Jul 8, 09 | Posted by: Kristin Bencik Boudreau, D.O.

Ways to keep the bugs away!

Bugs are a major drawback to finally enjoying the nice summer weather (which I am sure will come back soon!). One of our readers posed a question about bug sprays after reading Dr. Paley’s blog on insect bites. Insect bites can also lead to potentially serious infections such as West Nile Virus, Lyme Disease, and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. Many parents are concerned about the chemicals in insect sprays, especially DEET. The American Academy of Pediatrics states that insect repellents with DEET are safe for all children two months of age and older. DEET has been shown to be the most effective insect repellent ingredient. What concentration of DEET used depends upon how long the potential exposure will be. For example, and insect repellent like OFF! Skintastic Family with 4.75% DEET provides about one and a half hours of protection, A 20% DEET product provides about two hours of protection. OFF! Deep Woods with 25% DEET gives about five hours of protection. In general, I recommend that parents stick with the Family products or ones with less than 10% DEET. NEVER use the combination sunscreen/insect repellent products because sunscreen needs to be reapplied often and you do not want to reapply insect repellent.

For parents who want DEET free products include Avon Skin So Soft Bug Guard, OFF! Botanical, Burt’s Bees Herbal Insect Repellent, and various others. Keep in mind that  the DEET products have been shown to be more effective than these products. In addition, products with oil of lemon eucalyptus should not be used in kids younger than three years.

Other things parents can do to keep the bugs away include:

• dressing the kids in long sleeved, loose fitting clothing that is not bright colored
• wear socks and shoes instead of sandals
• avoid dusk and dawn time
• avoid perfumes and scented soaps
• spray strollers with insect repellent
• mosquito netting can be used over infant carriers
• get rid of standing water in your yard that can breed mosquitos

Ways to apply bug spray to you kids:

• spray their clothing (not underneath)
• apply the repellent to your hands then rub it on your child
• avoid putting repellent on younger kids hands as they tend to eat them!
• avoid the eyes and mouth area
• wash off the skin immediately upon coming inside with soap and water

For more information, look at www.cdc.gov under insect repellent and safety. Other resources include the EPA web site or the National Pesticide Information Center (NPIC) at npic.orst.edu.

Happy (bug free) Summer!

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