mosquito repellant for a baby?

[aloha]

We're off on holiday next week and I'm worried about mosquitos. Can anyone recommend a way to protect a nine month old baby?

I use citronella which is very effective and smells of lemons.I don't know if you can get it in the UK ,or if its widely available abroad but you will be able to get it in any pharmacy in Greece. (which is great advice if you're coming to Greece but not much use for anywhere else !!!)
HTH

I think Mosiguard is OK - check the back and it will tell you.

If you dilute citronella oil and lavendar oil in a carrier oil and rub on to skin then that is good. Mosiguard is ok 6m+ I think. The other option is an Avon cream called Skin So Soft (if you could get it in time). It's great for kids and also apparantley a really good repellant (foresters in Scotland use it - and if it can keep scottish midges off then I'm going to belienve them!!!)
Wear long sleeves and light colourd - not bright colours or patterns also to keep mosquitos away and if you are going somewhere exotic you can get a mosquito net from most camping shops.

If you are taking a travel cot/planning to use one, you can get mosquito nets that fit these well from John Lewis. I never felt happy about putting ds down to sleep with even a natural repellent on.

PS forgot to say that this was in France - you don't need to be going anywhere far these days to get chewed to pieces...as I was. Ds was fine.

I know what you mean Marina. Even though I lived for a few years in the Far East as a child, the worst mozzie bites I have had were in France. Got bitten on the eyelid (?) once and it swelled up beautifully.

Oh, we're going to France!! Will go to the chemist for mosiguard, citronella (he has an oil with lavender to help him sleep already) and will go to John Lewis for a net. Thanks so much everyone!

We have a big mozzy problem but dd has only been bittn once - I read that mozzys are attracted to stinky feet and as babies do not have them she may be OK (we're obviously drawing their fire, as it were). At nights I use a little plug-in device in the room, but you have to remember to plug them in early - they will keep mozzies out, but won't make them go away once they are in the room.

Does she like Marmite? Someone once told me that eating Martmite helps keep them away. Honest. R

To add to susanmt's reccomendation of 'skin so soft - this was reccomended to me bt my homeopath. He says the US Marines use it!

I am just savouring the image of hunky foresters and marines smoothing Skin So Soft into their manly jawlines...it doesn't say anything about this in my Avon catalogue, they should publicise this unexpected bonus.

I think the British Army are using too, after a squaddy's mum recommended it. Wouldn't be much use when they were on secret manoevres, though - you'd be able to smell them a mile away!

But I wish I had something effective, as we are getting bitten to pieces out here in Indonesia. (Not DH, though.) Maybe the smelly feet thing is true as DD2 has pongy feet and zillions of bites but I don't think my feet smell. I even woke up the other night just as a mozzie sank its fangs into my face.

The only plus side is that we have acquired an electric bat and can electrocute the little suckers if we're fast enough. Oh, and apparently, the local mozzies only carry Dengue Fever and not malaria. Great.

I read in a magazine today, take Brewers Yeast tabs or vitamin B1 or Marmite! R

Can't get proper Marmite here, its a fake version and is yuk! Do you think spreading it on myself would work?? Trouble is, I'd have all the feral cats after me instead! Will look for Brewers yeast tomorrow. I'm going mad here as I've now been bitten on the soles of my feet and god, do they ITCH. It's like needles going in, ow, ow, ow!

The windows are never open as we have air/con everywhere, SueW. We've even tried freezing the blighters to death by turning the AC right down but they still persist! You're right in that it is only one or two that manage to sneak in, but they are enough to do the damage. I've tried to avoid going down the chemicals route but I think I'm going to have to give in and accept that it is the lesser of two evils!

BTW, my feet are still driving me mad - so unbelievably itchy. I wish I could unscrew them and put them in the freezer!

Bl%dy hell, SueW - through the a/c??? I hadn't thought of that! Should have though, as we once had ants in the a/c, eew! Actually, I think they are just coming in via the doors, as we go in and out. I'm going to ask the housing people to put in screen doors.

Next problem is how to keep them out of the car. We try to smack them between our hands. The drivers are brilliant at it, they almost never miss a mozzie, although again I'm told it makes quite a mess if they are full of blood........