Mosquitoes are everywhere.

Let’s face it, no matter how diligent you are in cleaning your house and spraying your rooms with some good ol’ Baygon, one or two mosquitoes somehow manage to leave an itchy surprise on your skin. Over the past few weeks I have noticed how much more frequently I’d spot a few mosquitoes, and I was really upset when I saw my son’s legs covered in mosquito bites! Not only are the red marks irritating to look at, but there is always the risk of encountering the dreaded “D” word – Dengue. I simply cannot afford to expose my son to such possibility, so I decided to take action.

I decided to buy two things to keep my son dengue-free: A natural and safe insect repellent and a balm for mosquito bites.

I really wanted to keep my son safe from mosquitoes and at the same time I wanted my son to be free of harmful chemicals. So I headed to Sesou, a store that carries natural products, in Alabang Town Center.

INSECT REPELLANT

There were a lot of good choices for insect repellants, but I narrowed down my choices to Human Nature’s 100% Natural Bug Shield DEET-Free Oil and GIGA’s Baby Insect Repellant Spray.

Photo grabbed from humanheartnature.com

I used to be a dealer of Human Nature products, so I was familiar with their Bug Shield Oil. This product is very effective in warding off mosquitoes, however, I find the scent too overpowering for a baby, and the consistency it quite thick. I’ll probably use this though when my son is a few years older.

I decided to purchase GIGA’s Baby Insect Repellant Spray instead. It has a mild scent and not only can you spray it on your baby’s skin, but you can also spray your room with it, which I find much preferable over Baygon and other chemical sprays. You can spray it on baby’s clothes too if you prefer not to spray it directly onto his/her skin.

This spray is effective. I spray our rooms and bed covers with this before we go to sleep. When my son is on the walker I spray the bottom of the walker with this, too. He still has a mosquito bite or two occasionally, but not like before when you could use a marker to connect all the red dots on his legs.

I got this for P185. It is a versatile product and I will definitely consider buying refills for this.

HEALING BALM

There weren’t many choices for baby healing balms, probably because I was looking for products specifically for mosquito bites. I was eyeing Indigo Baby’s Jar of Hope First Aid Gel instead of a balm as I read a lot of good reviews about it. However, I remember purchasing it before when I was about to have my first baby and I found it too expensive considering that it runs out easily with it’s watery consistency. This was a few years ago, though, so I’m not sure if they’ve made any changes to the product since then. This costs about P425 for 30ml. A lot of mommies swear by this product, so feel free to give it a try!

Photo grabbed from indigobabyshop.com

I could not find any other products similar to the Jar of Hope, but just when I was about to give up on finding a balm for mosquito bites, one of the salesladies recommended GIGA’s Tea Tree Cream.

As you can see on the cover, it is made of VCO, aloe vera and lavender – all known for healing and soothing properties. When I checked the back, though, it lists more ingredients: beeswax, tea tree oil and lemongrass oil. I decided to purchase this instead, I got it for P85.

This product is a godsend! My son’s mosquito bites were gone overnight, two days at the most, and it does not leave any marks or scars behind. Not only is it affordable, but with it’s consistency it can last quite long. Since baby’s mosquito bites are tiny, you will only need to use just a bit at a time. This is definitely a keeper, and I would not hesitate to purchase this again.

I hope you found this somewhat informative.There are many other natural products that offer protection for our babies from mosquitoes, so don’t hesitate to try them. I urge you mommies to use natural and safe products for your babies as it keeps them safe from harmful chemicals. If you cannot convert wholly to natural products that is perfectly fine. You can start gradually, with the little things, like these insect repellents. Eventually, you will grow to prefer natural products over chemical laden ones that lure you with their cheaper prices. If you’re not the type who wants to “go green for the environment”, then at least do it for your child.

Let’s keep our babies dengue free! Til my next post, mommies! My baby is starting to grab the laptop cables.. ack!