Bug Repellent

Rubbing Bounce dryer sheets on baby's skin works pretty well too.

We were just camping in Southern MN last weekend and the bugs are BAD. Mosquitos are not normally too bad in Southern MN, this was the worst I've ever seen it. I would guess that Northern MN is even worse. The dryer sheets worked well on my friend's babies - but I would definetley bring some OFF with deet in it just in case - the chemicals are less risky than the diseases from the mosquitos right now.

We did have some Off Skintastic stuff with us - no deet - and it didn't work. The mosquitos weren't even phased by it and I have the red welts to prove it!

Hi,
I actually live in Northern MN and I have a six month old little girl. When I was pregnant and now on her I use the botanicals OFF. You still get a couple of bug bites here and there and espically since they are so bad up here right now but it is better then the alternative.

R.,

After reading case studies on DEET, I will never put it on a member of my family again. I purchased citronella candles for when we are on the back deck and lemon eucalyptus oil for us. But there is so much alcohol in it, the label says not to put it on children under the age of 3. If you can find Burt's Bees, it's a good one.

I have also heard good reviews about "Skin So Soft" by Avon.

For my other babies, I didn't spray their skin, but I did spray their carseat, bouncy seat or whatever they were in (before they got in it.)

Good luck,
S.

My doctor just advised that we use something with 20% deet or less.

We've tried the product Herbal Armor, it is all natural-no deet and have had great success with it. They have a kids version too. You will smell like citronella but it works. We bought it at Whole Foods. I'm sure if you go to Whole Foods or a similar health food store you will find something. Just be sure to not put whatever you use on his hands since babies tend to suck their hands and fingers. Good luck!

we have a 'burts bees' repellent that is natural... hasn't irritated our 2 year old skin and i like the fact it's not all chemicals. good luck!

I love Green Ban and its safe to use for little ones and smells so good. REI used to sell it.

I would strongly recommend Bug Mace- it is deet-free and 100% natural- it is a crazy combination of natural oils that repels insects and ticks. It is also said to be far more effective than deet. You can read all about it and purchase it at bugmace.com. It is a bit more expensive than some of the others, but well worth it. I would not risk putting deet on or anywhere near my babies. Good luck!

All very good answers that have been given, but I didn't see anyone suggest using pure vanilla extract. Just dab a little on the babies clothing or mix a little with water to spray on the little tyke. You'll have to experiment with the amount for the spray because, if memory serves me correctly, those flying bugs in northern Minnesota have little letters and numbers printed on their little wings and that they can drive the heartest of souls into their homes in certain areas.

We have had great luck with the Listerine spray. All bugs we have encountered have seem to hate it. We spray it with a really good sprayer and mist the surrounding area we plan to be in. I also lightly sprayed it on my arms and legs and never got a bite!
J.

We use Gentle Naturals Bug Repellent. It's worked great for us and only has 4 ingredients which are all natural oils, which puts my mind at ease! Here's a link: http://www.gentlenaturals.com/products/bug_repellent.cfm

I got mine at my local Hy-Vee - - - very inexpensive too!

I actually live in northern WI (have for 20 years) and have raised four boys here in the Northwoods (youngest is 14). I wish I had known about a company called Arbonne when my kids were little, because they have a product that repels mosquitoes that is a good, pure, safe and beneficial alternative to Deet and other chemicals. The Arbonne product is in their Aromatherapy line and is called Awaken body mist. It is a combination of pure essential oils (no artificial fragrances, alcohol or mineral oil) that the mosquitoes don't like. We can be out side and watch the little buggers fly around us but not land on us. It's great! Because it uses pure essential oils, it is not cheep, but you can purchase it online at Arbonne.com. You can also become a wholesale buyer like I did and purchase it at 35% off for a $29 sign-up fee. Feel free to contact me if you are interested or want to konw more.

I just heard and am going to try this, so I dont' know if it really works or not.
Half and half of Listerine and water in a spray bottle is supposed to repel insects. My friend swears they hate the smell and stay away.
I used to have a natural/herbal repellent that worked, it was a peppermint essential oil to dab on ankles and wrists, and it worked, so I think this maybe would work. (I can't find that herbal stuff now)

We have been using Bullfrog............it is deet free and has sunscreen. I would check with your doc also.

Burt's Bees makes an all natural repellent that is good. I have used it on several occasions. What you have to do with any repellent is spray it into your hand and then put it on their clothing. Avoid contact with skin. If you go with one that contains deet it must be under 7%. If you go to OFF's website they tell you a little about what is safe. Also if you are breastfeeding avoid contact with your skin. Just put on your clothing in the area where your baby might touch.

We just spent a week in the Northwoods of WI. The bug repellent you use depends on where you will be. Take a variety of 'bug juices' to be prepared. We had three kinds along with us.

If there are ticks galore like where we stayed, you'll have to use DEET. Burt's Bee's oil did not work for us. I would risk using DEET over having a tick.

If your son will go out with you into heavily wooded areas in a backpack or baby carrier, I would spray his carrier, clothes, and hat rather than his skin if possible, using DEET.

If your son will be in a cabin with a cleared yard (no trees), I wouldn't use anything. Maybe yard guard around the play pen. Big maybe on that.

If he'll be in a boat where you'll have biting flies, I'd go with something that has no DEET.

If there is a cleared beach, I wouldn't use anything for bugs unless I had to.

You'll just have to be flexible if you haven't seen the environment. Bathe after every bug juice application. Have a great time. It's beautiful up there.

We tried the dryer sheets. That did NOT work. She had over 2 dozen bites.

We have done some research on deet and kids. The CDC reports that it is safe to use bug repelent that is less than 10% deet on children over 2 months old. The amount of deet your skin absorbs is the same for a 5 month old as it is for you.

To apply spray it on your hands and rub it on the baby's skin avoiding face and hands. Don't apply to skin that is under clothing (stomach, back). Wash it off at the end of the day. Do not reaply during the day. They advise not useing a bug spray/sun block combo because then you can't reapply the sunblock.

If you still don't like the bug spray idea. A friend of mine said they bought citranela patches and stuck them to the baby's clothes. They also make natural bug repellants that you can probably find at stores like Whole Foods.

Avon makes a gentle, DEET free spray. I don't remember the name though....
Deb.

Ok, first of all I am a 27 year old mom to a 4 month old son too! And I actually LIVE in Minnesota (just moved from CO last month). I don't have much advice for you though because I don't take him outside much (I hate BUGS!)

If your taking a stroller buy a mosquito net, you can get one online for like $5. Also make sure he always wears pants, even if it is hot!

I also use the Burt's Bees. It actually smells pretty good. You should also check out this website: www.cosmeticdatabase.com. They have done a wonderful job researching every single ingredient in many products and have rated products according to their hazard or toxicity. You want products that are a "0" and not a "10". Do a search on bug repellent and see what they suggest.

No bug repellent is considered safe for babies of that age. Generally it is cool enough up here for babies to wear Long Sleeves and pants when outside. When it is at the height of the heat and the sun is out- the bugs usually are not. When the sun starts to wain then the bugs come out en mass.

When I take my baby outside in the evenings I just make sure she is dressed from head to toe. Sun Hat to booties.

Another thing to try is a mesh bug cover for your pack & play and one for your stroller. We have both, but I can't remember where I got them... babies R us, maybe. They are really stretchy so you don't have to buy according to your particular stroller or pack & play.

First off I would not use dryer sheets... that irritates the babies skin, any book you read says that you should never use dryer sheets when dry your babies clothes so you definitely should not rub it on your baby!

The best thing you can do for your son is cover him up, wear long sleeves and pants. I know it is warm/hot but that is best way to protect him. Also the mosquitoes can bite through clothes so it is best to wear baggy clothes rather then tight fitting clothes.

Here are the 2 products I use... Natrapel Plus (it contains no deet but only works for 4 hours so you have to spray more often). It is in a light green/neon colored bottle, sort of slim. I just spray and rub it in because you get a better coverage then. The other product I use is Cutter All Family Mosquito Wipes (it contains 7.15% deet but if keeps those bugs away). It is safer to use deet (less then 10%) then get bite by a disease carrying bug.

Also don't apply any type of bur spray/wipe natural or not to your son's hands because they go into his mouth. I like to spray the clothes rather then the skin (unless my daughter is wearing shorts and a tank, but in a mosquitoes active area she is wearing at least a ¾ sleeve shirt and carpi). I also light those wonderful bug citronella candles everywhere I sit when outside, my mom said when they went camping up north she lite them where they were sitting and it worked wonders!

Google on "non-toxic bug spray" R. - you will get about 100 pages of options. Burt's Bee's oil works great. So does Buzz Off, but it doesn't smell as good.

http://www.soapourri.com/shop/shopdisplayproducts.asp?id=...
This works well!

We use Avon "Skin-so-Soft", and it works great. Good luck!

Avon has a bug repellent/lotion with 50 SPF for children/babies. It goes on blue then disappears. it is non scented & works awesome for our 21 month old. It's about $6.00

If you're up North you need repellent, big time! We spent a week at the cabin and the mosquitos and flies were terrible. I used the deep backwoods off on myself and had to keep reapplying often, but it worked great for me. I put the family off on the kids and my husband just used the regular off, and they were eaten up pretty good. But I checked the kids every couple hours for ticks and never saw a one. I had sprayed their hair which really helped. The last time we were up there my son got a tick behind his ear and it embedded in there pretty deep. If you do have ticks to remove, just put rubbing alcohol on it and it will let go or come out on its own. If you try to pull it out it just breaks off and part can be left behind. Have a great vacation! It was gorgeous up there last week!

First, try to keep him covered with clothes as much as you can. I know with the heat that is tough. Also, avoid being out at prime bug time! I used Avon's Skin So Soft with moderate success. And also a couple other natural products for babies, one which I got at Target. They all seem to work about the same. Helps some, not completely. But I would not use DEET at this point, if ever. Have fun!