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Infant Products for Tick Protection

Along with the joys and relaxation that may come with being outdoors come related concerns, especially with regard to the care of small children. Ticks, though sometimes innocuous, can carry illnesses like Lyme disease. Diligently watch them for in certain environments. This is all the more pertinent with regard to infants, due to the dearth of protections currently available specifically for them.

  1. Repellents

    • As of 2011, there are really no tick repellent products produced specifically for infants or young children. Another problem is that the most common forms of repellent used by adults, such as those containing DEET, can often present risks to small children, particularly when parents use them wrongly or over-apply them. While there are a number of natural products on the market, federal agencies may not have thoroughly tested so their effects on children, especially the very young, have not been substantively investigated.

    Prevention

    • If you feel inclined to use a repellent like DEET, adjust the dose or solution you apply to your infant. First, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health warns never to use a DEET-based repellent on a child two months of age or younger. If they are older, you can mix a DEET repellent with water so that the finished mixture is 30 percent repellent and 70 percent water. When applying the solution to your child, never put it on her hands because she may stick her hands in her face or fingers in her mouth; a very common behavior for infants.

    Best Practices

    • The best thing to do is to help the infant avoid ticks in the first place. Keep him from crawling in tall grass. If the does, either cover him completely, or continually check exposed skin for the presence of ticks. Again, the best practice is to avoid ticks altogether. Remember that ticks are notoriously hard to spot in someone's hair, especially if it is a darker shade. If your family must go through tall grasses or heavily wooded areas, carry him so that he is not exposed directly to the tick's habitat.

    Removal

    • If you do locate a tick on your child, never use a hot match or Vaseline to remove it. This will cause the tick to emit more saliva into the bloodstream. The more saliva released, the higher the chance that an infection--such as Lyme Disease-- will be transmitted. You should not panic if the tick has freshly attached to your infant, because the risk of infection is greatest between 24 to 72 hours after the initial bite. If you don't feel comfortable removing the tick yourself, have an available health professional do it, then contact your pediatrician for further instructions.

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