The mere scent of lavender is meant to make us all want to drift off into a blissful snooze.
Which is why, we guess, dozens upon dozens of products marketed towards babies and children are scented with the stuff. Sleep deprived and desperate parents across the globe, all furiously bathing their offspring in lavender scented bath wash, or diffusing lavender oil so that the scent spreads through the house, looking for someone to put to sleep.
Which is all well and good (I mean; it does smell nice, doesn’t it?) until you hear about how this 14-month-old baby girl from Australia developed breasts after her parents had slathered her in lavender scented baby products day in and day out.
Doctors at the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne were stunned when they first saw the infant with 3cm of breast tissue growing on her chest and had never seen anything like it before.
The little girl’s parents were equally stunned by the development, as their daughter had been carried to term and did not exhibit any other warning signs of premature maturity, which can include growth acceleration, acne, pubic hair or vaginal bleeding. In medical terms, she was completely healthy.
It was only after they had caught a documentary on the link between lavender oil and developing breasts that the young child’s parents informed doctors of how they had used multiple products containing lavender on their daughter. According to the Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health the toddler’s daily exposure to the sweet smelling oil included lavender wipes, lavender shampoo, lavender body wash, lavender moisturising cream and lavender skin soothing lotion.
Upon investigation, it turns out that a 2007 study looked at three cases of baby boys developing breasts and link the cause to the use of lavender products, and doctors are now warning parents of the overuse of these.
Since the discovery, the parents have stopped using lavender, and the little girl’s breasts have receded.
Wow, this one surprised us. Did YOU use lavender scented products on your little ones? Join the conversation with us on Twitter at @Herfamilydotie
