Out for Blood: Mosquitoes vs. Mommy
It’s mosquito season in south Texas, and the little buggers want my kids. They seem to want Tobin more than Nicholas this year, but Nicholas has had more than his fair share of attacks. In addition to the general itchiness and irritation of the bites, my kids seem to react pretty badly to them (huge bumps, a deep redness that sticks around for weeks, etc.)
Here’s some photographic evidence (with a very fast toddler as the one with the bites, the pictures aren’t very clear). You will see my expert Photoshop skills will make it easier for you to identify the bites (which are a couple weeks old by this point). These are just the few on his face. He’s also covered pretty extensively on his arms and legs.
Exhibit A:
Exhibit B:
I would love to hear what you do to fight the little bloodsuckers. Keeping my kids inside 24 hours a day doesn’t seem to be very practical. So, how do you combat mosquitoes?
I feel ya girlie! My kiddos are mosquito magnets! Especially my 4 year old. Sunday she woke up with what she calls a “puffed eye.” LOL…poor baby =( She gets bit anywhere near her face without us knowing and her eye swells up like she was in a boxing match. It gets worse when she sleeps and it lasts for 2-3 days. It happens to her 3 or 4 times a year. We use deep woods Off and it seems to do its job keeping the pests away. But since she gets bit just walking into HEB from the car, it is IMPOSSIBLE to keep her covered in Off 24/7. I have a TON of “After Bite” sticks. I carry them in the car, the diaper bag, and in all my purses. As soon as she tells me that a mosquito bites her, I use that stuff. It has worked great for us! I know they say not to use on the face or near the eyes, but i do =-/ If there is a bite on her face, I just dab a tiny bit and blow on it till it is dry. “After Bite” has saved us from the dreaded “puffed eye” many many times. Good Luck!
Mindy~Thanks so much for the tips! I have been wary of using the after bite stuff, but I will go stock up now! You know you live in our part of the state when you plan your outdoor activities by the mosquito schedule!
I live in a very bad area for mosquitoes. There’s standing water all around my garden and lots of woods that provide good mosquito habitat. I use a mosquito magnet to help limit the population. See my review at http://www.suburbanhobbyfarmer.com/mosquito-magnet/.
Bill,
Thanks for the tip! The magnet looks interesting.