Generally, quantity and quality are the issues when diffusing around babies. You want a really high quality oil (Young Living fits that bill) and you want to go really low on the number of drops (1 or 2) in an open room. There are some other cautions, mostly with the mint oils when diffusing around babies. There’s a very low percentage affected by the issue caused by the mint oils, but I still avoid them (especially peppermint) for children under 2 years old.
With my own children, my personal preference was single oils only until they were out of the newborn and infant stages. Then I started introducing blends. Again, just a drop or two of oil in an open room. That single oils versus blends of oils idea is just a preference though, based on what I know about oils and how the body processes them. It’s not a “rule,” just a preference.
Some oils are more “gentle” than others too (again this is a preference). I liked to choose the more “gentle” option whenever possible. For example, I chose Dorado Azul for respiratory support rather than Eucalyptus. It’s not that you can’t diffuse a drop of Eucalyptus in an open room with a baby, it’s just that Dorado Azul is a more gentle, yet very effective, option. Lavender and Copaiba were also often at the top of my list as “gentle oils.” The Gentle Babies Book is a great resource on essential oils and children that includes a variety of information for you to understand safety and use.
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