Bug repellent

[Hillbeans]

Ok, I keep hearing these stories of how bad the bugs are at Disney these past few weeks with the heat/humidity.

What does everyone use on their kids to repel these bugs? When I get bit, I get welts so i'm trying to plan ahead to avoid having bites all over my family. I know some repellent doesn't work on certain bugs as well.

 

[laceemouse]

I have heard the products containing DEET are the most effective. We buy the spray ons specifically for kids as the chemical levels are lower and some of that stuff is absorbed by the skin. We have tried several different brands and most all of them work fine for us. We used to live in Florida and I have to say that the bugs were never that bad during the day. The tend to come out as the sun goes down. Have fun and just be prepared!

 

[Memaw2Wm]

We stayed at FT Wilderness last August, didn't use any bug spray and no one got bit, however it did t'storm almost every evening and that probably kept the mosquitos at bay.

 

[Hillbeans]

Great, thanks for the advice. I read on the Resorts board that there are some black flies and deer flies that once they bite you, it leaves awelt for days. Unfortunately I have that kind of skin that gets a welt from a mosquito bite. I'd rather be safe than sorry.

 

[ftwildernessguy]

DEET has been tested recently against all other bug repellants and was determined by the independant lab that did the testing to be most effective for the longest period of time. I am an avid outdoors person and personally I use Ben's (available at EMS) which is 100% DEET. A little goes a very long way, and I would be careful using this concentration on kids (ie. I wouldn't use it on kids). However, I think a product with a lower concentration, used as directed for a limited period of time, would be fine. Sorry to AVON, but Skin so soft failed miserably in the test - showed limited effectiveness for a very brief period of time.

 

[Muffinish]

ftwildernessguy,
Do you have a link to the test results? I will be travelling with a 9 year old who has horrible reactions to mosquito bites, and an 11 month old who is as yet unbitten but shows extreme skin sensitivity. I'd prefer not to use DEET, especially on the baby, but I need something effective.

 

[TINKFAN3]

My 11 DS is allergic to mosquitos. He swells 10xs the norm. I have used OFF Botanicals on him and found this very effective. We leave in 2 weeks amd the bug attacks have me concerned because of his sensitivity. I will be prepared with my medicine chest

 

[ftwildernessguy]

Originally posted by Muffinish
ftwildernessguy,
Do you have a link to the test results? I will be travelling with a 9 year old who has horrible reactions to mosquito bites, and an 11 month old who is as yet unbitten but shows extreme skin sensitivity. I'd prefer not to use DEET, especially on the baby, but I need something effective.

The original study came across my desk last year. It was in the New England Journal of Medicine dated 4 July 2002. Here is a link which will take you to a web site where you can get another link to this article, along with other information on DEET.

www.deet.com

 

[BuzzLightYear3]

I think they must spray pretty well in and around the disney parks. What we've always done is use the Avon combination sunscreen and insect repellent during the day, and then, if we're going to be in a bug prone area in the evening, add some low-deet concentration insect repellent. Most of the time, we haven't had any problems.

Last June, there were a couple days I got completely bitten up during the day (and I don't usually get bitten) whereas my kids didn't get any bites (and they are usually magnets.) The only difference was that they had the Avon sunscreen on and I didn't.

I've seen the reports that Skin so Soft isn't very effective. Maybe Avon uses something different than just the Skin-so-soft ingredients in their SunGuard Plus?

 

[Muffinish]

ftwildernessguy,
Thank you so much for the link! Interesting reading. Looks like I need to talk to the pediatrician about the safety of using DEET on the kids. If he has concerns, looks like the next-best thing would be the soy-based repellent.

Thanks again.