What is our Triage Nurse getting a lot of questions on? Read on to find out more…
Summer is here, and so are the bugs. Alliance Pediatrics wants all of our families to have a safe and protected summer. All of us who live in Florida are used to swatting away those annoying flying insects and ticks. Besides the itching, redness and pain from the insect bites, the insects carry diseases as well. Zika, Dengue, West Nile, Lyme Disease and Chikungunya have all been in the news recently.
Some of the most common questions I get this time of year is “Should I use bug spray on my kids?” The answer is “Yes!”* (See * Note)
“Is it safe to put insect repellent on the kiddos?” The answer is “Yes!”* (See * Note)
“What about DEET?”
“Are the natural insect repellents better?”
Insect repellents containing DEET have been tested and approved as safe for kids. Choose a repellant with no more than 30% concentration of DEET. The most effective mosquito repellants seem to be the ones containing a variety of ingredients, including DEET, picaridin, oil of lemon eucalyptus as well as a variety of plant oils, such as cedar, cintronella, geraniol, lemongrass, and rosemary. It is important to make sure you follow the directions and reapplying as directed. Some of the all natural insect repellants have not done well in testing, some failing all together, or only lasting less than 1 hour.
My favorite this year is Repel Plant Based Lemon Eucalyptus Insect Repellent 4 fl oz (118 ml). It smells great and in a Consumer Reports Study lasted 7 hours and did well to repel the Aedes Mosquito.
Per www.healthykids.org :
Tips for Using Repellents Safely
Dos:
· Read the label and follow all directions and precautions.
· Only apply insect repellents on the outside of your child’s clothing and on exposed skin. Note: Permethrin-containing products should not be applied to skin.
· Spray repellants in open areas to avoid breathing them in.
· Use just enough repellent to cover your child’s clothing and exposed skin. Using more doesn’t make the repellant more effective. Avoid reapplying unless needed.
· Help apply insect repellent on young children. Supervise older children when using these products.
· Wash your children’s skin with soap and water to remove any repellent when they return indoors, and wash their clothing before wearing it again.
Don’ts:
· Never apply insect repellent to children younger than 2 months. (* Note from above)
· Never spray insect directly onto your child’s face. Instead, spray a little on your hands first and then rub it on your child’s face. Avoid the eyes and the mouth.
· Do not spray insect repellent on cuts, wounds or irritated skin.
· Do not use products that combine DEET with sunscreen. The DEET may make the sun protection factor (SPF) less effective. These products can overexpose your child to DEET because the sunscreen needs to be reapplied often.
