Mosquitoes!

Our mosquitoes are fierce and consider my poor boys sweet and delicious. We used some natural bug repellent and it was completely useless; both boys are totally covered with huge red welts. Not only that, but they are getting super swollen and infected. We tried to put Calamine lotion on the bites, but they're mostly on their foreheads and the boys kept trying to rub it into their eyes so we wiped it off.

So I'm asking what you guys use for mosquito repellent for your LOs, and how do you treat the bites once they have them?

 

I use Avon Skin So Soft Bug Repellent for myself and the kids. All three of us are tasty treats for the mosquito population. When they do have bites, I use Benadryl cream to help with the itch.

 

i don't have any advice but wanted to give big hugs to the boys - being yummy & delicious to mosquitos sucks! :hug:

 

Put a dryer sheet between their sheet and mattress.

Growing up in Florida there are a TON of mosquitos and at least 10 inside of the house at all times. I was skeptical of the dryer sheet thing, but it worked so well.

Benedryl cream for the itch, NOT the bug bite stuff.

 

Seriously?! I've never heard of that! We don't use scented dryer sheets because of Nate's eczema, but I'm sure if it was under the sheet it would be fine.

Thanks for the tip! :good:

 

we tried an all-natural bug spray (essential oils, mostly citrus) and it was absolutely worthless. i was trying to avoid deet but owen is particularly delicious to the mosquitoes and his bites swell up really badly. we went to cutter wipes which have low-level deet but he's still being eaten alive.

i swear, this weekend i'm going to target and picking up some deep woods off. this all-natural crunchy mama is tired of bugs. <_<

we spoke with a pharmacist about treating the bites and her suggestion was to use a hydrocortizone cream or calamine lotion (she didn't feel either one was more effective than the other) no more than twice a day, and then dose 1 mL of children's benedryl per 10 lbs body weight before bedtime. that helps the swelling go down overnight so they're not as puffy and angry and itchy in the morning.

 

Dude, I'm right there with ya. Jack is our buggiest boy, and I'm sick of having all our summer pictures of him looking like he's got the plague. Don't know if you have West Nile where you are, but it's rampant here. I'd rather have them exposed to Deet than get West Nile.

 

I put witch hazel on the bites right away and that takes the swelling down.

I'm not sure if you are talking about going outside in your own yard or not, but in case you are we use a product to spray the yard and it works really well. I am guessing there are other brands, but the one we've used is called Cutter Bug Free Backyard Spray:

http://www.amazon.com/Cutter-Bug-Free-Backyard-Spray/dp/B000UNZAI4

I buy it at Lowe's or Target. It is really easy to apply. You use the hose and spray the entire area (we do our entire backyard and the front around the house)and it lasts for at least 4 weeks, sometimes longer if you don't get a lot of rain. I've even started extending the spray over the fence into my neighbors a bit (shhhh!). It has no odor. It also helps get rid of ants, chiggers and fleas.

 

I also use the spray you attach to the hose and it works great in our yard. I do it more often than every 4 weeks, though. Probably once a week. It's at dusk that they are bad. I also have used the California Baby bug spray and I don't think it works. I'm going to start using the Off Skintastic or Cutter Family spray. I'd rather expose them to deet than get a deadly disease. There's always several kids that die each year where I live. Very scary.

 

So I realize this isn't the breastfeeding forum, however since we're on topic I thought I would throw out there breastmilk works awesome on mosquito bites. Its stops the spread of infection and kills the itch. Its good stuff.

 

i just hosed the yard down with that stuff yesterday. here's hoping it helps. i don't usually get bitten but we're having particularly muggy weather and we live right by a lake. so during the time it took me to hose the yard down i ended up with 5 bites on my feet.