Which Insect Repellent Will Work Best for Your Kids?

Summertime is the time of year when most kids want to be outside just about all day and night. One thing that you want to be sure of, is that they are well protected from the bugs. Especially with the threat of “west nile virus” from mosquito’s. But how do you know which insect repellents will work best for your children, in addition to which ones are safe for them to use. Any insect repellent that has deet will offer longer protection and has more natural products. There are several factors that will weigh heavily on which repellent you should choose.

Such as the environment, the amount of time you will spend outside, the time of day that your children will be out, and how much time they will spend in the water if any. Lets take a look at the environment first. If your home is located near a wooded area then you may have to be a little more concerned about the threat of ticks, and a lot more mosquitoes. If they will be spending a lot of time outside in the evening then obviously they will need more protection. You will also want to take into consideration how much time they will be spending in their water activities. This would mean that any type of bug repellent you use on them must also be water repellent.

You want to make sure that you avoid over applying too much repellent. If too much is applied to any child than it can lead to overexposure which may cause your child to react to the chemical. Never combine sunscreen with bug repellent. This is definitely a mistake that many parents tend to make. Mixing two different types of chemicals on your child’s skin can cause them to suffer a rash on their skin or sometimes even worse. When trying to make your decision on which repellent to use on your children you will want to make sure that you read the label. Products that contain “deet” should not be used on any child who is younger than three months of age.

For children older you still want to make sure that the amount of deet used in the product is less than ten percent. High amounts of deet can protect your child longer, but their little bodies are unable to handle a large amount of this chemical. There are a few additional things that you will want to avoid such as: any repellent that contains permethrin or malathion, and applying any repellent to your child’s face or hands. A good option for young children is to use a repellent that comes in the form of lotion.

This is a lot easier to apply to a child, and you do not have to worry about accidentally spraying them in the face, if you were using the spray. Last but certainly not least make sure that you read the label entirely and follow the directions for application. Many people do not read the directions because they assume that everything is the same. But different types of products sometimes require different application techniques.