John and Helen During, parents of Alastair (8 years) and Andrew (5 years), [and founders of the AromaKids brand of aromatherapy and massage oils for children] feel strongly that the touch of a parent's hand and the sound of their voice is enough stimulation for a young baby. A cheap, natural and nurturing alternative to expensive toys!-from Aromakids.com
If you're wondering which ones are Alastair and Andrew, they're the ones with playground sand stuck to their oily little bodies, staring forlornly at your kid's Tonka truck.
While it's tempting to bust on the idea of aromatherapy for anyone, I'll hold off for two reasons: 1) we just got some oil of clove to treat the kid's teething pain, and 2) AromaKids donates a portion of their profits to an HIV orphanage in South Africa, and the Durings assist the nuns in administering daily massages to the suffering children. Net net, I'd rather miss an easy laugh or two than end up burning in hell for all eternity.
So if your child is suffering from a lack of age-appropriate aromatherapy products, including Bunged-up Bertie's Gel with Eucalyptus and Tea Tree Oil (for speedy relief of decongestion), you need look no further than AromaKids. While US distribution is rather spotty, check with the UK distributor, hippychick.
Must. resist. cheapest. punchline. in. world...
Seems to me the obvious solution is to just send, say, $5.00 directly to the orphanage, and then you'll be morally free to bash aromatherapy however you please. Tempting, huh?
I don't get it. You seem to do your fair share of research, so why the dis on aromatherapy? Plenty of places out there will tell you it works great (hell, I've even noticed it), but are there ones that specifically tell you it's a bunch of horseshite? With proof? Not to get on a rant here (too late?), but you'll find places telling you children's Benadryl is the devil, but you seem to brush that off quite nicely. Hrumph...
No problem, rant away. Even as we resist using it, your theory might explain why Benadryl's so enticing. And just because I bust on something doesn't mean I'm not complicit. I added the point above about clove, and I'd buy a gallon right now if I felt I could count on lavender oil to bliss my kid out during a 14-hr flight.
I'm sure there's no harm in aromatherapy, and if people find it works, awesome. But seriously, bragging about substituting massage oil for toys? The main int'l distributor is a site called hippychick? I think someone's (over)playing to type here.
Point well taken ;-)