Natrual Bug Spray

      Since it is summer, and the sun stays out till forever, we have been playing outside after dinner. I knew that I always get bitten, its annoying but bearable. Not thinking that Lexi is a little ball of sweetness that would get bitten easily. Well, she gets bitten as much as I do. Not only does she get bitten, she has a bad reaction to the bug bites as well. (Lucky us)

     The way that we found out she had bad reactions to bug bites was that we noticed she had a pretty big bump on her leg. I didn't worry too much because I just assumed it was a bug that got a good drink of her =o). But it didn't go away quickly and I started to worry. Of course my husband was thinking it could be a spider bite (to add to the stress!). Thankfully it wasn't spreading, but it didn't look like a normal bug bite. it was kind of bumpy, raised, and reddish in color. And it kept her up at night since it was itchy. So I called the doctor just to inquire about it. He said that as long as it's not getting worse and spreading, she should be fine. ~whew... let me tell you what a relief it was to hear that. So I didn't worry as much, but I kept a close eye on it.

     Over that weekend I learned that my friends' niece also had bad reactions to bug bites. This made me feel a little better that Lexi was not the only child who had bad reactions. And it was also nice to talk to another mom who had the same problem. I learned a lot from her and what to watch out for. (If I have learned anything as a mom, it is a GREAT thing to be able to talk to another mom about your worries and concerns. Not only will they talk some sense into you (we all know we overreact!), but just to compare notes and discuss anything and everything. You just have to be careful not to COMPARE your children. Remember every child is different.)

     So now know I knew that the bugs attack Lexi, I needed to find a good remedy for her when we went outside. There was no option of just keeping her inside, she LOVES playing outdoors. (And I like sitting outside on warm summer nights.)  The solution was to just put her in light long sleeves and pants when we went outside. Now that solved the problem, but only for her arms and legs. The bugs started to attack her face!!!!! She got a few on her face and I felt SO bad. She kept scratching them and again, it was keeping her from sleeping well. I called the doctor again and this time they told me I could put cortisone on her 2-3 times a day and give her Benadryl. So now that I had some preventative strategies and ways to help her sooth the itching, it was time to think about preventing bug bites altogether.
I didn't want to use bug spray with chemicals, since it would be going on her face. So I researched some top bug spray brands a looked for the natural ones. We bought one from Target called California Baby Bug Spray. It has natural citronella and lemongrass oils as the bug repellant. It was worth a try. I tried it on myself first, since I can deal with the bug bites. Let me tell you IT DIDN'T WORK!  I got TONS of bug bites on my legs before, during, and after spraying. I put it on Lexi as well and she got one bite right below her ear. I didn't mention that we also have citronella candles and tiki torches creating a perimeter around our porch.

     So in conclusion, my experience with this spray has not been good. I would recommend not spending the $14 on this item and find another one. (As I will also be searching. There are TONS more natural sprays to find and experiment with.)
If you have had success with a natural bug spray, PLEASE let me know!! =o)