We are heading to Minn. for a camping vacation. I was told, by family members that the mosquitos there can be really bad, especially an hour after sunset. My son, who is 6, always has terrible reactions to bites, they swell up almost instantly. Although I know there is no miracle repellent I am wondering what some of you have used, what has and hasn't worked. Has anyone tried those clip on? I'll spray on many kinds of sprays if I need to! :) Thanks for any advice!
Well, we have yet to take our trip, but we went camping over the 4th to some friends lake. I tried the bug bands and the clip on at the park during the firework show..no bites. I used just the bug bands at the lake the next day...they ate my son alive. He woke up crying because he had 6 bites on his legs. I have yet to try everything, but will be! Of course the internet says nothing is better than deet so that may just have to be what we use while on vacation. He is 6, my daughter is 2 1/2 and they will have a bath every night...it didn't hurt us as kids and using it for a week should be ok. I will try the natural stuff first, but I don't have my hopes up! I'll post more as I continue my trial and error! :)
The ones with DEET in it are the best.... I used it one time, and the mosquitoes were just hovering about a foot away from me... but that was all the closer they would come.
Yes, it is horrible to have to use the chemicals, but sometimes that is all you can do... the mosquitoes up there are darn near big enough to carry you off!
Skin So Soft from Avon works. Also, rubbing Downey dryer sheets on their skin helps. I'd use the DEET stuff on his clothing and the less carcinogenic stuff on his skin.
I bought some locally made mosquito repellent in Maui, since the mosquitos in Hana are awful. It worked amazingly. Not one bite and they LOVE me. Here's the ingredients.
Grapeseed oil base
Citronella
Cedarwood
Eucalyptus
Lemongrass
Peppermint
Here's the address is you have time to buy some:
BITE ME
PO Box 880072
Pukalani, HI 96788
Also, a friend of ours son swells up like he's been bit my a brown recluse when a mosquito bites him, so he takes Antronex from Standard Process to help with the allergic reaction of the bite and he doesn't swell nearly as bad and heals faster, hen he gets bit. His mom gives him 4 of them in the afternoon, in prep for the evening. Then 2 every hour until they are back inside.
Good luck!
My daughter is allergic to mosqitoes. She swells up horribly when she's bitten, they get red and inflamed, and depending on where she's been bitten, sometimes she can barely bend an arm, knee, or finger. We have been experimenting with lots of different natural remedies, as I refuse to spray her full of chemical bug sprays.
The one we've been using lately that seems to work well for her is straight organic vanilla. Yep, the same vanilla you use in baking cookies or flavoring cakes. But real vanilla--not artificial vanillin. Put it on the pulse points and/or all over the arms and legs, any exposed skin. Mosquitos don't like the smell. You might get a few brave souls who will still bite, but you won't get hordes of them feasting. It can be a bit sticky, but it isn't that bad. Of course, you can't go swimming, as the vanilla will wash off in the water.
I used it when I was outside working in my flower beds, hot and perspiring, going back and forth from sun to shade. I got three bites (but I'm not allergic, so they don't bother me). My daughter used this method last Sunday when she had lacrosse practice from 6-7:30 pm--when mosquitoes are just starting to come out and are active. And their field is low/lies in a bog area with not a lot of wind. She had zero bites when she came home.
If your little one does get bit, the sooner you can take the poison out/the venom they inject under the skin when they bite, the sooner the issues and problems go away. We have found that using meat tenderizer (like Lawry's) mixed in water and applied to the mosquito bite works wonders.
We have found that essential oil of Lavender works wonders on helping to take away itching--and it also relieves inflammation if you put it all over the entire swollen area.
Where I live the mosquitoes are horrendous. Lots of West Nile, and they seem bigger then my dang head. My son also has really bad reactions to bites. He is also a freaking magnet for them. I REFUSE to use deet on my son. That stuff is so toxic and awful, I can't knowingly spray him with that. I have tried just about every product out there. The product we use, love, and swear buy...is Badger Anti-B. stick. They also have a spray. The stuff is a lifesaver. We have not had one bite this year. They will land on or near my son, but quickly fly right away with no biting. We got ours at Sprouts, but I see it around in stores with any kind of natural section.
I see these on an endcap in the heath/beauty section at Target all the time and keep forgetting to get one for my 4 year old. They're called Bug Bands and can go on an ankle. I've read the reviews and see other parents highly recommend them, and they do repel mosquitoes. No DEET, $5.99 at Target.
My MIL took a trip to Alaska one year. She knew the mosquito's were the size of hummingbirds...lol.
She started weeks before she went and took vinegar pills. The mosquito's would land on her but not bite her.
California baby bug repellant spray works great for us, and it's not loaded with chemicals. Mosquitos hate lavender too, so pure lavender oil might be a good idea...mix the lavender oil with eucalyptus oil and a little olive oil for another natural repellant. We grow it, and I will bring a bunch of sprigs camping this summer to keep on our picnic tables and around our campsites.
I am from MN and my family has a cabin in northern MN. We have tried "Skin so Soft" and other things, but I am sorry to report that sprays with DEET are really the only things that seem to be effective. I had good luck with Deep Woods Off just this previous weekend. However, I would read the labels to see the age recommendations for using the product. There are products available (I think also made by the people who make Off products) that are labeled appropriate for family use and have lower levels of DEET. The ticks are also bad this year and DEET repels them also. I don't like using chemicals either and I use chemical bug spray only when absolutely necessary (last weekend it WAS necessary), but I say moderate or occasional use of chemicals is better than a bad allergic reaction to bug bites, Lyme disease from ticks or something worse. It's beautiful here, but the bugs do put a damper on the fun. It helps to wear long pants and sleeves when possible (although my younger son recently got bit up through his thick baseball socks!) and stay out of the tall grass and the shade during the especially buggy parts of the day. Check for ticks regularly although the ones that cause Lyme, deer ticks, are very small and can be hard to see. Better to repel them in the first place. I hope you have fun--it really can be a good experience despite the pesky bugs!
here in VA in my neighborhood, the mosquitos are nasty things! We get swarmed with in a minute of going outside unless we are sprayed down. The only one that has worked for us is Off brand Deep Woods. I know it's terrible to have to use that junk, but it's the only thing that works. We have tried all natural sprays, citronella candles, avon brand, even just regular Off brand. The Deep Woods type is the ONLY one that has helped. Good luck and have fun on your trip
