Tick Spray for Kids

Tick season is summer time when the weather warms up and pets and kids are outside enjoying the great outdoors. Ticks can cause serious health issues, such as Lyme disease, which makes keeping kids safe from tick bites essential. Spray repellants are one way to keep kids safe while they are spending time in wooded areas.

Identification

• Tick bites are often painless, which makes them hard to detect. According to the University of Denver Children's Hospital, ticks are also very small, some the size of a poppy seed, which also makes them hard to detect on children's skin and clothing.

Significance

• A repellent is a spray, cream or lotion that is used to stop ticks from staying on the skin of children. According to the University of Arizona, repellents contain active ingredients that dissuade ticks from biting or staying on skin and clothing. Vapors from the repellant spray make it difficult for ticks to recognize the smell of the host they would like to feed on.

Prevention

• Along with using a repellent spray for ticks, it is helpful to dress children in long pants and shirts with long sleeves when playing in wooded areas. The University of Denver Children's Hospital suggests having children wear light-colored clothing, which makes spotting ticks easier when inspecting a child's entire body, from top to bottom, when they are finished playing outdoors.

DEET

• DEET, or N-diethyl-meta-toluamide, is the main active ingredient in most tick repellent sprays. Along with repelling ticks, DEET also keeps mosquitoes and other bugs away. Never spray repellants with DEET near the eye, nose, mouth or areas of irritated skin. Always read packaging directions before using repellent that contains DEET. The New York State Department of Health suggests using products with low amounts of DEET (concentrations lower than 5 percent) to reduce potentially harmful exposure to DEET, which in large amounts can be harmful to the central nervous system.

Permathrin

• The University of Denver Children's Hospital suggests using Permethrin-containing tick sprays, such as Duranon or Permanone, as a repellent for ticks. This type of tick repellent is applied to children's clothing, instead of the skin, and can also be applied to other items used outdoors such as sleeping bags and shoes.

Botanicals

• Along with chemical repellents, there are several botanical options that will repel ticks. The University of Arizona suggests that using tick sprays with citronella, lavender or eucalyptus oil is also an effective way to keep ticks away. Although botanical oils are not recommended for children under the age of 2, they are very effective in repelling ticks and sprays can be reapplied safely without concern of harm to children.