[verde]

Now that the mosquitoes have arrived I wonder what bug spray anyone is using on their toddlers? My dd came in with lots of skeeter bites on her and I'd like her to be able to play outside and not get eaten. What's safe and/or somewhat nontoxic?

 

[AnyMama]

I use burt's bees, it's mostly citronella

 

[bu's mama]

I can't find the one I use but it's from the local HFS. Dd gets bitten up in a flash & I really hate to use DEET. I'll have to go dig it out since the season is upon us, but iirc it's mostly citronella as well.

 

[CaraNicole]

i've had great luck w/lavender...i think they really hate it! skeeters love my blood and so far LO is the ONLY thing to keep them away from me! HTH

 

[AEZMama]

I put tea tree oil in ds nightly bath and they usually keep away the next day. You could also just put a few drops in water in a little spritz bottle.

 

[bu's mama]

I only found one of them - but both sprays I've used are by the same company - Botanical Solutions. One is a general bug spray - I think that's one with citronella. The other is 'Mosquito Guard' with citric acid .1%; geraniol 15%; peppermint oil .6%; and potassium sorbate .4%.

 

[fortunecookie]

Avon has a new line from Skin So Soft called Bug Guard Plus that is supposed to be family friendly. I haven't bought any yet, but I am planning on it.

 

[nighten]

Quote:

Originally Posted by fortunecookie Avon has a new line from Skin So Soft called Bug Guard Plus that is supposed to be family friendly. I haven't bought any yet, but I am planning on it.

The SSS line has some not so nice chemicals in it (including BHT), and I wouldn't use it on my child.

The repellant line has added chemicals that are linked to various health problems. Here are some of the ingredients in the SSS repellants:

Quote:

ACTIVE INGREDIENTS: ETHYL BUTYLACETYLAMINOPROPIONATE/BUTYLACETYLAMINOPROPIONIC ACID 7.5% OTHER INGREDIENTS: 92.5% ------- 100.0% BACK PACKAGE COPY: ACTIVE SUNSCREEN INGREDIENTS: OCTYL METHOXYCINNAMATE OXYBENZONE OCTYL SALICYLATE OTHER INGREDIENTS: WATER BUTYLENE GLYCOL GLYCERIN PVP/EICOSENE COPOLYMER ALOE BARBADENSIS GEL ISOSTEARIC ACID PROPYLENE GLYCOL MYRISTYL ETHER ACETATE STEARIC ACID BENZYL ALCOHOL CETYL ALCOHOL DEA-OLETH-3 PHOSPHATE DIGLYCOL-CYCLOHEXANEDIMETHANOL-ISOPHTHALATES-SULFOISOPHTHALATES COPOLYMER DIMETHICONE GLYCERYL STEARATE MAGNESIUM ALUMINUM SILICATE TOCOPHERYL ACETATE BARIUM SULFATE FRAGRANCE IMIDAZOLIDINYL UREA XANTHAN GUM DISODIUM EDTA FD&C BLUE NO.1 D&C RED NO.33

----

When the ingredients are all longer than the name and near-impossible to pronounce, I tend to avoid the products.

 

[elizabethrose]

we use burts bees and it works pretty well

 

[ryleeee]

i buy a local, 99.5% natural lotion from the rocky mountain soap company.
click here!

it's a little bit pricey, but totally worth it.
i checked some sprays and they said that they weren't safe for every day use...in my opinion that means they aren't safe at all.

the bottle says safe for children over 2 but i talked to someone at the store i bought it at and they told me it would be safe for my 20 month old.

it is strong smelling but works really well!

 

[Hevyne]

I use melaleuca brand Sol-u-mel It gets tough stains out of ANYTHING including permanent marker and I can also spray it on the kids w/out any worries b/c it is chemical free

If interested pm me

 

[Stinkerbell]

I use good old Cutters or OFF with 7% DEET. Until they can PROVE that it's a hazard, I'm going to stick with what works because persnally, I am more concerned with the skeeter bites than the tiny possibility of DEET related stuff.

 

[Ilovelife]

I love Bite Blocker. http://www.biteblocker.com/intro.html

 

[ecoteat]

Mosquito bites don't seem to bother my daughter too much, so I haven't put anything on her to prevent them. If it's really buggy out, we'll stay inside. Otherwise, I cover her skin as much as I can with pants, socks, and long sleeves. If it looks like a bite is bothering her, I'll put After Bite on it (with eucalyptus oil as an anti-itch).

 

[sal42]

I bought some lemon eucalyptus essential oil (Uncle Harry's, I believe is the brand) and added some of that to almond oil as a base. Was very effective this past weekend at the lake for all of us; I saw lots of mosquitos but haven't found even one bite!

 

[zaner'smama]

I make my own which is a mix of essential oils in a base of jojoba and soybean oil. I use oils like lemon eucalyptus, rose geranium, cedarwood, lemongrass, etc. I also use catnip which has been shown to be something like 10x stronger than deet in preliminary field tests. If you google for essential oils that repel bugs, you'll find that there are many.
~Betsy

 

[LeslieB]

I use Lewey's. It's an oil so we're greasy, but it works pretty well. We're in bug hell right now in NH, and I've been pretty pleased with it.

 

[milky_mama]

I've been using So Long Skeeters. I found out about it here on MDC - it's a small company (no affiliation, I've just bought some of the products). It is a mixture of essential oils. You can find it at www.hugadubdub.com. Seems to work pretty well on DD.

 

[NicoleWisconsin]

I've not used, but also heard Lavendar oil works well...

Anyone have suggestions for ticks?

 

[EnviroBecca]

We use Herbal Armor. Seems to work well against mosquitos.