Life on the Road

PUBLIC ENEMY NUMBER ONE
WANTED, DEAD OR ALIVE:

When we get to Heaven, the one thing I most want to know is: Why mosquitos, God?

I’ve mentioned before that my two little ones are allergic to mosquitos. Unfortunately, this is also paired up with something that makes mosquitos come after them with a vengeance!

And we live in South Florida. Sub-tropical climate, complete with an over-abundance of the nasty critters.

We’ve tried a lot of things both to prevent bites, and to treat bites. While we have what seem to be workable solutions in both categories, it’s far from ideal.

Bite Prevention

A lot of people have a lot of good things to say about the OFF! product line. Our pediatrician includes the OFF! Towlettes in his list of repellants for the kids, along with SkinTastic and Avon’s Skin So Soft.

For reasons including comfort with the ingredients, effectiveness, and cost, we use Skin So Soft as our daily go-to. We try to always apply it when the kids get dressed in he morning, and again whenever we are going past the front door.

We find Skin So Soft very effective under normal conditions. When there is a heavy concentration of mosquitos, though, it’s not enough to keep them from getting bitten.

So far we haven’t had much luck with outdoor products to keep the mosquitos away inthe first place.

We use a kid- and pet-safe spray (Ortho Home Defense) around the access points (windows, doors, baseboards) indoors, and granules around the perimeter of the house outside… But with it not being a house we own, we haven’t been able to dig into any of the enticing promises of things like mist spray systems that are supposed to keep them out of your entire airspace.

I’ve heard good things about, but haven’t yet had a chance to try, the OFF! PowerPad Lamp. You can enter to win one at Go Graham Go! through July 22nd – please let me know how you like it if you win!

People have a lot of home remedies like spraying outdoor furniture and toys with Listerine… but combined with the weather here so unbearable we have essentially just given up using the outdoors. (Sad, eh?)

Treating Bites

Step One: Clean.

A lot of people swear by various things to clean and detox. Amonia, peroxide, meat tenderizer paste, baking soda paste…

From our experience, it doesn’t seem to make a difference. I typically use peroxide when we’re at home, and alcohol wipes from the First Aid kit when we’re out an about.

Step Two: Treat the Problem.

Something is needed to prevent an infection reaction on the surface. Neosporin or the like is a good first line of defense, and we also have a stronger antibiotic cream prescribed by the pediatrician.

I also give them something to control the reaction from the inside – something like Benadryl or Claratin. Without this, not only is the bite area more inflamed and troublesome, but the child will also typically get a feve, be lethargic and grouchy, etc. Poor kids!

Occasionally, and for reasons I cannot determine, none of this helps. Twice the pediatrician has prescribed oral antibiotics.

Step Three: Treat the Symptoms.

While it’s healing – since even with all that there’s a process to go through – it is itchy and miserable.

We tend to use 1% Hydrocortisone cream (over the counter) or Benadryl anti-itch cream. I mix it in with the antibiotic cream from Step Two, then put a Band-Aid over it to keep them from messing with it – the bigger, the better. (Remember, Band-Aid is a trademark. And it actually is our preference.) For R.T., sometimes I put a too-big sock over his arm or leg to try and keep things hidden.

The Benadryl liquid also helps with symptom control, as does the occasional Tylenol if things get bad.

WHEW!

Maybe we just need to move somewhere less infested…