Mozzies and mixed answers

[mummaof2]

I am 12 weeks tomorrow and have posted previously about my DD having real mozzie bite issues. Her arms are covered in bites. Last year I used the nature guard spray in our house but everything I've read so far says I can't use it while PG. so yesterday I went and bought the plug in mortein thing which we always used as kids and it says its only a repellent and won't actually kill the mozzies plus I then read more nasty stuff about it so pulled it out. Then this morning I thought I'd put some repellent on my DD so I have MOOV insect repellent in a roll on which says natural active ingredients. Active ingredient is melaleuca oil and then I read that it is tea tree oil and again not proven safe during PG and if course that is all I can smell on my DD. I need something that will protect my poor DD but at the same time is safe for me to be around and it's doing my head in. I see OB tomorrow so ill ask there also but thought you lovely ladies might have some suggestions. My poor daughter looks like she has been in the wars, she is picking the bites till they are open wounds and is scratching almost constantly. I'm almost out of calamine lotion!! I want to stop the mozzies before they bite her!

[LimeSlice]

Tea tree oil on her will not do you any harm. Where are you reading all this? Just because something hasn't been proved safe in pg doesn't mean it is harmful - it simply means they cannot test it, mostly due to ethical concerns.

[onthefly]

I think that would be fine, yeah.

[AnyDream]

Thing 1: a small amount of a substance in your environment is not likely to have a huge impact on your developing baby. Inhaling essential oil in tiny doses from a product on someone else really shouldn't be a problem.

Thing 2; is there a way you could screen the house better so the mossies aren't getting in? In the past, in bad mossie areas, we've sprayed the window and door screens. Seems to keep the blighters out better. Consider a mossie net at night if they are really bad. Check the garden etc for still water (eg under plant pots) and having moving air in shady areas (eg a fan in your outdoor living area/play space) can help them keep at bay.

Thing 3: calamine lotion probably isn't going to cut it it your dd is reacting badly to the bites she already has. We use a product called paraderm plus, it's a first aid cream that acts in three ways: it has an anaesthetic (which immediately soothe the itching), an antiinflammatory (which reduces the redness & swelling) and an antibacterial (prevents/treats infection). My DD used to come up in huge welts from mossie bites and this cream sorted them out overnight. You could also speak to the pharmacist about giving your dd an antihistamine for a short time to get on top of the general itchiness.