With so many people using CBD to manage their health conditions these days, it’s only natural that people are wondering if it’s safe to give to their children too.
It’s safe to give CBD gummies to children, but there are a few things to keep in mind.
These include the circumstances under which you’re using CBD, the dosage, and the type of CBD products you choose.
Always speak with your child’s doctor before administering CBD — especially if they’re using any other medications or have underlying health issues.
With that aside, let’s explore how people are using CBD with their children.
Is It Safe for a Child to Take CBD Gummies?
As long as the CBD product you’re using contains less than 0.3% THC, it’s legal under federal law and won’t produce any intoxicating effects — even in children.
Some types of CBD products, such as alcohol-based tinctures, concentrates, capsules, and vapes, are not suitable for children to use.
Best CBD Gummies For Kids (Top Brand Reviews of 2022)
- Royal CBD — Best CBD Gummies Overall
- Gold Bee — Best Organic CBD Gummies
- Hemp Bombs — Best CBD Isolate Gummies
1. Royal CBD – Best CBD Gummies Overall
Pros:
- Non-GMO hemp
- CO2 extraction
- THC-free
- Low sugar
- 10 or 25 mg of CBD per gummy
- Lab-tested for quality
Cons:
- No entourage effect from other cannabinoids
Why we recommend Royal CBD gummies for children:
Royal CBD is one of our favorite companies due to their high-quality standards. The brand offers a broad range of CBD in different formats, including the tantalizing CBD gummies that are second to none when it comes to taste. Royal CBD gummies taste like those juicy gummy bears from childhood. But unlike the regular gummies, these are made with organic ingredients and only contain 4 grams of sugar per serving. It’s not such a guilty treat considering what our children are fed with nowadays.
Royal CBD offers two strengths of its gummies: 10 mg and 25 mg of CBD, making the product suitable for both smaller and larger children alike. Both versions are vegan and free of preservatives and flavor boosters. The reason why Royal CBD scores second place in this ranking is that some of the flavorings are artificial. Other than that, it’s a great, healthy way to smuggle some CBD into your children’s routine.
2. Gold Bee CBD – Best Organic CBD Gummies
Pros:
- 100% organic product
- Broad-spectrum CBD
- 25 mg of CBD per gummy
- Natural flavors and colorings
- Vegan & gluten-free
- Lab-tested for quality
Cons:
- Only one strength available
- No single-flavor options
Why Gold Bee offers the best CBD gummies for children:
When you give sweets to your children, you probably want their treats to be as natural as possible, without synthetic additives, preservatives, and flavorings. Gold Bee makes all-organic CBD gummies infused with a broad-spectrum extract, which carries all the non-psychoactive cannabinoids and terpenes, but without any THC inside.
Each gummy comes with 25 mg of CBD, making a little go a long way with your kids. Since this is a broad-spectrum extract, it evokes some of the entourage effect. As a result, these gummies are more beneficial for children than their isolate-based counterparts. The CBD extract has been made using supercritical CO2 and filtered from the chlorophyll and plant waxes to make sure the gummies won’t leave a hempy aftertaste when swallowed.
Gold Bee CBD gummies are also low-calorie and don’t contain as much sugar as some of the other gummies available out there. There are 17 grams of carbohydrates per serving and only 1 gram of sugar. The product is also vegan and gluten-free, so it’s a healthier alternative to gummies that use wheat and gelatin.
The company ensures its CBD gummies are safe for children; they come with batch-specific certificates of analysis to prove their potency and purity.
3. Hemp Bombs CBD – Best CBD Isolate Gummies
Pros:
- Organic hemp
- THC-free
- Up to 30 mg of CBD in a single serving
- Available in 3 different formulas
- Infused with melatonin for sleep
- 100 gummies per jar
Cons:
- Made with CBD isolate (no entourage effect)
- Not vegan
Why we recommend Hemp Bombs CBD gummies for children
Hemp Bombs is a true CBD powerhouse that offers a wide range of potencies, flavors, and formulations. The Hemp Bombs CBD gummies are available in three versions: Original, High Potency, and Sleep. The original gummies contain 15 mg of CBD per serving; the high-potency option packs 30 mg of CBD per gummy; the sleep version has been infused with melatonin to promote healthy sleep cycles.
The gummies are made from CBD isolate. On the one hand, this is good for children (and their parents) because they don’t contain any THC. On the other hand, isolate-based products don’t provide the entourage effect, which makes them a less desired format among consumers.
Hemp Bombs offers the largest number of gummies per jar, packing 100 sweet-and-sour cubes inside. The CBD extract in the gummies comes from organic hemp and has been extracted with CO2 to ensure maximum purity. This is also a great product for flavor chasers and fussy children, as there are four flavors in the jar: Green Apple, Berry, Blue Raspberry, and Lime.
Both the CBD content and the purity of these gummies are proven with batch-specific reports from an independent laboratory.
Why Parents Are Using CBD Gummies With Their Children
CBD has many health benefits. While more research is needed in this area, there’s an increasing number of studies that support the use of CBD for a variety of health conditions often experienced by adults and children alike.
CBD is used to alleviate symptoms of various conditions that affect children as well as adults, including:
- Epilepsy
- Anxiety
- Chronic pain
- Nausea
- Insomnia
- Inflammation
- Autoimmune conditions
Is It Legal to Give CBD to Children?
Although restrictions vary according to state law in the US, federal law stipulates that any CBD product with a THC content of over 0.3% is illegal (this also applies to many other parts of the world).
CBD derived from industrial hemp will never contain more than 0.3% THC, so it’s completely legal to buy, possess, and use. It’s technically legal to give it to children, but there are some blurred lines here. You should only give your children CBD if they’ve received direct approval from their pediatrician.
CBD derived from marijuana — which is legal for both medical and recreational use in some US states — could contain much higher THC levels and is illegal under federal law. It’s also illegal to give to children — even in states where marijuana is legal. The only exceptions here are very rare cases in which a doctor may recommend marijuana for children with rare forms of epilepsy [1].
Will CBD Gummies Make Children High?
This is one of the most important questions parents ask before giving their child CBD — and for a good reason. The answer is “no, CBD will not make children high.”
CBD does have some cognitive effects — such as feelings of relaxation and sedation. It can even be used to treat anxiety-related disorders directly. However, while THC binds directly to the brain’s endocannabinoid receptors, CBD does not, so the result is entirely different from the feeling of being “high.”
Always double-check the THC content on the CBD oil you plan to use with your child to make sure it’s within the legal limit (0.3% or less). If you’re unsure, make sure to ask someone from the company to confirm. This step is essential.
What Are the Best CBD Products for Children?
CBD Gummies for Children
CBD-infused gummies are usually the preferred way to give CBD to children. They’re very much like the gummy vitamins commonly given to children as supplements.
Gummies make it easy to provide precise and consistent doses of CBD in a format they’re unlikely to turn their nose up at. Most people buy gummies that contain a total of 5 mg or 10 mg of CBD, then cut them into smaller pieces if necessary.
Ensure that doses are supervised and the gummies are stored away in a safe, out-of-reach place (although that goes for all supplements and medicines too).
However, there are other ways of consuming CBD to consider as well:
CBD Oils For Children
CBD oils — the most common form of CBD — are also good to give to children, as they can be easily mixed with juice or a smoothie to disguise the flavor (which can be quite bitter-tasting and “herby”).
It’s best to choose a CBD oil at the lower end of the potency range (for example, 500 mg or less). It will come in an easy-to-use bottle with a dropper top, which means you can easily measure specific doses depending on your child’s weight.
CBD Topicals For Children
This is by far the best option for any skin-related ailment, as well as sore muscles and joints. As the CBD reacts with the endocannabinoid receptors in the skin and only trace amounts end up entering the bloodstream, you don’t need to worry as much about specific doses.
This means that topicals are generally the safest way of giving CBD to children, but it’s still important to test any new skin product on a small area of the body first in case of any allergic reactions.
Lastly, companies now sell an array of creams, lotions, and salves containing CBD mixed with other beneficial ingredients, such as essential oils.
CBD Syrups For Children
Although they’re not as common as some of the other forms of CBD, syrups provide another good way to give CBD to children. They make it easy to disguise the flavor of CBD and mix it with sweet smoothies or drinks.
The downside of CBD syrup is the high sugar content — so use these products sparingly.
CBD Suppositories For Children
These are only necessary for a few conditions, such as managing inflammatory pain in the digestive tract or if CBD can’t be consumed orally. These products deliver the CBD directly to the lower digestive tract, making them ideal for recovering after hookworms or inflammatory bowel disease.
Using CBD this way is bound to be a fairly unpleasant experience for a child, so it’s best to only use suppositories when specifically recommended by your healthcare provider.
What CBD Products Should Not Be Given to Children?
Some forms of CBD should not be given to children:
1. Alcohol-based Tinctures (Avoid)
Most CBD tinctures are alcohol-based, so they’re not appropriate for children.
Bear in mind that some CBD companies label their oils as tinctures, so it’s worth double-checking the ingredients list to confirm. Any products that are made with alcohol should not be used with children.
Look for ingredients like hemp seed oil, MCT oil, olive oil, or coconut oil instead.
2. Concentrates (Avoid)
Concentrated CBD is extremely potent. This makes it inappropriate for use with children (unless under medical supervision).
Even small amounts of CBD concentrate will likely be too strong for your child, so we recommend you avoid them altogether.
3. Capsules (Avoid)
Although CBD capsules are popular for adults, they’re not recommended for children – especially those under the age of 8. This goes for most types of pills and capsules. They’re too big for a small child’s airway and can be dangerous and uncomfortable for children to use.
Gummies are a much better option because they can be chewed into smaller pieces before they’re swallowed.
4. Vape Pens (Avoid)
It should go without saying, but children shouldn’t be vaping anything at any time. Vape pens are great, but they’re for adult use only. It’s never appropriate to administer CBD via vaporizer with children.
What’s The Ideal Dosage of CBD Gummies For Children?
Even though CBD has been proven safe and doesn’t bring the risk of overdose or other serious consequences — it’s important to use an appropriate dose.
A child’s dose should be much lower than that of an adult — generally around 2.5 mg to 10 mg. For epilepsy, the dose may be significantly higher [2,3], but always follow the guidance of their pediatrician before giving CBD to your child for epilepsy.
Of course, this depends on the child’s age and weight, as well as the severity of their symptoms. It’s generally recommended that you start at the lower end of the spectrum and increase the dose slightly every day until the desired effects are achieved.
However, if you want to calculate a more specific starting dose for your child, you can use the method below.
Step 1: Determine the Adult Dose
There’s no one-size-fits-all when it comes to dosing, even in adults. There are many variables that can affect the ideal dose — including the size and weight of your child, their individual sensitivity to CBD, and the severity of their symptoms.
With that said, the generally recommended dose ranges from 5 to 40 mg of CBD for adults.
A good starting baseline is 20 mg of CBD. This is typical for the average adult.
Step 2: Calculate the Equivalent Dose for Your Child
There’s a number of formulas that can be used to calculate your child’s dose using their age or weight. We’ve picked what we consider to be the best three depending on your child’s weight:
Salisbury’s Rule #1 (for children under 30 kg)
[weight in kg x 2] = percentage of adult dose to give the childSalisbury’s Rule #2 (for children over 30 kg)
[weight + 30] = percentage of adult dose to give the childStep 3: Determine the Dose for the Specific Product You’ve Chosen
If you’re giving your child CBD gummies, this step is easy, as all you need to do is cut the gummy according to the desired dose.
For example, if you have a 5 mg gummy and need to give 2.5 mg doses, just cut it in half.
When it comes to dosing CBD oils, it’s a little more complicated, but once you see how it works, it’s very easy to do.
Firstly, you need to work out how much CBD is in every mL of oil, as this varies significantly. For example, a 30 mL bottle of 1000 mg of CBD is going to have a lot more CBD per mL than a 30 mL bottle of 300 mg of CBD (33 mg/mL vs. 10 mg/mL, to be exact).
To find this number, divide the total CBD in the bottle by the volume of the bottle in milliliters (1 ounce is 30 mL). This will give you the potency in mg of CBD per ml of oil.
Once you know the potency of the oil you’re using, you can count the mL to get the exact dose.
For example, using the 300 mg bottle of oil (10 mg/mL), a 5 mg dose would require about half an mL of oil (half a dropper).
Final Thoughts: Is CBD Gummies Safe to Give to Kids?
Children benefit from using CBD in all the same ways as adults — and it’s perfectly safe for them to do so, as long as it’s a controlled dose given under adult supervision.
It’s important to bear in mind that children will usually need a much lower dose than adults, so make sure you start low and build up slowly until you start to see signs of improvement.
If they take CBD supplements for a long period of time, you may have to recalculate every few months. Children grow quickly!
Gummies are usually the best form of CBD to give to children. They’re easy to use, most kids accept them happily, and they’re easy to cut into smaller pieces to deliver accurate doses of CBD with every piece.
CBD oils, syrups, or topical CBD products are also excellent options depending on your individual circumstances.
If you’re looking for a quick recommendation for what to use — we recommend you check out the Gold Bee CBD gummies. They have an excellent flavor; they’re made from a gluten-free, vegan-friendly gummy base; and deliver consistent doses of either 10 mg or 20 mg of CBD per piece.
References Cited In This Article
- Crippa, J. A., Crippa, A., Hallak, J. E., Martín-Santos, R., & Zuardi, A. W. (2016). Δ9-THC intoxication by cannabidiol-enriched cannabis extract in two children with refractory epilepsy: full remission after switching to purified cannabidiol. Frontiers in Pharmacology, 7, 359.
- Porter, B. E., & Jacobson, C. (2013). Report of a parent survey of cannabidiol-enriched cannabis use in pediatric treatment-resistant epilepsy. Epilepsy & Behavior, 29(3), 574-577.
- McCoy, B., Wang, L., Zak, M., Al‐Mehmadi, S., Kabir, N., Alhadid, K., … & Snead III, O. C. (2018). A prospective open‐label trial of a CBD/THC cannabis oil in dravet syndrome. Annals of clinical and translational neurology, 5(9), 1077-1088.