Always a nuisance, mozzies turn into full-blown enemies when you become a mom – and you have to protect delicate, plump little skin!
Luckily, there are a few, natural ways in which you can keep those buzzing critters at bay.
Here are three of them:
3 Tricks to keep those pesky mozzies at bay
1. Mozquito nets or fans
A mosquito net placed over a bassinet, cot or camp cot is a great option for a newborn baby. You can find different sized ones at baby and homeware stores as well as at local camping shops!
As soon as baby is mobile, it’s best to find an alternative solution, though – as you wouldn’t want baby pulling the mosquito net down and entangling him or herself in it!
2. Natural mozzie repellents
Natural mozzie repellants are a far more kid-friendly, sensitive skin option than those that contain harsh chemicals, like DEET (the most common active ingredient in insect repellents).
We love the spray and stick by Pure Beginnings. Both contain the obvious natural ingredients known to deter bugs – citronella and lemon eucalyptus, but also contain another critical ingredient, that you may no have heard of before, called Lippia.
Good to know: Lippia is probably Africa’s most underrated fragrant medicinal plant. This aromatic fever tree belongs to the Verbena family – Lippia javanica – and is a woody shrub about 1m to 2m tall. It occurs naturally in South, Central and East Africa and is well known as a medicinal and garden plant. Grown commercially in South Africa, Lippia is rich in a volatile oil with a lemon-like fragrance. The oil is high in ipsdienone, which is known to deter insects and rodents.
The Pure Beginnings experts recommend that you rub the stick directly onto your little one’s skin (when he is asleep, of course) avoiding areas which they may instinctively put into their mouths (such as their fingers/hands). Their clothes form a barrier between the mosquito and their skin, so the stick is only necessary on exposed skin.
Their spray can be used directly on the skin, but for tiny babies, they suggest spraying it on your child’s bedding, curtains, sleeping bag and jarmies before dressing them and putting them in their room at night. This way they won’t inhale the spray but will still be well protected.
3. Essential oils or scents
Some moms swear that essential oils such as lavender and scents such as vanilla are enough to keep buzzing mozzies at bay!
You can dilute lavender oil with aqueous cream, and apply directly to baby’s skin or diffuse it in a diffuser in baby’s room. A good option – as lavender oil is known to have a calming, sleepy effect on fussy babies!
Alternatively, you could just pop vanilla-scented stick diffusers in different rooms throughout the house to deter any mozzies that may enter through open windows.
Author: LARA BESTBIER
Writer. Creative. Word-nerd. Aspiring photographer. Oh, and mom to the only little girl more demanding than me. Parenting editor at All4Women (e-mail me at [email protected]).
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