Mosquito Bites on Toddler

I loved the natural suggestions, such as Burt's Bees products. You can also go to Cheryl's Herbs in Maplewood for non-toxic ideas.

Please do not use dryer sheets on a child. I work with children who suffer learning difficulties. I would never even use dryer sheets in my dryer because of the toxins they release into the air. They also clog the screen in your dryer's lint trap. They are not environmentally safe.

http://aromatherapy4u.wordpress.com/2007/09/04/warning-dr...

http://www.naturalnews.com/002693.html

http://www.nontoxic.com/nontoxic/toxicfreedryersheets.html

2 moms found this helpful

I walk in my neighborhood each nightand used to get several bites each night on my walk. I walk about 45 minutes to an hour. I started putting dryer sheets on. I put one on my arm tucked under to edge of my short sleeve shirt and the oyther sticking out of the back pocket. There is something about the sheets that repels bugs, anyway since I started using them I have not been bitten. As to what to put on mosquito bites I put a little vaseoline. works for me. Jim

1 mom found this helpful

There are all kinds of good things to try for repelling. You just have to find what works best for you.
Some say Avon's Skin So Soft.
Some say spray Listerine on the child and his surroundings.
You can use old fashioned lye or castille soap. I know if you don't know anything about it "lye" soap sounds really harsh. It's NOT ! It's very gentle, even on faces.
You can put a dryer sheet in your belt or back pocket.
You can use oil of citronella in the surrounding area (though not directly on skin) My dad used to put a few drops of oil of citronella in the gas tank every time he mowed his lawn, and the fumes from the mower as he mowed would chase away the mosquitoes and gnats.

To treat the bites, there are a lot of good products out there, but I've had really good luck spraying the bites with a little Chloroseptic sore throat spray. Leaves a little pink spot from the dye in the spray, but that will wash away later. Put a band aid over the particularly itchy ones after treating, so clothing and bed sheets don't keep tickling the spot making it itch again. Also, the band aid keeps little fingers from scratching it raw.
Seems like I used to use baby Oragel in a pinch, too.
Just think of anything that will "numb" rather than the more powerful anti-itch stuff, then cover with a band aid.

I wish you well. I know the mosquitoes are horrible in Missouri this year. I am assuming it is due to the floods.

1 mom found this helpful

this one was on ebay,
LEMON BALM/LEMON MINT - GREAT MOSQUITO REPELLANT HERB

an all natural, might give it a try.

1 mom found this helpful

I don't use DEET products either. The easiest-to-find safer product we've been using is Natrapel. We've found the pump spray at Wal-mart and I have a friend who found the lotion kind at Target. I also saw the wipes at Toys-R-Us last night. It is a mixture of oils and you don't have to put much on, the smell is apparently strong enough to keep the bugs away. I just spritz my kids legs usually (they're 1 and 2, so short enough the scent wafts up their whole bodies). If you go to www.cosmeticsdatabase.com you can find out the safety of all kinds of products including insect repellants, sunscreen, cosmetics, soaps, shampoos, baby wipes, etc, etc. It is a great resource, I've significantly changed our usage of these types of things based on the information on this website. It tells you the safety and potential harmful effects of each individual ingredient in a product, the product's safety relative to other brands (and here you can click on a link to show you safer brands), and whether the company has signed the "safe cosmetics" pact or tests on animals. Loads of good info. I'm so glad someone sent it to me, because one of the sunscreens we were using was really pretty toxic, yikes!

1 mom found this helpful

I was skeptical when I heard this but it seems to work for me and my kids - Pure Vanilla Extract. I bought a large bulk size bottle at Costco and filled a small spray bottle with it. It doesn't seem to last as long as OFF and I doubt that it would be sweat-resistant but it satisfies our need to be able to play in the yard or at the park for a couple of hours. Plus, I love the smell of vanilla!
I have also heard of Preparation-H ointment on the exsisting bites to get rid of itch and redness - haven't tried it though.

1 mom found this helpful

The best thing I have found is to get a small spray bottle, (mine is from the travel section at Wal-Mart) and fill it with half water and half vanilla. You have to make sure you use real vanilla extract, and not the imitation vanilla, or it won't work. Totally non-toxic, and even safe for faces. I just tell her to close her eyes and mist it right on. Smells a lot better than OFF too! We spend a lot of time outdoors, and this is all I use on my daughter and myself.

As for treating the bites, my Dr. told me to give her Benadryl. My daughter is also 2, and when she does happen to get a bite (like while swimming this evening - right on her forehead!) she ends up with a HUGE (at least as big as a quarter) raised red area. You'll need to call your Dr. to get the proper dose of Benedryl to give. She also said if they seemed to bother her I could use a tiny amount of Benadryl cream on the bites as well. If they do get scratched open, make sure you put some antibiotic ointment, like Neosporin, on them to make sure they don't get infected.

Hope this helps!

1 mom found this helpful

I've been using a spray of 1/2 vinegar 1/2 water in an old cleaned hair spray bottle. Spray it on the skin - it's been working for fleas, and I've heard it works for ticks and mosquitoes, too. But not chiggers. Will it hurt the current bites? Actually, vinegar on a cloth is supposed to be a homemade remedy for itch.

My son has a bad cough I think from fogger and I haven't wanted to use chemicals either.

1 mom found this helpful

I recommend Lemongrass Oil. You can mix it with a base oil such as Olive Oil and wipe it lightly on yourself and your son. I have been using it on my 3 year old this summer and myself and it works great! Not one bite and it smells wonderful!
You can purchase the oil from me, I am a Young Living Essential Oil Independent Distributor. It costs $13 for a 15ml bottle which you will dilute with half base oil / half lemongrass oil. You can use Olive Oil or can purchase a bottle of V6 Enhanced Vegetable Oil Complex (3.8 fl oz for $10.50 or 15.5 fl oz for $26).
Let me know if you would like to buy some. It is a safe natural way to prevent those aweful mosquitos!!
____@____.com

1 mom found this helpful

Check in the sporting goods center of one of the major stores, we bought our girls, when they were younger, a coil bracelet (similar to the kind that people use for keys to keep around their wrist) that they wore it on their ankles. It had the citronella smell to it. I think I saw some at the Dollar Tree the other day too. Not positive, so don't quote me on that one. The ones we had lasted for several years. We would put them in a freezer baggie and then in a drawer. Ours glowed in the dark too. I don't remember what they are called, but they worked great. I hope this was somewhat helpful. Good Luck and God Bless.

Hi! My 4 year old son has always had a bad reaction to skeeters too. I started using Avon Skin-So-Soft Bug Guard Plus a few years ago. It has bug repellent and SPF 30. It uses some other active ingredient instead of Deet. Great stuff!!! Mild enough to use every day and it smells good too and its not greasy. I put it on my son every morning before school. As far as treating them I use Benadryl or some kind of Benadryl anti itch clear lotion. Hope that helps! It works for us. Have a good weekend!

I read an article recently that stated if you put a penny on the bite, it will help heal it, as soon as you notice the bite, hold a penny on it. As for preventative, I have used Avon skin so soft as a repellant, it is safe and works.

I don't use anything with DEET either. There are some organic sprays at the store. They are with the other mosquito sprays. They have worked for us. Someone told me aveeno baths or similar brands work for itch relief... worth a try!

We use the Avon brand as well. Not too expensive & includes a sunscreen in it. The lotion is blue when applied to help ensure you don't miss a spot.

We are prone to getting bitten up all summer. As we don't use anything with DEET, we have found BURT'S BEES HERBAL REPELLENT to work very well. I'm just forgetful about putting it on! Burt's Bees products are found in many more places now, Target, Walgreens, HyVee, etc. As for treatment, we're still working on that. I did buy the Burt's Bees bite relief stick (can't remember the name) and it helps, but doesn't do magic. My kids can put it on themselves, though, so it's worth it. I put straight apple cider vinegar on mine and as hot of water as I can stand. That gives relief for me. Good luck!

I always use the Avon skin so soft bug guard plus with the sunscreen in it and work great. Just make sure you get it under their clothes around their waist line.

When bathing my daughter I use soap on her legs. Apparently the lye in the soap is a natural repellent to mosquitos, ticks, etc.. We found this out when we went camping. Thier were soap dispensers on the wall but there was always bars of soap under the counters in the filling stations. We asked and that's what we were told.

We only use soap on from her knees down. She does get an occasional bite but we've never had any ticks!

Not sure what area you live in, but HyVee has a great health food section that also has lots of bath and body products. I have seen bug repellants there, and since they are in the health food section, they probably would not have anything harmful in them (still read the ingredients list though). Any other health food store would probably have something similar too.

Hi A.,
my 17 year old was allergic to them bites!! We used avon's
skin so soft bath oil.someone told me about it,,you just rub it on their skin,,we had to take our son to er because of his bites
after we started using skin so soft on him when we went out,we
didn't have that problem anymore! So give it a try,,they now carry a skin so soft just for misquito repaliant i think!
P.

I also reccommend any AVON products, they work great and you don't have to worry about washing them off. They are very inexpensive and can be used on the whole family.

Natural eucalyptus oil is a great repellant.
Avon's Skin-So-Soft, is the only "over-the-counter" item Ped's and the Military approve and utilize.
For itching: ice, and I pulled up the "Hylands"-Homeopathic web-site for you to look at for their bug-bite product.
http://www.hylands.com/products/bugbite.php
If you want to buy a medicinal anti-itch; benadryl makes a topical ointment.
I hope this helps.
In Kind, M. N.

I lived in southeast Asia for a year and I kept mosquitos at bay by using Avon's "Skin So Soft". They have a bath oil spray and other products. It was recommended to me and I was told it was even used by some soldiers during Vietnam. (Whether that's true or not I don't know but it did work for me.) Good luck.

Call me, P. P. @###-###-####, I have information that will be useful to your child.

I have heard that Listerine (the yellow colored one) mixed with water works great and isn't like chemical bugspray. Also, I use dryer sheets. Just tuck one into their pocket or waist band and they are good to go. Good luck:-)

Hey A. you should try pure Melaleuca oil. I also work from home and all I have to do is shop from a different store that has better and safer alternatives (no toxins) to what we already use on a daily basis. I would recommend you check out our team and company because we have different recipes where you can make your own bug repellant as a spray or a wipe so you don't have to use the harmful chemicals :) Check out our websites at www.2abetterlife.com or www.livetotalwellness/cindygeoff for more info. or email me personally and would love to share how you can get access to all of this great stuff we have found like what you are looking for!

There is an all natural bug repellent on the market, but I can't remember the name of it. It contains citronella oil (the real stuff, not synthetic like in citronella candles). I've also heard that lemon juice works, or even eating a lot of lemon, but I've never tried that one.

Hi A.,
Growing up as a child that seemed to attract mosquitoes, my mother went on the search for the same thing. There is a product made by Shaklee called Basic H2. It is all natural, you can even drink it, it can be used in the tub and repels mosquitos. You can check on their website to find a distributor in your area. Its seems a little expensive, but a tiny amount goes a long way. Believe me it is the absolute best thing you will find.

Good Luck, R., KS

For repellents, you could put fabric softner dryer sheets in his pockets. Or I have heard you can spray listerine (mouth wash) in areas that you will be, like the patio etc (just don't spray it directly on wood). It is recommended by docs to apply DEET repellants, but only the ones that are 30% and less in concentration. Have the kids come in when the bugs are most active like dusk time or where light weight long-sleeve shirts and pants. For treatment, you can use the hydrocortisone creams, calamine lotion or baking soda paste.

Use Skin so soft by Avon. It works great no side effects

deb

I,m a big believer in the avon skin so soft oil. It repels the bugs my husband and myself along with grandchildren and children use this. When we are giong camping or just playing in the back yard i spray the oil on my hand and rub all over the skin. Can also use in the bath but be careful it is an oil and can be slippery. mother and grandmother hope this helps

A friend sent me something on-line that said that LISTERINE was a good thing to use for mosquitos. I believe the e-mail said to spray it close to where a preson was sitting to repell the 'lil monsters. However, I don't see why it wouldn't work to put on humans. No, I've not tried it myself.

You can use Skin So Soft Avon lotion. They also sell it in a bug repellent now. It's totally safe. You can also use the Skin So Soft skin oil. All 3 work and are safe for your baby. I used them on my daughter. I also used to sell Avon. I don't anymore, so I'm not trying to sell you something...lol! As for the itching, several things work great...Aveeno (or Walmart brand) colloidal oatmeal baths; Benadryl ointment (ask your doctor first because it does have Benadryl in it); also Caladryl.

I read once to put a fabric softener sheet in your pocket and it would repel mosquitos. I haven't tried it because it's one of those things I always forget about until I'm scratching a mosquito bite.

AVON is the answer. Avon's Skin so soft expedition with spf 30 is DEET FREE!! I use it on my kids all the time and it saves us from bites! Also get a skeeter stick from walmart to treat the bites and he will be fine in a few days.

www.youravon.com/cbiggs << you can buy some from my personalized website and have it shipped to your door!

Hope this helps!

Hi A.,
Why it works, I don't know. But it does for me! Somewhere I read that a fabric softener sheet tied to your belt loop will keep mosquitos away. I "wipe" the sheet over my arms, legs and neck and the 'squitos don't seem to bother me.

Hope this helps.
L.

Not sure what to use to keep them away, im sure you could probably find something in the baby isle or ask a pharmacist but here are some home rememdies you can try to help the itchies or the redness, I know you can put Ice on them for the swelling and redness.

http://www.home-remedy.org/home-remedies-for-mosquito-bit...

hi A., we use jason "quit bugging me!" natural insect repellant spray (and deet free) on our daughter. i found this at babies r us. they seem to be attracted to her (me too), so we use this every 1.5 hours. the product says up to 3, but she whelps up like nobody's business. the actice ingredients are soybean oil and geranium oil. also to take the itchiness away we use walgreens brand calahist clear lotion, but it is not recommended for children under 2. hope this helps!

I know this will sound a little unusual but it works...spray the area around where he is playing with plain listerine mouth wash. This, for some reason, keeps the insects away. I know several people who have tried this and have had great results.

Try using AVON Skin So Soft as a repellant. you can order online or from a sales rep if you now anyone who sells AVON. It is fairly inexpensive and DEET free. Some of the other products that claim to be safe smell like a trash dump. As far as the itching, I put clear finger nail polish on my kiddos when they do get a bite. It keeps them from itching so they dont scratch at them, which could cause an infection. I hope this helps you out a little. E.

I know there have been tons of answers on this one but I wanted to go ahead and resond. I had the same problem with my son and asked his doctor. They said you can use any of the products over the counter as long as they were low in Deet. Check with your child's doctor to make sure of the level but I believe it needs to be under 7. It is just important to find something that works for you natural or otherwise with west nile and tick bites can be dangerous too. As far as treating the bites that is trial and error too. A couple of nights when my son had gotten multiple bites I gave him benadryl. One warning if you give benadryl orally don't put the benadryl gel on the bites. You can overdose your child. I was told by the doctor that if I give him benadryl that I can put calamine lotion on the bites. Hope this helps. I know it did my son.

Skin so soft makes a repellant that doesn't have deet in it. You can also get bracelets that you can put on wrist or ankles that repel without having to spray anything on you little one. You can use hydrocortisone cream for the current bites or benedryl cream to help with the itch and redness.

I just read a whole list of uses for Bounce dryer sheets and that was one of them listed. They suggested attached to clothing or your belt and it would keep the mosquitos away. That might work well for your little boy.

Skin-so -soft by Avon used to be recommended but I don't know if it works or not as far as repellant. But it's something i remember being touted as a good Deet alternative.

I live in an area where there are ticks as well as the pesky mosquitos. I use Avon Skin so Soft. When I have it on I rarely get a bite. I use the Avon Skin so Soft sunblock wipes on my kids and it seems to work great. I like the wipes and can not find just the skin so soft wipes. I just do not feel as oily with the wipes as I do with the spray. I wish they would come back out with the wipes.
As for treating the bites. My mom just gave me an article that says to put roll on deoderant on the bites as long as they are not on your hands so that you do not end up with the deoderant in your mouth. I use cortizone creame on my bites as well as my kids.
I will have to read the article out of the Tri- County Journal www.tricountyjournal.stltoday.com It was in the news section on page A3.

I really like the bracelets (or we use them around their ankles) that you can buy at Bed Bath & Beyond. They are Deet-Free, so no worries there. And they work great! We also have "sweet" kids and have found out these work really well. Best of luck!

I always use Avon's Skin so Soft and never get bites. I just spray it on their legs, arms and necks before they go out and they are fine. To treat bites I have used a face mask. I know that sounds weird, but it seems to suck the sting out! You want a strong pulling mask but it honestly does work!

I too am hesitant to use sprays with DEET as I have small children and I am pregnant. I found an all natural repellant at Walmart called Natrapel Plus...It has a base of citrinella and gardenia (so it smells nice, too)....As for the bites he already has, just rub some white vinegar on them a couple times a day for a couple days and they will not itch and will dry out and go away faster. HTH

~A.~
Mom of 6 (16 down to 1) and #7 due Oct

hydrocortisone cream should help treat the bites. I use deet products, so I can't help you there. We just have too many mosquitos and my oldest is allergic to the bites, they get huge!

We've always used OFF on our kids, get one that has a low percentage of Deet.

i have heard that listerine in a sray bottle is a good alternative to mosquito products currently available.

put listerine in a spray bottle and spray everything.

like the yard and the kids body. its suppose to last a day or so in the yard, but it doesn't hurt the child.

I am a mosquito draw. I walk outside and I get attacked. I use Avon's skin so soft skin lotion and boy does it help. Its just lotion but the smell must put off the mosquitos because when I use it I am not bothered by them.
M.