How to Protect Your Baby from Mosquitoes

Babies are precious, and our natural instinct as parents is to protect them every way we can. Babies (and older kids, too) are in the beginning stages of building their immune system and are often hosts for many viruses carried by mosquitoes looking for a home. So how can you protect your newborn from mosquitoes? Here are some suggestions on how to protect your baby while enjoying the great outdoors.

For Babies Under Two Months

Timing

The time of day you may want to adventure outdoors can determine how likely your child may be bitten. Although mosquitoes bite all day long, mosquitoes particularly love to feed during dawn and dusk. These times during the day assist with the mosquitoes’ light sensitivity.

Avoid Scented Products

We all want our babies to smell great, especially with the constant diaper changes, but scented baby products are luring mosquitoes to them. Mosquitoes rely on many senses to find their next meal, and often—especially during the peak hours of the day—they use smell. A cool hack that smells great and deters mosquitoes is using dryer sheets, so place those in your baby bag or your baby’s pocket. However, please make sure you don’t rub the dryer sheet on your baby or yourself!

Clothing

If you are planning to be outside for a while with your baby, like for a stroll in the park or a picnic outdoors, dress them in loose long sleeves. The looseness of the clothing will still allow air to flow through, but if the mosquito attempts to bite, they will not be able to draw blood. Dressing the child in neutral colors such as beige, khaki, olive, gray and white will act as a camouflage against mosquitoes. But no floral print outfits because they might be mistaken for, you guessed it, a flower.

Screens

On a nice windy day outside, you may be more inclined to open your windows or doors to let in the cool breeze and even air out the home. During this time, do not forget to have screens to prevent any mosquitoes from coming in. Also burn citronella candles and let it fill the air to act as a barrier around the screens so mosquitoes won’t come close.

Babies Older than 2 Months

Spray Insect Repellant

For children 2 months and older, you can use insect repellent that contains DEET, according to the CDC. When applying insect repellent to your child’s face, first mist into your hands and then place onto their face, remembering to avoid their eyes and mouth. Another great way to avoid mosquito bites is by having fans face your child while outside. With fly speeds of only 1 to 1.5 mph, mosquitoes can’t fly in strong winds.

Lavender Bags

While indoors, place dried lavender into a cloth bag or small pillowcase in the baby’s room to avoid mosquitoes attacking the baby. Lavender has linalool as an active ingredient, which can be found in many mosquito repellants. In a study published in 2009 in the Journal of Vector Ecology, the scent of lavender was seen to repel 93% indoors and 58% outdoors. For even a better result, try misting the dried lavender in the bag with another oil, such as tea tree, cinnamon, or citronella oil to enhance the deterrence of mosquitoes getting close.

For best results, please reach out to the professionals to help protect your family from mosquitoes and their bites. Contact Mosquito Squad today or call (877) 332-2239 and enjoy the outdoors.