These darn mosquitoes love my 2 year old, and he seems to get bit at all times of the day. I swear they find him as soon as he walks out the door!! I do not like to use regular Off spray, so I am looking for some ideas for what I can put on him that would be safe, even for his face, and that he can wear all day. Also something to use with sunscreen. We have a pretty shady backyard and sunny front yard so I am looking for any ideas for the yard....my backyard seems to be mosquito haven!! SO, what have you momma's out there found to work...I need ideas soon!
Thanks for all the great ideas, some of which I will keep for future reference. Since I felt like some days my son needed protection at almost any time of day, I decided to buy one of those OFF Clip On fans. This has worked great. Since I have been using it, alot in the AM and of course at night, he has not gotten one mosquito bite!! I am so glad for this! It is super easy to use and I don't have to fight with him to put on some sort of bug lotion or spray that I would have to wash off of him at the end of the day. I can also set the fan on a table nearby, like by the swimming pool to repel the bugs. I also bought a huge bottle of Listerine and have sprayed this around my yard. I only tried this once in the late morning so my kids could go swimming and didn't see any mosquitoes. Thanks again!
Hi, S.!
I work for an at home company that has a product that is safe for kids to wear all day! If you would like more info please feel free to message me.
Have a great day!
T.
When ever I have get togethers at my home, I buy the biggest bottle of Listerine I can find. I fill up the plastic container that you attach to the hose with Listerine. Then I spray the whole yard. It really does work. It will not harm plants, animals or children. Skin so soft from Avon also works great. We spray that on and bugs leave us alone.
Try it
good luck
You can repel the mosquitoes from your yard with a garlic-based spray called "Mosquito Barrier" <http://www.vitacost.com/Mosquito-Barrier-Natural-Insect-R... > It lasts for a couple of weeks per application.
Add to that a natural mosquito repellent and your children should be safe.
There are sites online which offer recipes to make your own natural insect repellent using essential oils and a diluting oil, or using alcohol to make a spray. Lemon Eucalyptus oil has been scientifically and anecdotally found to be as effective as a 7% DEET product, and lasts for about two hours per application. A commercial product using lemon eucalyptus oil is called simply "Repel" <http://tinyurl.com/3cngoc7 >
There are many good reasons to avoid using DEET. Here is one clear and concise explanation, although if you search online you will find much more in-depth information as to why you should avoid using DEET. <http://www.slate.com/id/2123291/sidebar/2123407/ >
When it's too late for prevention and bites which have already happened, you can use homeopathic remedies like rhus toxicodendron or apis mellifica to ease the itching and irritation. There are also commercial products, like this "Rusto Lotion" spray: <http://www.homeopathyworks.com/ >
Hope this helps your little ones.
Skin So Soft NEVER worked for me (I get bit all the time - everywhere)...I have only found one product to work really well for me - picardin (instead of deet) there are quite a few repellents with it in them and I found one while I was pregnant (b/c you can't use deet while you're pregnant or on your babies) that didn't stink and didn't make me sticky but worked really well (i wore it at the drive in and on the 4th last year for fireworks - I was the only one not getting bitten)...however, I did also find a product at BuyBuyBaby by Baby Ganics - it's an all natural bug spray....also, Shaklee's Basic H can be used to make an all natural bug spray that I hear works really well...
I, too, have heard that dryer sheets work if you hang them up around your yard...
For your yard, herb plants are AWESOME natural repellants. I planted them years ago all around our yard esp close to all the backdoors and have not had any problems...and the 'skeeters are bigger and hungrier here in Texas.
Oregano and rosemary grows like shrubs - full and tall - and are the most hardy and are very low maintenance, meaning, I planted them and barely trimmed or watered them. Basil, lavendar and thyme are very very fragrant too, but you have to water them on occassion.
I have a purple basil plant I just planted which a master gardener once told me i could rub the leaves on my skin and that makes for a natural repellent. I haven't tried that out yet.
I heard vinegar (1 part to 2 parts water) is a great natural repellent as well.
gl!
You have great sugggestions for repellants. I don't like repellants so I chose to get rid of the mosquitos.
I had a very large yard so I bought a 1/4 acre bug wacker. I hung it up about 5.5 feet off the ground about 75 feet from my house and about 25 feet from my pool I couldn't use at dusk or later because of the mosquitos. I went to the butcher and bought 8 ounces of beef liver and asked for extra blood.
I hung the liver and blood from the bottom of the bug wacker as close as I could get it to the bug wacker. (Use only plastic pieces to attach it to the OUTSIDE of the bug wacker.) Plug in the bug wacker. The next morning, UNPLUG the bug wacker and take out all the dead mosquitos. (I used a hose and water. That's why you unplug the bug wacker.) At dinner time, plug the DRY bugwacker in again.
I couldn't use my pool from dusk to dawn for all the mosquitos. There were so many mosquitos in the bug wacker, you couldn't see the light by morning. I'd wash a couple of cups of mosquitos out each day. After two weeks, you could just start to see the bugwacker light in the morning. After two weeks, I could go swimmming with out having to worry about mosquitos. After three weeks I unplugged the bug wacker and only plugged it in with fresh beef liver if I saw or heard a mosquito outside.
Why the beef liver and blood? Because female mosquitos (only female mosquitos bite) need blood to reproduce.
Good luck to you and yours.
i use avon's skin so soft on my 6 years old. i know age-wise i could use off but i have never used it on kids (or me for that matter). anything that contains lemon juice will keep them off. one of my kids is a prey of mosquitos. she used to get bitten so bad. plus the reaction would be more scary than being bitten. she is either allergic to their bites or has very sensitive skin. so i found avon and have been using it for years.
also, if you can, put long clothes on him. like for girls i can put really thin tights.
We have a Mosquito Trap. We never get bit anymore.
We use a combo of Sol-u-Mel and Melalueca oil with water as a spray and it works great. You can safely spray yourself or the area. My husband used it in woods for weeks while at work and they just all disappeared. You can get the products at www.melalueca.com.
Used dryer sheets are supposed to work too if you tie them onto you somewhere and we have had good success with them too.
The original scent Skin So Soft bath oil by Avon. We keep it in a spray bottle from Target, and the mosquitoes hate it. You can spray it in your hands to apply to his face and use sunblock with it.
Here are several products from amazon that are a sunscreen plus bug repellent. Not sure what you might be able to find in stores, but you could check the camping/outdoors dept of Target or Walmart if you don't want to order something.
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_c_1_28?url=search-al...
Might be worth a try.
bless your son's heart...they love my son's sweet little skin too, makes me sad for him to see him scratch so much, esp since he swells up when he's bit. he was bitten tonight! anyway, i read on here to spray Off or similar on a wipe then use it to get areas you couldn't otherwise. tried that tonight, but of course i missed ONE SPOT - argh. i know you didn't want Off but that's what i have & use. re: sunscreen, i've always wanted the same thing - insect repellent & sunscreen in one. we should invent that. but i think, just like w/makeup, put on sunscreen first, let it soak in, then do Off on wipes, spray, smudge however you apply. that's my best advice. they still get him some but i don't think anything's fool proof! good luck
Go through your yard, and get rid of any standing water.
Mosquitoes, can breed in even 1 teaspoon of water.
Take away their breeding grounds, and this will help the quantity of mosquitoes in your vicinity.
Or, spray clorox in any standing water or in any planter pots etc.
Even some foliage can harbor standing water.
Even clogged gutters or standing puddles, or neighbors ponds etc., can harbor standing water.
It is not only the 'shade' that makes it a mosquito haven, it is water... that breeds mosquitoes.
You gotta get rid of the water that breeds mosquitoes. Their source of propagating.
Looking around your yard, weekly, and dumping standing water.
California Baby makes a sunlotion with insect repellent.
I've heard of the Listerine spray solution as well. Has to be the name brand!
Here is what we do with our kids....get a bandana - the old school (cowboy looking) bandanas.....get the deep woods off....totally spray down this bandana with deep woods off....I am talking spray it down so it is almost wet. Now take this and tie it around his neck like cowboy stye....so the triangle part hangs down the back with the knot in the front. Then just give his feet/legs a quick spray down with the Off. Refresh the bandana spray every few hours. We have had great luck with this bandana idea....keeps the mosquitos away but you don't have to load up your kid with spray on their skin.
Try MelaSoft Dryer sheets tucked in a pocket or slip thru a belt loop...Or mix 1tsp of Moisturizing Hand Creme and 5 drops T36-C5 and apply to any exposed skin. These products are completely safe for you, your little ones and the environment & will not cause any adverse affects.
