Some of the first stories we heard about CBD involved children. The nation was enraptured in the early 2010s when parents flocked to Colorado and saw their terminally epileptic children experience incredible levels of recovery.
Those children, though, had serious illnesses that weren’t receptive to any other treatment. Is it equally appropriate to give CBD to kids for sleep, hyperactivity, or anxiety? Learn the facts about CBD and kids in this guide, from whether it’s legal for kids to take CBD to the best kinds of CBD products for kids to take.
What is CBD?
Cannabidiol (CBD) is a naturally occurring component of the hemp plant. In recent years, breeders have created high-CBD forms of cannabis, resulting in an abundance of this non-psychoactive but highly medicinal cannabinoid.
CBD doesn’t get you high. What it does, on the contrary, is interact with systems in the body that control mood, pain, and inflammation. The main basis behind recommending CBD for children is the cannabinoid’s impressive benefit profile combined with its total lack of intoxicating attributes.
Types of CBD
It’s possible to extract CBD from the hemp plant and further refine it in a variety of ways. Here are a few of the options that are available when it comes to CBD extract types currently on the market:
Full Spectrum
The original form of CBD extract, full-spectrum CBD contains up to 0.3% THC, making it unsuitable for children. Even at these low levels, it’s possible that THC might have a deleterious effect on childhood development.
Broad Spectrum
Broad-spectrum CBD was developed as an alternative to full-spectrum extracts. It retains the full medley of cannabinoids and terpenes that combine with CBD to offer the entourage effect, but THC is entirely eliminated from the equation. That’s why broad-spectrum is generally considered the best CBD for children.
CBD Isolate
Before broad-spectrum CBD came CBD isolate, which consists solely of the CBD molecule. Any opportunities for entourage effect synergy are lost, diminishing the benefits of taking CBD. For the most part, CBD isolate has been phased out in preference to broad-spectrum CBD.
What are the Benefits of CBD for Kids?
There’s plenty of evidence that CBD might help kids (and also their parents!) with a variety of different mood-related and medical issues that can crop up over the years. Here’s why scientists believe CBD might help kids with sleep, anxiety, and other common problems:
Sleep
Scientific inquiries into using CBD for sleep have had mixed results with scientists left pondering why so many anecdotal reports indicate that CBD helps with getting better sleep at night. At least one large, clinical study confirms these findings, linking CBD’s apparent ability to help with sleep with its impact on anxiety.
Anxiety
Rates of anxiety in kids have skyrocketed post-lockdown, leading parents to seek solutions that won’t further harm their precious children. There’s plenty of reason to believe that CBD should be taken seriously as a treatment for anxiety disorders, with scientific literature dating back to 2015 supporting further research into the subject.
ADHD
Though it’s a comparatively new subject of inquiry, research is mounting that indicates CBD should be looked at as a potential attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) treatment for children. Clinical trials remain lacking, but a series of case studies published in 2022 strongly indicates that CBD treatment might strikingly improve scores on commonly used ADHD tests.
Autism
The full details of the pathogenesis and even the scope of the condition known as autism spectrum disorder (ASD) continue to be debated in the halls of psychopharmacology. What parents with children who have been diagnosed as autistic have found, though, is that CBD sometimes provides a feeling of calm that is otherwise very hard to come by.
Pain
We may try to shelter our children, but we’ll all experience pain — whether it’s acute or chronic pain — at some point in life. From scrapes and bruises to chronic conditions, CBD might be able to help with all sorts of pain due to its effects on both the TRP and 5HT neuroreceptor families.
Epilepsy
It can be easy to forget after so much time has passed, but the CBD movement was originally founded upon the efforts of loving parents to provide CBD hemp treatment to their epileptic children. Studies continue to be published every year regarding the beneficial effects CBD may have against epilepsy in both children and adults.
Is CBD Safe for Kids?
There isn’t much published research regarding the safety of kids taking CBD. In adults, doses of up to 1,500mg CBD per day have been shown to be well-tolerated, but it’s unclear how the safety parameters of CBD might change (if at all) when children take the cannabinoid.
What we do know about childhood development might give any parent pause if they’re considering giving their child CBD for any but the most important reasons. The brains and bodies of children grow best when uninterrupted by any drugs or medical interventions. Even as an extremely mild cannabinoid, there’s no knowing how taking CBD might affect a child’s development — for better or for worse.
With all that said, it’s very unlikely for there to be any harmful impact from giving a child a small dose of CBD every now and again. Just consider your choices a bit more deeply if you’re thinking of giving your kid high doses of CBD every day.
Is It Legal to Give Your Child CBD?
There are no federal laws that would prohibit a parent giving CBD to their child. There is no federal age limit on CBD, after all, and CBD is considered legal from the federal perspective. Certain states and municipalities might disagree, but you have parental rights as an American citizen. Those rights include deciding what is best for your children. If you consider all the facts and decide that giving your child CBD might be a good idea, no governmental authority has the legal right to stop you.
What to Look for When Buying CBD for Your Child
Practice the same level of discernment when choosing the right CBD product for your kid as you did when you were deciding whether CBD was right for your children in the first place:
Buy Broad Spectrum CBD for Kids
For adults, using THC can be a responsible choice. For kids, however, ingesting THC is never appropriate in any concentration. That’s why thoughtful parents choose broad-spectrum CBD products, which offer all the same benefits as full-spectrum CBD but without any THC whatsoever.
Third-Party Lab Reports
Learning how to find and read third-party lab reports is an important skill to gain on your CBD journey. Thorough lab reports can tell you everything you need to know about a particular CBD product, from whether it contains any THC to concentrations of residual solvents and pesticides.
Brand Reputation
In the modern age of internet transparency, it’s easy to learn all there is to know about a CBD company — even what they don’t want you to know. Third-party sites like Trustpilot can help you get to know a CBD company before you buy their products.
Colorado Botanicals has a 5-star average on Trustpilot across more than 270 reviews. As one of the only CBD companies to offer THC-free CBD since launching in 2018, Colorado Botanicals has been featured in Forbes and Observer and offers CBD products that are not only contaminant-free but also organic, non-GMO, and always gluten-free.
What Is the Best CBD for Kids?
Broad-spectrum is best for kids, and Colorado Botanicals offers the best broad-spectrum CBD you can buy online. As you plot a course toward better health for your child, we’d recommend considering our 300mg Broad Spectrum CBD Oil and our 750mg Broad Spectrum CBD Oil.
What Are the Best CBD Gummies for Kids?
Especially when choosing gummies for your children, it’s important to steer clear of unnecessary sweeteners and dangerous additives. Free of all artificial flavors and colors and subjecting to the same testing as our other products, Colorado Botanicals Broad Spectrum CBD Gummies are an ideal choice for children.
FAQs About CBD and Children
What are the benefits of CBD for children?
Just like adults, children can benefit from the relaxing and soothing properties of CBD. Many parents report that CBD helps their children with anxiety, sleep, and ADHD.
Do I need a prescription for CBD for my child?
No, it is not necessary to receive a prescription to buy CBD for your child. This is only required in the case of Epidiolex, a synthesized form of CBD sold as a pharmaceutical drug.
Buying CBD on the internet does not require any licensing or authorization whatsoever. Most CBD companies ask that their customers be at least 18 years old, however.
Can my child take CBD with other medications?
Ask your doctor if CBD will interfere with any medications your child is already taking. Certain medications, including those that come with “grapefruit warnings,” can interfere with CBD. View our full CBD drug interactions list for details.
How much CBD should I give my child?
There is no official established dose for pediatric CBD. Most parents start with a small dose of 5-10mg CBD and move upward from there if their children need it.
What should I do if my child experiences side effects from CBD?
If your child shows any signs of side effects after using CBD, stop using any CBD products you have already tried, and contact your doctor. Only try CBD again after you’ve firmly established that no allergies or other dangerous conditions are present.
Final Word: Should Kids Take CBD?
In the initial flurry of unproven medical claims and baseless cannabis stigma, it was easy to forget both that CBD isn’t “medical cannabis” and that it isn’t officially approved to treat children, either. Rather, CBD exists in a middle ground, leaving it up to parents to decide whether the cannabinoid is right for their kids.
Regardless of what the Food and Drug Administration said on the matter, parents felt CBD had the power to combat anxiety, ADHD, and even epilepsy in their children. The thriving CBD industry we have today exists largely due to their efforts. Do your part in carrying the CBD industry forward into the future by selecting only the best broad-spectrum CBD for your kids — and yourself!
