Berkeley Parents Network: Insecticides and Insect Repellants

Berkeley Parents Network

Insecticides and Insect Repellants

Berkeley Parents Network > Advice > Advice about Health > Insecticides and Insect Repellants

Chemical-free Mosquito Repellent?
Insect Repellant for Toddler
Mosquito Repellant Safe for Children
See also: Advice about Mosquitos and Insect Bites

Chemical-free Mosquito Repellent?

May 2003

We are taking our 2.5 yr old camping this summer. I am anticipating lots of mosquitos due to the late rains. Can anyone suggest a good chemical-free mosquito repellent especially for kids and pregnant women? -hoping for no bites

Cactus juice is great-it even smells good! We have tried many, and it actually works and is made from cactus juice. They have a website http://www.cactusjuicetm.com/ I don't know if there are any local suppliers, but it is worth ordering it. monica

We've had good luck with the Avon Skin-So-Soft sunscreen/bug repellent combo (the bottle is in the camping equip. so I don't have the exact product name). You have to apply it more frequently than you would a DEET-filled repellent, but that's a trade-off I'm willing to make. Janet K

I went to bug-ridden Florida last summer, and use Burt's Bees Lemongrass repellent. Totally safe, and used it on me and my baby. Hardly a bite. I'm going out to get some more tomorrow! Amy

Hi. Unfortunately, I don't have a good recommendation. Several years ago, when we went to Yosemite and camping with my then-4- year-old, I brought along several ''natural'' repellants, and none worked well at all. He was (and is) quite sensitive to mosquito bites, and ended up with a very puffy face. Now, if we do an outdoorsy overnight, we bring along a mosquito net (available at REI, and others). You have to be sure it is tucked in all around. If we are outside in a very buggy place, we use a repellent with about 8% DEET which works fine, though I don't know if I would do that with a child as young as yours (the Pediatric Association folks used to say maximum 10% DEET for kids, but according to Consumer Reprts, they now say 30% - higher than necessary, I think). I hope others have had luck with some of the newer options. R.K.

We are expecting to see West Nile Virus (WNV) in California this year. Although the attack rate may not be high, the consequences of the disease can be long-lasting and debilitating. For fact-based information on effective insect repellants, and how to reduce your risk of becoming a target for WNV, I recommend visiting the websites of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile/qa/insect_repellent.ht m), the California Department of Health and Human Services WNV website (http://westnile.ca.gov/), and DPRs website regarding insect repellant usage (http://www.cdpr.ca.gov/docs/factshts/repel2.pdf). Amy

Insect Repellant for Toddler

August 2001

Mom and Dad are taking 2.5 year old to the Midwest for a Great Lakes northwoods experience which will no doubt include hungry mosquitoes and other related critters. We'd like to avoid the "Off" variety repellent and would be most interested in any recommendations for more "natural" based, and effective, alternatives. John

We just returned from a week in the North Woods in Wisconsin and we used All Terrain: Natural herbal armor insect repellent. It's DEET free and you can get it in a lotion or a creamy spray. It worked for us, two adults and a three year old. We were lucky, however; the mosquitos weren't nearly as bad as we expected. Hope you have good luck too. (If you happen to be going through Madison on your way up north, the Willy Street Co-op on Williamson Street carries All Terrain.) Susan

Definately try "Skin So Soft" by Avon. Very safe, smells better than regular bug repellants, and works. I spent a few months in Costa Rica and learned that normal repellents make me break out in a horribly itchy rash, so I was "reduced" to using Skin So Soft in what I swear was the bug capital of the world. Worked as well for me as anyone else's repellent seemed to. Michelle

My husband and I tried using all the natural stuff available to us at the time when we were in the back country in Montana four years ago. The mosquitos traveled in large herds and could penetrate one layer of a medium thickness of clothing! We ended up high tailing it out of the back country and chanced upon a mercantile in the middle of nowhere. There we bought something with DEET in it so that we could continue our camping trip. We have a two year old now and I abhor the idea of putting DEET on him. But the idea of him getting eaten alive by mosquitos is not good either. Thus far we have intentionally avoided places where the mosquitos are bad. My only suggestion if I were in you shoes and had no choice, is to make sure the DEET came in contact as little as possible with your child's skin. The way to do this is to dress the child in two layers of clothing. The top layer can be sprayed with a strong repellent containing DEET. Use the natural stuff on his/her exposed skin and hope for the best. The key with the natural stuff is to reapply-reapply. Reuse the cover clothing each day if you can, using fresh clothing underneath. Perhaps a bandana sprayed with a natural repellent and wrapped around their neck would be useful. Good luck to you. Marianne

Citronella repellants are the best bet. You can find them at natural food stores, at least in areas where there are insects to repel. Robbie

We've had good luck using Avon Skin-So-Soft Bug Guard Plus, an insect repellent and sunblock (SPF 30) combo. The SSS formula is supposed to repel mosquitoes, deer ticks, black flies, gnats, no-seeums and biting midges, but I can only confirm the mosquito part. Janet

I have used insect repellents that are DEET-free (I think Cutter brand has this feature) on my children. I have also used the Avon "Skin so Soft" brand - they have a combination sunscreen/insect repellent that works wonderfully - I think you can get the Avon product at shopping mall if they have a kiosk or order it on the Web. Jennifer

Avon Skin-so-soft bath oil works great! I use it too, just put it in a spray bottle. I don't know where to get it these days- check the web, or call 411 and ask for Avon. Lisa

REI carries an insect repellant WITHOUT Deet (sp?) which is the active ingredient in a lot of repellants. It has worked quite well for my family. Also, I know a lot of people swear by Avon's Skin So Soft cream as an effective repellant. Daphne

Mosquito repellant safe for children

May 2000

We're planning a trip with my folks to South Carolina where there are often lots of mosquitoes. Can anyone recommend an insect repellant that's safe to use on small children (my daughter and her cousin are one year old)? And where would we get it? Thanks! Piper

Lark
The latest Consumer Reports has a very thorough article on insect repellents, effectiveness and safety.

Mary Ann
This comes from the land of 10,000 lakes, where the mosquito is known as the state bird. (We are moving to the East Bay shortly, partly to escape the bugs.) Parents out here swear by Avon's Skin-so-Soft as a mosquito repellant for small children, which you get by locating your local Avon Lady. There is no scientific data supporting its efficacy, but at least it is harmless. We used it and it appeared to help. Mosquito repellants advertised for children typically have a smaller percentage of the active ingredient, DEET, which can cause convulsions in infants and very small children if they are exposed to very, very large amounts of it. We also used this, with no ill effects. If you look hard (or have your in-laws do it out there, where you would be more likely to find it) you can even get a version that combines with sunscreen--also a very good idea during the summer in the South.

Cristina
I can't recommend any but would like to share my daughter's experience When she was 17 months old someone lent me a bit of insect repellant which contained citronella. This person said she used it all the time on her kids, and I'm sure many kids can use it. However, my daughter developed a reaction to it that landed her in intensive care and was an extremely frightening experience for all of us. We were on vacation at the time in Mexico, far from any hospitals-it was a nightmare, basically her system started to shut down. I mention this so that you don't try new insect repellant products on your children when you are on a trip, possibly far from doctors etc. and just to be aware that any repellant type product, even "natural" ones can be potentially harmful if your child reacts to it. The pediatricians said that children absorb chemicals through their skin very easily and since their systems are smaller, even a small amount can be toxic to them, again if they react. While I'm sure my daughter is in the minority, I just wanted to share this with other parents.

June
I don't know of any insect repellent that is safe for anyone but I've heard that when you eat Brewer's Yeast your skin has a smell that mosquitos don't like. I also had heard the same for dogs and fleas. I used to feed it to my dog daily and she never had a bad flea problem. I eat Brewer's yeast every morning and I don't seem to get bitten when other people do....who knows!!!!

I grew up in Alabama, and I can tell you this: don't mess around when you are talking about mosquitos. Get an over-the-counter repellant for your kids and use it. Mosquitos in the South have been known to carry all sorts of nasty diseases, including encephalitis. You don't want to take any chances getting bit. Not to mention that those bites itch the living daylights out of your poor little child.

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