this may have been asked before, but what repellent do you mamas use for your little ones? i'm going camping with my 2 and 3 year old kids. also, any other camping with toddler wisdom would be greatly appreciated!
Thank you for all of the great suggestions. I was worried about deet but wanted other's opinions and suggestions. I have a hard time trying new products from say, Whole Foods, that are $20+ a bottle and don't work. If it worked I wouldn't care, but you know what I mean. I like to hear what people have tried. Thanks a bunch and please wish us luck! Camping with toddlers, what was I thinking?? :)
I only use Deet, but I don't believe what the CDC says about it being safe. LOL I only use it because it's the only thing that works. Skeetos are extremely attracted to me and the kids. They barely go near DH. Once they stick the kids and I we are all extremely allergic to their venom. We are miserable and swollen. Thus, the Deet.
I use lavender essential oil (doterra)...and have really liked it :). I love camping with our kids! Jealous, Jealous, Jealous!!! I'm sure you can find all kinds of camping stuff if you google it...I'm trying to think of anything particular...We brought one of my kids potty-training potties once (y'know...the little plastic ones)...I don't know if your toddlers are potty trained or not...but it was really nice to have a potty right outside the tent door...especially at night. A lot depends on your facilities. It seemed like it was always nice to have empty walmart bags...and wipes...I always found uses for them. I sometimes pack up a little exploring kit...binoculars...bug container...I used to put in a magnifying glass until my husband taught our 5-year old how to start a fire with it. Thank you, Daddy. :p. There's all kinds of stuff online :) Have fun!!!
Eucalyptus oil is great! Deet is really bad! You're never suppose to put it on your skin and that goes for grown ups too! !
I am an avid camper and hiker. I have camped all over Europe, Asia, Canada and the USA. I use clove oil on hair and clothing. I rarely get bit. I also use incense at the table out of doors since they don't like smoke.
I rarely believe anything the CDC says they are in the hip pocket of BIg Pharma.
If there is a breeze of 5 mph mosquitos don't fly.
Remember mosquitos are the state bird of New Jersey.
DEET isn't safe for anyone. I use eucalyptus oil.
Here's what the CDC says about DEET:
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile/qa/insect_repell...
Yes, it is safe on children over 2 months old.
We use it, but not constantly. On my kids I try to spray it on their clothes and a little on their calves. I have to use Deet because nothing else works -and I've tried it all! All the natural remedies do nothing for me. If it doesn't have Deet, I might as well use nothing. My oldest is more like my husband, and they don't bother them as much, but my youngest is like me. We love to camp and be outdoors and here we have mosquitoes until mid-late fall and they start up again in March and April. We always burn several large citronella bucket candles when camping, and it seems to help a little bit. You may want to try something like the Burt's Bees repellant, but take some Off Family in case that's not working. The family lines of these brands have lower concentrations of Deet. Not sure about your area, but we often have gnats and biting flies to keep at bay as well and ypu usually have to have deet for that.
I'm not sure about Deet. I think there are safer products. Try this one...
http://www.lovingnaturals.com/#!page-15
I've used their sunscreen and have liked it.
Updated
Hi C M....
I wanted to also send you this link.
http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/search.php?query=insect+repel...
I use this website often to see what products get the best safety ratings. The Loving Naturals repellant I recommended in my earlier post gets the best rating which is a "0", but there are also some others. Hope this helps. I've been getting bitten so much lately, that I think I'm going to order some.
No deet! :)
Before we went to Costa Rica on vacation a couple of years ago, I did quite a bit of research on this as I was absolutely eaten alive the first time we went. Here are some safe alternatives for adults and children, all DEET free. All worked well for us.
Purchased at Drugstore.com:
Bite Blocker
http://www.drugstore.com/bite-blocker-all-natural-deet-fr...
Buzz Away:
http://www.drugstore.com/buzz-away-extreme-natural-insect...
Repel:
http://www.drugstore.com/repel-plant-based-lemon-eucalypt...
Arbonne's Awaken Mist Body Spray is the best there is, it is made with only Natural Herbs and Botanicals and DOES NOT contain anything harmful and is safe to use for anyone in the family. It is actually a Body Spray but it keeps the bugs away too, I use nothing but Arbonne products for all my skin and health care needs I trust the products completely. Contact me in a private message for more information and my web site address. Have fun campling.
My pediatrician recommends not using products with DEET. He says if you have to use it make sure that you bathe your child immediately after going inside to remove any DEET from their skin.
Our family has just started using Avon's Skin So Soft it contains Picarin a safer repellant and highly effective.
No I do not believe Deet is safe for anyone. I did research on it when my children were younger and found it could have terrible side effects depending on the person. My daughter would run very high fevers when exposed to it. We used the bug repellent from Avon for years now with no problem.
Avoid the Deet for sure! If you can find a natural repellent that contains CATNIP (believe it or not) and CITRONELLA, that stuff really works. I got some in Hawaii but not sure if you can find it in the 48 states. Good luck!
California Baby and Botanical Solutions both have mosquito repellent with no deet. I have the California Baby for my kids. I've never used Botanical Solutions but it is listed as fairly safe on the EWG cosmetic database.. http://www.ewg.org/skindeep
