Mosquito repellents safe for pregnancy?

[Family4Christ]

I'm not comfortable with deet. I've heard of skin so soft and Burts Bees makes one, but via the reviews, neither seem to be very effective.

So, what to use?

[SunChild]

my rule: if its not safe to swallow, it doesn't go on my skin. are you outdoors a lot? Orange oil does the trick. Try putting in a whiffer. zestladyaromapendants.com

[somegirl99]

Subscribing...the one or two stray mosquitoes that seem to get in our house at night just seem to love eating from my belly.

[fancyoats]

i am a mosquito magnet, even when not pregnant, but much worse when i am, so i feel you.

i have heard that lemon balm can be effective if you crush a few leaves and rub it on your skin. or scented geraniums, used in the same way. if you have either of those in your garden, or can find a source for them, it's worth a shot!

[is it puppies?]

http://shop.mercola.com/Personal_Car...ttle-P971.aspx

I used this last year and I thought it was great. I believe that it's all natural. It also smelled great.

[bananabee]

I bought some All Terrain Natural "Herbal Armor" insect repellent spray. It smells like citronella. I've only used it once so far, but so far, so good. It's supposed to be water & sweat resistant. I found this on https://wholesale.frontiercoop.com/ where a large group of us order as a coop. I'm sure you could find it in a natural or whole foods store.

[CorasMama]

I actually have great luck with Burt's Bees.

[RedOakMomma]

I use Burt's Bees and All Terrain Natuarl Herbal Armor. They work well in normal circumstances.

In areas with tons of skeeters, though, you might want to consider putting some DEET-containing spray on your clothes, shoes, and other items that won't touch your skin. I only suggest it for the WORST of mosquito areas, though...it's a personal preference, but I'd rather have a light coat of DEET-containing spray on my clothes than be eaten alive by mosquitos.

Better, though, to avoid those areas if possible, and stick with the natural sprays.

[texasfarmom]

I have also heard that you can use a fabric softener sheet to rub on exposed skin and then tuck it in a pocket to carry it with you. I have no idea how well this works, but you can give a shot.

[Tori19]

Bite Blocker is an all natural repellent that my dd's old ped. told us was the only naturally derived repellent on the market that was clinically proven to work. The active ingredient is soybean oil and there are few other plant oils in it. It has a strong, herbal odor to it. We live right next to marsh so are attacked by mosquitos every summer. So far, the buggies don't seem to like the Bite Blocker...!

[lunarlady]

Off! makes a great product that contains DEET and a small fan. You clip it to yourself (supposed to be the belt, but with the baby belly I'm thinking shirt strap or something). It actually works very well and keeps the bugs away. I've tried all the natural stuff, and really it only works when the mosquitos are light. When they are heavy, I put a little DEET on the brim of my hat, clip on one of those little devices, and off I go. I also clip on on DD carrier or stroller if the bugs are bad, and it works well for her too.

FYI the Skin So Soft stuff we have has DEET in it, but at a low concentration.

[BarnMomma]

Get some lavender, clove, eucalyptus, and lemon essential oils. Mix 50 drops each in a small spray bottle with some water or witch hazel and spray. You'll smell lovely and ticks hate this mix too. I even use it on my horses.

[Family4Christ]

Thanks so much, ladies! I had no idea there were so many natural options! Yea, I may get outside yet!

[PreggieUBA2C]

Last year we tried a completely natural essential oil repellant mixture in a spray made locally. We used it once and it stripped our mucus membranes so that none of us could taste or smell for 2 weeks. We held our breaths when we sprayed it on and I was careful to spray clothing areas and not face or head at all, but it still happened. Once our taste and smell returned, I had to store even the bottle outside because it was so potent. We asked the people at the store and they said that they'd never heard of that happening before. I can't even go near the shelf in the store now.

Anyway, I had to come up with something on my own, so since yarrow is abundant here, I steeped a bunch of it in just enough hot water to cover and then sprayed it on us. I watched as mosquitoes attempted landings on my skin and immediately were repelled- same thing with our dc and dp. My steeping was not strong enough though because this went on at a rate of 100% repelled for 20 minutes and then mosquitoes began landing here and there, staying for a taste.

This year, they are back already (!) and none of us has been poked even once. We have been eating coconut oil everyday and though our ds3 and ds4 whose skin is very fair and who are especially prone to being poked by the critters has not been even once. They have been nearly landing and then flying away immediately.

I have not been able to find much on coconut oil as a repellent and I think it is possible that this may have to do with our location and the mosquito species we have here since the ones that are out now are obviously northern and not accustomed to coconut at all.

We'll see if this keeps up and if it is effective against the other few species of mosquitoes that live up here when they are out later on in the summer.

If you have black flies and don't mind (or really enjoy as we do) licorice (root, tea, or candy as long as it has the real extract in it), black flies really stay away, regardless of pregnancy and increased blood volume. Licorice isn't usually recommended during pg, but I have taken it as a tea for low blood pressure with success. And the bonus was not being bitten by black flies too!

[PreggieUBA2C]

Originally Posted by BarnMomma

Get some lavender, clove, eucalyptus, and lemon essential oils. Mix 50 drops each in a small spray bottle with some water or witch hazel and spray. You'll smell lovely and ticks hate this mix too. I even use it on my horses.

I may try this one; I haven't reacted to those oils individually, so they may be a suitable repellent for me. Thanks!

[blueeyes]

In the past we've used Burts Bees & it worked great, but the smell can be strong. The past 2 yrs I started spraying the California Baby hair detangler on our exposed skin & it has helped. We're not completely bite free, and have to respray it often, but it's safe and doesn't smell bad, not to mention it's good for the hair too - it's intended purpose. I think they've come out with a bug repellent now so I will be checking that out as soon as I find it in the store.