitor, pharmacist or paediatrician can discuss your individual situation in much more detail than any online guide.