6 Safe Essential Oils for Fever Relief in Kids

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(Last Updated On: June 2, 2018)

The medicines you reach for the moment a fever hits your children may come with side effects in the long term.

Children have a weaker immune system than adults. So, it is good to replace that medication with natural Essentials oil remedies. [1]

Every child gets a fever from time to time. It usually doesn’t indicate any serious health issue.

The temperature itself causes no harm and may be a good thing. Because getting a fever is often the body’s way of fighting infections. [2]

However, when your baby wakes in the middle of the night all flushed, hot, and sweaty, it’s normal to be overwhelmed by the situation.

With home remedies using essential oils, your kids can recover from fever faster.

Keep reading to find out more about:

What is a fever?
What causes a fever?
When is a fever an indication of something serious?
Essential oils for relieving fever of children

What Is a Fever?

A fever is a body temperature that is above the normal temperature of 98.6 F (37 C). However, in reality, a child is usually not considered to have a fever until the temperature is 100.4 F (38 C) and above. [3]

The rising body temperatures in fevers kill off many disease-producing organisms. This is why doctors normally do not treat low fevers. [4]

However, you may need to see your doctor to be sure if your kid’s fever is accompanied by any other troubling symptoms of other diseases. Because, there can be unwanted consequences, particularly for children. [5]

The adverse effects of fevers can include delirium and convulsions in children. If your baby has a fever of this sort, it demands immediate home treatment and after that, medical attention. [6]

Home treatment possibilities include cool baths or sponging to reduce your kid’s fever while seeking medical help.

A fever may come with any infection or illness. Staying alert is necessary.

What Causes Fevers?

Your child gets a fever when his/her body’s internal “thermostat” raises the body temperature above the normal level.

The thermostat is located in a part of the brain called the hypothalamus. [7]

Children have a body temperature usually around 98.6°F/37°C. The hypothalamus sends messages to the child’s body to keep it that way. [8]

Sometimes, the hypothalamus in your kid will “reset” his/her body to a higher temperature to respond to an infection, illness, or some other cause. [9]

Some issues that cause fever in kids include

Infection: Infection or other illness usually causes fever. The fever helps the child’s body fight infections because stimulating natural defense mechanisms.

Overdressing: Newborns, can get fevers if they are in a hot environment as infants do not regulate their body temperature like older kids. However, fevers in newborns usually indicate a serious infection. This is why every infant who is even overdressed should be checked by doctors if they get a fever. [10]

Immunizations: Children sometimes get a low-grade fever after they get vaccinated.

Sometimes, teething can cause a slight fever but not higher than 100°F (37.8°C).

When Is a Fever a Sign of Something Serious?

If your child is an infant three months or younger and has a rectal temperature of 100.4°F (38°C) or higher, you must call your doctor or take the infant to the emergency department immediately. It may be an indication of a potentially serious infection.[9]

In healthy kids, all fevers don’t need to be treated. But high fever can make a child uncomfortable or make problems like dehydration worse.

If your kid has a temperature that is lower than 102°F (38.9°C), he/she may not need medicine unless he/she is uncomfortable.[7]

The fever is probably not that serious if your child:

looks well when his or her temperature comes down
is still interested in playing
has a normal skin color
is eating and drinking well
is alert and smiling at you

Best Essential Oils for Relieving Fever in Children

Essential oils can be a great substitute for common fever medicine. Here is why it works on your kids:

EO assists the defense mechanism of the child’s body
Essential oils help control and alleviate symptoms of fever
Drinking diaphoretic teas like ginger, elderflower, or yarrow to help induce sweating and increase blood flow
They help the body eliminate toxins
Essential oils help pull heat away from the child’s body and offer quick relief while still allowing it to fight off infection and invaders
Echinacea or tincture support immunity [11]

Here are some essential oils for your kid’s fever and how to use these essential oils:

1. Ginger Oil

Ginger is a spice with potent rhizome or underground roots with outstanding therapeutic benefits. For generations ginger has been popular for its medical uses.Ginger oil has soothing and warming properties that make it useful in everyday life

This oil comes from ginger roots by steam distillation. Ginger essential oil has the highest amount of gingerol that is the therapeutic property of ginger. [10]

The earthy and warm nature of Ginger essential oil makes it perfect for massaging your kid.Because of its soothing properties; this oil can help reduce nausea in your fever induced kid when taken internally.

According to research, ginger oil has hepato-protective or liver protecting effects. You have already known that perhaps alcohol damages the liver most acutely. Hence, ginger oil can restore your liver to a normal state. [11]

2. Lavender Oil

Lavender essential oil is one of the most popular and versatile aromatic oils. It has a floral scent that makes it a people’s favorite. This oil originates from the lavender flowers by steam distillation. [12]

For thousands of years, people have used lavender essential oils for many medicinal purposes. [12]

Lavender oil can work as an excellent stress reliever for your child as it is rich in sedative, antidepressant, and anti-anxiety properties.

Lavender oil can help your child fall asleep because the aroma helps with insomnia and hypersensitivity. [12]

Use this fantastic essential oil to give your child some pain relief in a high fever.

3. Cedarwood Oil

Cedarwood essential oil is very comforting, reassuring; It possesses a wood-like pleasant scent.

Cedarwood oil is obtained from the process of steam distillation of wood pieces of the cedar wood tree. This oil has some antifungal and anti-bacterial properties in it. It is also a natural and non-toxic remedy for fever.

Cedarwood oil works as an antiseptic for the lungs of your child and helps relieve coughs such as `a kennel cough. This herbal oil stimulates the blood circulation of your child. [13]

4. Peppermint Oil

Peppermint essential oil is famous for its varieties of uses. It is no wonder that this oil is a necessity in many people’s medicine cabinets.

Peppermint essential oil is mostly used for freshening up breaths, but it indeed does much more than that. You can use it to soothe stomach issues, indigestion, and nausea.

This oil perks the senses up in your child, and it can cool stressed muscles because of the menthol. [14]

Fortunately, it can also help to clear congestion, headaches that may come with fevers.

This oil has a carminative property to relieve flatulence or abdominal pain in your child. This oil can be an expectorant to get rid of mucus.

Peppermint oil reduces fevers that are more common with the flu. It can come along with colds as well.

5. Lemongrass Oil

For generations, people have used lemongrass oil as a remedy for circulatory issues, headaches, digestive disturbances, behavioral problems, compromised immunity, etc. It was also used as a nervous system sedative and an infection fighter.

This oil is known as fever grass because it can bring down a fever. This specific remedy is even more useful when you combine it with black pepper.

Lemongrass essential oil is an excellent treatment to use on your child with a high fever. This oil has antiseptic, antifungal and many other helpful properties.

Using lemongrass oil in a child with a fever will tone up his/her health and boost the immune system. [15]

6. Eucalyptus Oil

Eucalyptus essential oil has anti-viral and anti-bacterial healing properties. Inhaling the overpowering aroma of this oil helps to loosen phlegm and alleviate congestion that often comes with the common cold, flu or even the more severe conditions such as bronchitis.

Eucalyptus essential oil is usually combined with other oils like peppermint and lavender. When you use it for reducing your child’s fever, mix it with lavender oil and use it as a compress. [16]

Bottom Line

Before you use essential oils on your kid, it is always best to dilute essential oils with vegetable oil. Or it might be too strong for the child.

Keep essential oils out of your children’s reach. If they ever ingest any essential oil, give your child an oil-soluble liquid like milk, cream, or half & half.

Call your local poison control center right after or seek emergency medical attention. Just some drops of pure essential oil shouldn’t be life-threatening for your baby, but for protection, it is best to take these precautions.