Vinegar is totally fine, but I have heard different things about Tea Tree Oil and Lavender. I have heard NOT to use them around children because of the "estrogen" effects they can have. Hopefully someone else will chime in because the exact details are escaping me at the moment.
Help - is vinegar and essential oil safe for babies?
As a follow-up to the recent threads on cleaning baby things...
1) Is vinegar safe for small babies to ingest?
- If I am cleaning with a solution of 50/50 vinegar and water, and baby chews on the items (my baby currently chews everything), is it safe?
2) Which essential oil is safest to use with vinegar when cleaning things for baby, especially since baby will chew on the items? Lavender, Sweet Orange, both??
3) How many drops of essential oil should I use per cup of vinegar/water solution??
4) Finally can we just spray the vinegar/water/EO solution on baby items, or other household items, and not rinse/wipe off?? We dont need to wipe off the vinegar solution do we?
Thanks so much.
1) Is vinegar safe for small babies to ingest?
- If I am cleaning with a solution of 50/50 vinegar and water, and baby chews on the items (my baby currently chews everything), is it safe?
2) Which essential oil is safest to use with vinegar when cleaning things for baby, especially since baby will chew on the items? Lavender, Sweet Orange, both??
3) How many drops of essential oil should I use per cup of vinegar/water solution??
4) Finally can we just spray the vinegar/water/EO solution on baby items, or other household items, and not rinse/wipe off?? We dont need to wipe off the vinegar solution do we?
Thanks so much.
1 - 5 of 5 Posts
Quote:
So if a young baby ingests white vinegar it is okay??
Would love to hear what others say about the Orange Sweet and Lavender.
Thanks again.
Originally Posted by KMK_Mama Vinegar is totally fine, but I have heard different things about Tea Tree Oil and Lavender. I have heard NOT to use them around children because of the "estrogen" effects they can have. Hopefully someone else will chime in because the exact details are escaping me at the moment. |
Would love to hear what others say about the Orange Sweet and Lavender.
Thanks again.
As the pp said, there is concern with lavender and tea tree essential oils. Several children started developing breasts after exposure and one popped pubic hair after exposure (it reversed once the products were not used). In the lab, they were able to replicate the process and saw these EOs were producing effects similar to sex hormones. There is a paper published on the CDC website with more detail. Why some children were affected - while many others are not - is unknown. You might want to err on the side of caution and not use these EOs around your children.
I would stick to EOs that are generally regarded as safe to ingest. Orange, lemon and lime essential oils are extracted by "cold pressing" the rinds (a byproduct of making juice). Cold pressed citrus oils are used in the food industry for flavoring. Here is the website of the brand I see most often in gourmet shops: http://www.boyajianinc.com/citrus.html. Buying it as a food item is much cheaper than buying it in a small bottle labeled "essential oil" from a health food store. It is the SAME thing, except you know for certain the food branded item is safe for consumption. Citrus oils are good additives for cleaning too, helping to cut grease. Orange is the cheapest.
I would stick to EOs that are generally regarded as safe to ingest. Orange, lemon and lime essential oils are extracted by "cold pressing" the rinds (a byproduct of making juice). Cold pressed citrus oils are used in the food industry for flavoring. Here is the website of the brand I see most often in gourmet shops: http://www.boyajianinc.com/citrus.html. Buying it as a food item is much cheaper than buying it in a small bottle labeled "essential oil" from a health food store. It is the SAME thing, except you know for certain the food branded item is safe for consumption. Citrus oils are good additives for cleaning too, helping to cut grease. Orange is the cheapest.
As far as I know there is nothing much safer to use then vinegar and water, certainly most commercial cleaning products are going to contain lot's of toxic crud. I don't use EO when cleaning, they are expensive and generally unecessary IMO (although Naturalyst had someg great suggestions above!) . I would make sure that the vinegar you are purchasing is food grade and not a petroleum by-product (it will say on the bottle "made from corn" or something to that effect). That said, vinegar is a food product and completely consumable so I can't see where it could be detrimental for the baby (my son sucks on the spray bottle... he LIKES the sour taste!!).
1 - 5 of 5 Posts
- This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Mothering Forum
A forum community dedicated to all mothers and inclusive family living enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about nurturing, health, behavior, housing, adopting, care, classifieds, and more!
Full Forum Listing
Explore Our Forums
Recommended Communities
