Weeks
October 21, 2002, 11:40am
1
Anybody know of a mosquito spray that I can use on my infant? (3 months)
West Nile changes all the rules. Maybe the new rule is we have to stay inside? Hope not!
Parent’s Place says it’s OK to apply DEET-based repellents to infants over two months old. But I’d still be worried about putting it on their hands, because whatever gets on an infants hands eventually gets into their mouths.
They go on to suggest a lower concentration of DEET can be used on infants if parents are nervous about using “adult strength” repellent.
Avon makes a product called Skin So Soft that works as a bug repellent and is safe for infant. You just have to be sure you don’t miss any spots, cuz if you do, the mosqitos will find it.
…annnnd…every time some consumer’s group tests mosquito repellents, Skin-So-Soft and other citronella products don’t work. Sorry.
http://www.jewishworldreview.com/cols/consumer060600.asp
Meanwhile, Avon’s Skin-So-Soft Bug Guard, a pump spray with 0.1 percent citronella, did not protect our testers a bit: Mosquitoes tapped their arms at the earliest opportunity.
http://www.consumerreports.org/main/detailv2.jsp?CONTENT<>cnt_id=159831&FOLDER<>folder_id=21135
University researchers who pitted the venerable chemical known as DEET against alternative insect repellents have concluded that DEET shows by far the greatest effectiveness against mosquitoes.
The findings track with conclusions that Consumer Reports chemists reached two years ago, in a report rating 14 DEET and non-DEET insect repellents.
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Products made with citronella gave the least protection–no more than 20 minutes on average. In the case of one Avon Skin-So-Soft product, protection averaged as little as three minutes.
So, to address the OP…http://www.parentsplace.com/babies/safety/qas/0,10338,240283_100970,00.html
In 2001 the Environmental Protection Agency made the following recommendations regarding the safe use of insect repellant with DEET for children:
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Do not apply to infants under two months of age. (Skin permeability becomes similar to adult by the second month of life.)
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Do not apply to young children’s hands or near eyes or mouth.
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For use on face, apply to adult hands and then rub on face. Do not spray face. Avoid areas around eyes and mouth.
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The American Academy of Pediatrics states that a 30 percent concentration is safe for both children and adults, but that 10 percent can be used for children if parents are concerned about the potential risks or if the threat of disease-carrying mosquitoes is small.
Weeks, the rules have changed, I think.