Supporting Your Child’s Sleep

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** A guest post by Amber, a personal friend of Nicole’s

Do children ever stop?

I mean… that time of night… every night… it starts. Finish dinner… relax as a family… brush teeth… potty… pajamas… and BAM

“I don’t have to go sleep in my bed!!!” between sobs and massive tears streaming.

Bedtime routine never seems to fail… one or all of you end up upset in a saga that never seems to end.

I can’t be the only one with a boy who refuses to sleep. The constant rushing around all day long, you would think they would be ready to pass out at the first sign of sunset (or pillow)…

Not so much.

Well, hello, 2am. We meet again.

Sound familiar?

There is something about bed time and falling asleep that feels like running an iron-man triathlon. Until we started using essential oils.

Why Essential Oils?

• They are affordable and have profound effects
• We wanted to try something truly natural
• We wanted something we could use everyday, without worry
• We hoped to find something that would actually help our boy sleep better, for longer
• We were looking for something more cost-effective
• We wanted something we could easily travel with

So we started on our essential oils journey, not expecting much to change. I was honestly cynical and continually tried to convince myself that this sleepless, stressful life is what my family was just destined for. Nothing was working. Nothing was changing. Our doctors scoffed at the thought of incorporating natural solutions. But I saw some massive changes in a friend who embraced the natural, nontoxic lifestyle, which gave me a glimmer of hope. It gave me some serious insight, and in a night of serious desperation needing sleep, I thought we’d give it a try.

I’m so glad to have taken that leap of faith!

For the first time in what felt like forever, my little boy actually went to bed at a decent time. No fussing. No fighting. No wild craziness. Just snuggle up in bed to go to sleep.
For the first time in what felt like forever, my little boy slept through the night, in his own bed!
(If you have a strong-willed child, I’m sure you can relate to my relief, my tears, and my shock.)
Could this seriously be real? Is it really this easy? How is it possible to have something work so well be scoffed at by our doctors? ​

I was expecting some complicated, involved process. But nope. We dripped a few drops of essential oil into the diffuser, turned it on, and bam. Everyone (including me) calmed down. My son got ready for bed, laid down, and went to sleep. Its 9:30 pm and he is asleep!!! Seriously???? Hell yes to being able to actually spend an hour of QUALITY time with my husband!! Do ya’ll sense my immense ​excitement over this???

So, what happened the second night?

Oh my Good Lord, it happened again. My son. Happily. Went. To. Bed.

It really was just that simple. It really was just that easy. Drip a few drops of this oil into a diffuser, fill the rest with water, turn it on, and hello sleepytime.

So, naturally, I added a diffuser to my bedroom too. You guys!!! This calming sleepy blend works on exhausted mamas (and daddys) too! I don’t remember the last time I was able to sleep through the night, or wake up feeling refreshed. No pill popping Ambian hangover here!

Essential Oils for Sleep

Not saying essential oils will absolutely be life-changing for you… but they definitely were for my family, and I am so thankful for it. If you’ve tried everything else and were disappointed in your experience, like we were, then I definitely encourage you to take the chance and see if these little bottles of awesome are right for you.

** PLEASE NOTE ** Don’t be fooled by clever marketing. Not all essential oils are created equally. Don’t miss my complete guide on how to find quality pure essential oils to ensure you’re not wasting your money on brands that legally conduct misleading, unethical, and deceitful marketing practices.

DIY Essential Oil Blends:​

Taking the DIY approach to mixing your own essential oil blends can be a bit time-consuming at first, but definitely worth it. This Peaceful Child blend, for example, is invaluable to us! – if you triple the recipe, you can add it to a 5ml bottle (without the carrier oil) and use it for the diffuser too – or drip it into a homemade lotion for a lovely, relaxing cream or lotion.

The Peaceful Child Essential Oil Blend

• 8 drops vetiver
• 3 drops lavender
• 3 drops ylang ylang
• 2 drops frankincense
• 2 drops clary sage
• 1 drop marjoram

Drip your oil drops into a clean, empty 15ml essential oil bottle (preferably a dark one). Fill the rest of the way with your favorite carrier oil. Top with a dropper or roller top.

A carrier oil can be any cold-pressed, seed-based oil (ideally organic and unrefined). This includes most cooking oil, like coconut oil, avocado oil, and olive oils. Personally, we LOVE using fractionated coconut oil, sweet almond oil, jojoba oil, and grapeseed oil. This is the best way to dilute your essential oils for topical use.

Sleep Better Than A Baby DIY Essential Oil Blend

​And this “Sleep Better Than A Baby” essential oil DIY blend is one we definitely cannot manage without! This right here is the blend that made me spin my wheels all night long, wondering when my little boy was going to come tumbling down the stairs in an “I don’t want to sleep” rage, or at least climb in bed with me to completely take over any sleeping space I was awkwardly comfortable in.

But that didn’t happen. He soundly slept all night long. The next night, it happened again. Only the second night, I allowed myself to accept that he might actually sleep in his own bed again. I was curious and applied the blend to myself too and quickly drifted off. I slept better than a baby. I slept through the night, worry free.

• 10 drops lavender essential oil
• 10 drops At Peace Essential Oil Blend

Drip your oils into a clean, empty 15ml bottle. Fill the rest of the bottle with your favorite carrier oil, and top with a dropper or roller top.
OR
Add to 1/2 cup of unrefined coconut oil, and blend until fluffy to make a cream. Store in a glass jar. To use… massage over your back and feet before bed.

I SLEPT THROUGH THE NIGHT

I’m sure if you know exactly how big of a deal that is. Sleeping through the night without staying up worrying about when the boy was going to join me or have a late night energy burst or tantrum.

It. Was. Incredible. This mama’s prayers have been answered.

And it really was that simple. It was as simple as adding a few drops of oil to a “carrier oil” (which dilutes the oils… like coconut oil, sweet almond oil, jojoba oil… etc… any seed based oil) into a jar or bottle with a roller top. It was as simple as a quick back or foot massage. It was as simple as dripping a few drops into the diffuser. And BAM! We ALL enjoyed another peaceful night.

If you decide to diffuse these, I recommend no more than 6 drops of oil total for diffusers in bedrooms. Otherwise it can become too strong. When you’re just starting out, only 3-4 drops are needed, depending on the size of room you have.

Pre-mixed Essential Oil Blends… without the DIY:

​One of my favorite things about where I get my essential oils from is that they have a large amount of essential oil blends already pre-made. Hooray for saving time and saving more sanity!!

My favorite pre-made essential oil blends are:

• At Peace Essentail Oil Blend
• Calming Essential oil Blend
• Tranquility Essential Oil Blend

At Peace is an essential oil blend pre-diluted with fractionated coconut oil. This means you don’t have to dilute this one, though we usually do dilute as normal anyways. At Peace contains Litsea Cubeba, Lime, Mandarin, Grapefruit, Ylang Ylang, Sandalwood, and Tangerine essential oils in a base of 66% Fractionated Coconut Oil. It helps you push through emotional blocks and helps you restore your inner peace during stressful life seasons. We love diffusing At Peace at night during tough times. The next morning always seems to be a bit lighter as I’m ready to take on another day. This is the blend that really helps me to love my life and see the positive things that go on.

Calming is an essential oil blend made of Tangerine, Ylang Ylang, Orange, Blue Tansy, and Patchouli essential oils. It provides a light, fruity, aroma with calming undertones that is amazing with helping you and your family calm down and relax. Calming essential oil blend helps you relax and really does create a deep sense of peace and emotional wellbeing while uplifting your spirit. Maybe that is why it works so well with my boy. Being a caretaker of an autistic child is one thing… I can only imagine what he goes through in his own head. Thankfully, this oil blend works wonders for him!

Tranquility essential oil blend only comes pre-diluted with fractionated coconut oil in a roll-on. Tranquility is a blend of Orange, Tangerine, Patchouli, Lime, Blue Tansy, Ylang Ylang, Lavender, and Citronella essential oils. This blend helps with relaxing and relieving stress. It combats restlessness and seriously decreases jitters.

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About Amber, The Author:

Amber is a stay at home mom of a beautiful 5-year-old girl and 7-year-old autistic boy. She manages all the struggles of being a disabled Navy veteran, wife, and special needs mom with grace and love.

Amber and I met back in 2005 at a Naval Hospital during the very beginning of our journeys to transitioning from serving in the Navy to becoming disabled veterans. I am truly humbled to be her friend and in complete awe of her strength.

Have You Started Using Essential Oils Yet???

A Note From Amber:

If not, you need to! Seriously. I was nervous when I started using essential oils. I understood their quality, but with a family on a tight budget, they seemed to be too expensive. I put in an order anyways because of having felt a big difference a few times using Nicole’s oils stash. I’m so glad I took that dive, and feel that you will too! It was seriously the best investment I’ve ever made! I mean come on… seriously… how much is a good night’s sleep worth to you?? (for both you and your child). For me, it was priceless!

More posts by Amber:

• Boost Your Strong-Willed Child’s Focus
• Support Your Child’s Emotions

Looking for more info about adopting a healthier lifestyle? Check out our online courses or my home business opportunity centered around maximizing your physical and mental health.

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