I posted this question to another group of moms, but wanted as much advice as I can get.
Does anyone have any good bug repellent or candles or something they use on their kids/yards? My girls are getting eaten alive! I've been trying the Avon Skin so Soft, but it isn't working. And on the same note, what about after bite ointment? Moe is very sensitive to the bug bites and they swell up pretty big. I think it has something to do wit hher being the only blue-eyed one of us, but she is super sensative to alot of things - sun, bug bites, rashes...
Any advice is helpful!
Skin so Soft is an urban legend. It has never worked, but the legend continues unabated. DEET works. There are plenty of OTC lotions that are made just for young kids and babies. My advice is to go to your local pharmacist and ask them which one to use. They'll know which are the most toxic and which are the least. But remember, where we live, it's so important to protect your kids from mosquitos. If you've ever seen or known a child who has been affected by encephilitis, you'll use the DEET. A friend's sister was bitten as a little girl, and was so severely brain damaged that she's never been able to care for herself. A mosquito bite. It's almost unbelievable. But it happened.
ReplyDeleteMargalit- Trust me I know. I have lived through the encephalitis nightmare... Last year my middle child contracted viral encephalitis (not from a mosquito bite) and it was the worst. Thankfully it was caught in time and the medicine's worked. She had no lasting effects (except for memories of the hospital and some of the tests).
ReplyDeleteThanks for the advice, I never thought about asking a pharmacist. My friend's husband is one of the local pharmacists, so I will ask him tomorrow when we drop our kids off at school.
And not just mosquito's we also need to protect from deer ticks as well...
Just wanted to mention that we had a lot of luck with Cutter's bug sprays which uses Picaridin vs. DEET. I believe the main difference is that you don't have to wash Picaridin off at night (like you should with DEET) and it won't damage plastics. Just figured I'd mention this in case you want an alternative.
ReplyDeleteFor itches we use the Benadryl bug stick and also the Benadryl itch cream. The boyz like the bug stick b/c they can use it on themselves.
ReplyDeleteFOM - I'll have to check it out.
ReplyDeleteITTOM - I'll have to try the stick. I have the benadryl gel, but it seems to sting a little so I put bacitratin on it for tonight.
I don't know if you can buy it down here, but Muskol works like a charm. It's loaded with all kinds of chemicals, but it keeps the mosquitoes at bay. I bought it in Canada, last time I was there.
ReplyDeleteI usually buy Deep Woods Off or Cutter's. Both work well. All the other crap is just that - crap. I get bitten like a sonofabitch and those two are the only things that work for me.
My husband bought a skeeter vac last year - we didn't get to use it much, so I'll let you know if it really works this summer.
I didn't know you were supposed to wash DEET off at night. Whoops.
To treat bites, I've always just done the baking soda paste or toothpaste or meat tenderizer.
Ever heard that you should have someone pee on you if you've gotten a jellyfish sting? Well what removes the sting is the ammonia in the urine. I'm not suggesting you pee on your children, BUT plain old household ammonia works on all virtually every type of sting. Wet a cotton ball or paper towel with plain household ammonia and dab. It WILL sting if the kid has gotten to it and scratched it raw first, so best to keep some nearby if your kids are playing outside. Let the scabs from any old bites heal and use ammonia for new ones.
ReplyDeleteThe active ingredient in After Bite is ammonia and while an After Bite pen is handier than a bottle of ammonia for the beach bag, a bottle of ammonia for the house is wicked cheap.
We use DEET bug spray but apparently I have delicious ankles. The bugs can't resist me.
My big worry right now is fleas and ticks as Kiddo's cat sleeps in her bed.
Okay ,so I have now also heard Thiamin (Vitamin b1 50 mg) or putting dryer sheets in their pockets.
ReplyDeleteAs for the cats, do you use Frontline on them? It seems to work for my dog, I haven't had any issues with ticks on her yet.
I'm a huge lover of AfterBite. It's the only thing that works on my bites. I'm allergic to most bug bites. Oh yes, not only am I allergic to most GREEN things, but the bugs that fly around the green things. At least once a summer my eyes swell shut from a spider bite. Fun!
ReplyDeleteThere is also this stuff called Rhulagel, which is a clear gel, that helps with bites. I've used it successfully for years.
The tics are a problem. If you PROMISE never to mention it to my son, I'll tell you a funny story. But mumms the word, OK?
When he was 12 he went away to school for a year. The school was in the Merrimac Valley, and one of the things that they did a lot was hiking. My son, who is not a hiker by nature, hated it. HATED it. One weekend when he was home, he kept complaining that his butt itched. It went on and one and finally he asked me to look at his butt. A butt I hadn't seen in a very long time. Like maybe 5 or 6 years! So I agree, and he drops trou while I'm sitting on the toilet, and I don't see anything. Then he tells me it's INSIDE the cheeks, so I have him spread his cheeks, and guess what's there? A deer tick. Right by his anus. LOVELY. I tried the match thing, but couldn't get the whole tick out. The head remained embedded because of the angle, so he had to go have it removed at the pediatricians.
The best part was, after this tick attack, after the testing for tick fever and Lyme disease, he didn't have to go on the hikes anymore. Which made him SO happy.
But can you imagine how embarassing it was for an almost 13 year old boy to have his mom rooting around in his butt? Poor kid!
Margalit--I probably shouldn't be laughing as hard as I am, but that's funny. Poor kid is right!
ReplyDeleteWe use Deep Woods Off for preventative.
ReplyDeleteGold Bond medicated anti itch cream for the bites.
My oldest swells really bad to bites and they seem to take a longer time to heal too. Gold Bond is the only thing I've found to speed the process.
If it's pretty bad swelling (not life threatening swelling of course) then I give a dose of benedryl to take down the swelling.
nonpolar reticent shortened ohioand amalia pins roles strike domantis blight sending
ReplyDeletesemelokertes marchimundui
[url=http://hairtyson.com]buy Phen375[/url] are tablets that help trim confederation weight. The same of these tabs has to be captivated with ring false, round 20 minutes before a refection, twice a day.
ReplyDelete[url=http://garciniacambogiaselectz.weebly.com]
ReplyDeletegarcinia cambogia uses[/url] is the best paunchy burning force out nearby in hawk these days a days. Yield upto 10 kg in 1 month. garcinia cambogia select
[url=http://garciniacambogiaselectz.weebly.com]
ReplyDeletegarcinia cambogia fruit extract[/url] is the richest adipose blazing wring readily obtainable in hawk these days a days. Bow to upto 10 kg in 1 month. garcinia cambogia select
There are lots of satisfied users that verify fat
ReplyDeleteloss of up to 5lbs a week or maybe more, even though, like all weight-loss
product, benefits vary from anyone to a higher. You need to
come up with a diet plan that can keep you eating the proper volume of calories each day.
This is important query that you will want to answer,as many weight
management capsules are designed to suppress your appetite.
my homepage: phen375 reviews 2012