My son's going to be attending a nature camp in a few weeks (trail hiking, river exploring, animal care) and we live in an area where deer are common.
Any suggestions on a bug repellant? I plan to check him for ticks regularly (we get deer in our front lawn) but I am wondering if I should go to the all natural (citronella and geranium oil) route or the chemical (DEET) route.
GOLD / pomegranate / 3688 posts
I would go natural and be very thorough in your checks. I really like the California Baby bug spray. It works and it smells good.
grapefruit / 4923 posts
i have some leftover all natural bug repellent that i used on myself a while ago--i'm going to try that on LO first, but if it doesn't work i'll skip experimenting with other naturals and go to DEET.
that being said, if i were in an area where deers were common and LO was going to be spending most of his days in grassy and woody areas, i'd say f* it and just use the DEET.
cantaloupe / 6017 posts
My husband and I tend to be pretty natural with these kind of things. But there were some deaths in our state last summer from mosquito transmitted viruses, including one in the area where our daughter will be going to childcare. He is pretty pro DEET at this point. He says its really, really safe in the doses used on skin. I need to do more research before I decide, and plan to ask her Doc soon, too
ETA:
This is helpful: http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/factsheets/chemicals/deet.htm
for what its worth, my husband (sorry to reference him all the time- he just has to study this for work and is up on latest research) says that the concern about DEET comes from environmental uses in huge doses and long term exposure, neither of which applies for short term, low dose use.
I feel like its engrained in me to be scared of DEET, but research seems to indicate that its probably lower risk than mosquito transmitted diseases.
My plan is to probably use natural stuff when I'm with her and can reapply frequently (in my experience you have to reapply like every hour or so for it to work), and send her with DEET to childcare because I can't really expect her care provider to reapply all the time (plus she's a big hippy, so she'll probably be freaked out by the stuff :))
grapefruit / 4649 posts
I like the California baby and the Burt's bees natural ones. If he comes home with bites or ticks I would reevaluate and consider the deet stuff.
grapefruit / 4663 posts
We use California Baby as well, we camp every weekend and its been working well so far.
honeydew / 7488 posts
We use the more "natural" varieties for playground time or regular outdoor play, but if they were going on a hike in the woods, I would probably use a DEET variety. Especially for pre-school and up.
GOLD / wonderful pomegranate / 28905 posts
@looch: OFF! Sells a clip on. DH uses it when he goes goes archery in the woods during mosquito season. It works very well.
wonderful pear / 26210 posts
Thanks everyone!
I am still unsure what to do, I have a call into the ped to see her stance.
GOLD / wonderful apricot / 22276 posts
@locavore_mama: so I imagine then you don't have to smell like bug spray? I hate that!
pear / 1697 posts
The geraniol-based ones *can* work comparably to DEET, but, they have to be reapplied really, really frequently to be on par. When I use natural bug repellents I'm always reminded that I'm overdue for re-applying by the swarm of mosquitos surrounding me.
My new favorite bug stuff is actually neither -- it contains a different repellent called Picaradin. In the US, the common brands for it are Natrapel and BullFrog Bug & Sun Mosquito Coast. It works really well and is long lasting.
It has my loyalty over DEET because it doesn't smell gross and it doesn't melt plastic. After overspray with a DEET product messed up a pair of Rx glasses for me, I've been really hesitant to use it for fear of a similar mishap.
cantaloupe / 6017 posts
@lilyofthewest: goo d point, picaradin is a good option, we have some bug spray by skin so soft that has that as the active ingredient. It does have to be applied more frequently (hourly for ticks, I believe) than DEET but it is less likely to irritate skin.
pear / 1697 posts
@Silva: Hmm, I think frequency of application depends on the exact formulation and concentration of the repellent?
Both my Natrapel & BullFrog (20% picaradin) sprays say every 8 hours.
My OFF Family (7% DEET) says every 4 hours
My SkeeterStop! (100% DEET) says every 10 hours
I also have 3 different essential oil repellents -- each of which say every 20-30 minutes as needed.
Erm. You may be getting the impression that I am very tasty to bugs. This is true. Very true. I need my arsenal.
Oh! The other thing I'm really a fan of for extended outdoors time is permethrin infused clothing (like this: http://www.amazon.com/Zorrel-Insect-Shield-Apparel-Heather/dp/B002FU6QV0/)
GOLD / wonderful pomegranate / 28905 posts
@Bao: http://www.off.com/en-US/Products/Pages/off-clip-on.aspx
Yes! It's odorless. I hate spraying bug spray and wouldn't want to spray it on LO.
wonderful pear / 26210 posts
@lilyofthewest: thanks for weighing in, that's a new option I hadn't heard of before.
hostess / wonderful grape / 20803 posts
@looch: check out lucies list blog. She breaks it down. While all natural may be better in some ways, they are simply not as effective.
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