Mosquito Bites and toddler - Page 2

[mama_daba]

if the bites happen at night while you sleep then mosquito netting may help. we have it around our bed and get a lot less bites now. there are ponds near us not on our property though.

[friendlymamma]

Originally Posted by geekmoma

Just a word of caution: insect repellent containing DEET is probably not something you want to use on your young child every day. There are some disturbing reports on the possible effect of this substance: not very pretty to look at. I'm surprised that none has pointed it out yet.

Personally I still use it occasionally because my DDs and I react very badly on mosquito bites. But I choose one with a small percentage of DEET and only put a small amount on them, preferably on their clothing, when absolutely necessary. Citronella works, but not as efficient and doesn't last as long. But I'd say it's safer for daily usage.

So it's up to you to judge

I had no idea about DEET. I'm going to go do some research right now Now I'm thinking, though, what should I use? The DEET works so well! I guess I'll go back to the drawing board, and try and find some of those more natural products. Thanks for the warning.

[nlkojak]

I am not sure if you are still monitoring this and I also don't know how old your little one is.

No one really seemed to respond to how to make them feel better yet. So I will share what we have tried. My son reacts horribly to mosquito bites and they apparently think he is really tasty. We use the skin sensations bug spray every time we go out, which doesn't bother his really sensitive skin. I have talked to his doctor about his swelling when he does get a bite and putting hydrocortizone cream on it right away really helps keep them from getting too big. (But check with your doc first because you don't want to give it too them if they are too small, it has something to do with their weight.) We also give him oatmeal baths (Aveeno) or dabbed on a paste of baking soda and water, which has really helped him not feel so itchy. This weekend we went to a lake that was infested my little guy got bit so many times (with tons of deet on, mind you) that he looks like he has hives and his doc told me to give him some benadryl, which gave him so much relief!

Some recommendations for too keep them out of your house, is spraying pesticide. Walmart carries a line that is safe for pets. Spray your entire patio (which will help with the fleas as well) and with your windows closed spray your screens from the outside. It sounds like you guys are infested this year. Also have lots of fans. They have a hard time landing on you in the wind.
 

Moving up north won't help! I live in Montana and we have them something terrible this year too! Good luck to you!

[dejagerw]

You can put breast milk on the bite site. It should help with itch and help it to heal.
 

[~Adorkable~]

i know this is old, but i wanted to put out that that while i find most of the natual bug sprays to really not work nearly at all, i have fallen in love with ones that are lemon eucalyptus. the one i buy is a Repel brand. the military paid for a huge study to find an alternitive to DEET, whath they found what tons of things work, just not for very long. citronella was rated at 30 min, so you need to reaply it that often, ugh. DEET can be rated for 6-8 hurs depending on the aplication, but it is stong stuff and hurts a lot of fabrics too.

Lemon Eucalypus (its not a combo, its a special species of the tree) was rated at 4 hours, the highest of the "non toxic" category. i started using it when preggo and found it to work as good as my DEET stuff in nearly every case, and i go camping in mosquito hell.

just wanted to share.

[newmamalizzy]

Originally Posted by ~Adorkable~ 

i know this is old, but i wanted to put out that that while i find most of the natual bug sprays to really not work nearly at all, i have fallen in love with ones that are lemon eucalyptus. the one i buy is a Repel brand. the military paid for a huge study to find an alternitive to DEET, whath they found what tons of things work, just not for very long. citronella was rated at 30 min, so you need to reaply it that often, ugh. DEET can be rated for 6-8 hurs depending on the aplication, but it is stong stuff and hurts a lot of fabrics too.

Lemon Eucalypus (its not a combo, its a special species of the tree) was rated at 4 hours, the highest of the "non toxic" category. i started using it when preggo and found it to work as good as my DEET stuff in nearly every case, and i go camping in mosquito hell.

just wanted to share.

Can you find it in a regular store?  Good bug stuff is on my list of stuff to buy for our camping trip this week...

[~Adorkable~]

i found it at REI, i also found a slightly weaker version by Cutter 30% vs 40% at Target