Effective Homemade Mosquito Repellent For Babies

Homemade mosquito repellent for babies uses gentle essential oils to help prevent bug bites in young children. This blend contains oils such as tea tree oil, eucalyptus, lavender, and others to repel bugs safely and gently. 

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If you don’t know much about essential oils, you may not know that there are essential oils that are not good to use on young children. This is because they are stronger essential oils and can be more harsh on the skin. 

Since babies tend to have more sensitive skin, we have to take a much more gentle approach with essential oils. 

We have tons of mosquitos and bugs here in Minnesota and it is a pain trying to keep them at bay. Between ticks in the woods and mosquitos near the lakes, it is a full-time job trying to keep bugs away!

Thankfully, I’ve made a great bug repellent for my kids with a combination of different essential oils that works against all these bugs! 

Why Homemade natural insect repellent?

I like making my natural mosquito repellents because I don’t like the active ingredients in store-bought bug repellents and natural bug spray that you can buy online is rather expensive.

I have all the essential oils on hand anyway, it makes sense!

Aside from the expense, it isn’t too much of a secret that DEET isn’t as safe as we think it is. DEET has been shown to be highly toxic, especially to children, even inducing seizures, a study found.

While adults can be smart enough to not try inhaling bug spray while spraying it on themselves, we can’t count on our toddlers or babies to do the same. DEEt is labeled by the Environmental Protection Agency as a level III toxin, which means it is slightly toxic. 

Why on earth would I want something even remotely slightly toxic being applied to my child or myself?

Do Natural bug repellents work?

You’d be happy to know that there are studies that have been done showing that oil of lemon eucalyptus has shown to be just as effective as DEET at deterring mosquitos and bugs. The center of Disease Control even implemented guidelines citing lemon eucalyptus oil to be used to prevent West Nile virus.

Do essential oils repel bugs?

Essential oils are made from plants and plants have chemical properties in them that have many wonderful benefits. Some are anti-bacterial, anti-viral, or have many other health benefits. 

The blend of essential oils in this recipe have different chemical properties that deter bugs. Citronella, for instance, has chemical properties that confuse and deter bugs from the scent of their prey.

This article here cites “When citronella is applied or released into the environment, it masks the scents that attract insects, making it difficult for them to find their target. Mosquitoes, for example, are attracted to the carbon dioxide and lactic acid emitted by humans, which helps them locate their next blood meal. However, the strong citrus scent of citronella can overpower these chemical cues, confusing the mosquitoes and keeping them at bay.”

Why is this bug spray specifically for babies?

Babies and young children need to have lower concentrations of essential oils because of their delicate skin. There are also some oils, such as peppermint oil, that can be harmful to babies and toddlers if breathed in.

All the essential oils in this bug spray are safe for babies and young children. You can use it for adults too otherwise I have my own recipe for regular bug spray for adults.

When using bug spray on babies or young kids, you want to be very careful when using it near their faces so they don’t completely inhale .

What essential oils are in this homemade mosquito repellent for babies?

  • Citronella oil
  • Geranium
  • Tea Tree
  • Lemon Eucalyptus
  • Lavender Essential oil
  • Rosemary

See my post here on the best essential oil brands!

Other ingredients in this homemade bug-repellent

  • Witch Hazel– Witch hazel is a good carrier for essential oils and can help the scent stick to our skin and clothing better
  • Distilled Water- This is used to dilute our mixture so it isn’t so strong on our skin
  • White vinegar– White vinegar works great to deter bugs because of its potent smell. Bugs don’t like it! Have no fear, you won’t be able to smell it!

Materials you will need

Replacements:

You can use apple cider vinegar in place of white vinegar. However, it doesn’t work as well in my opinion

Other natural ways to prevent mosquito bites:

There are some other ways to help prevent insect bites when you are outside with your little ones:

  • Wear closed-toe shoes
  • Wear light long-sleeved shirts like “sun clothing”
  • Plant bug-deterring plants around your house like peppermint, eucalyptus, lavender, or a citronella plant
  • Different species of mosquitoes are active at different times of day. Dusk is typically the worst time for mosquitos to be out so avoiding outdoor activities during this time is advised. 
  • Avoid mosquito-heavy places such as bogs, lakes, woods, or standing water during the mosquito-heavy times.
  • Use bug-repellent candles

How to use Homemade mosquito repellent for babies

When using your repellent you want to make sure your baby doesn’t have any skin irritation with your spray. Sometimes if we add too many essential oils to a mixture and your baby has very sensitive skin or an allergy, they can react to the spray however as long as your child doesn’t have an allergy or skin condition you should not have to worry about it.

Spray your bug spray on your child in areas that are exposed and not covered by clothing. You may have to reapply every couple of hours depending on if your child gets wet, sweats, or if they are outside for long periods. I usually have to re-apply every 4-6 hours depending on outdoor circumstances. 

How to make homemade mosquito repellent for babies

First, you will want to add your essential oils to your 2-ounce spray bottle

  • 5 drops citronella
  • 5 drops lavender
  • 2 drops geranium
  • 2 drops lemon eucalyptus
  • 2 drops tea tree
  • 2 drops rosemary

Add: 1 tablespoon witch hazel, 1 tablespoon vinegar, and then top off your mixture with distilled water. Shake your bottle together to incorporate everything and it is ready to use!

​If you want to make a larger batch of herbal mosquito repellent you need to simply multiply this by how many ounces you are using. 

When using for the first time on your child, for safety measures you can apply to a small spot on their skin to make sure they don’t react to any of the oils. I’ve never had issues with my children at any age with essential oils but each child is different.

Final Thoughts:

It is easy to repel bugs with this homemade mosquito repellent for babies. You just need some gentle essential oils to repel bugs away from your children while they play outside! For best results be sure to re-apply every few hours outside, especially when bugs are at their worst!

Homemade Mosquito Repellent for Babies

Homemade mosquito repellent for babies uses gentle essential oils to help prevent bug bites in young children. This blend contains oils such as tea tree oil, eucalyptus, lavender, and others to repel bugs safely and gently. 

Ingredients
  

Essential Oils

  • 5 drops citronella
  • 5 drops lavender
  • 2 drops geranium
  • 2 drops lemon eucalyptus
  • 2 drops tea tree
  • 2 drops rosemary

Other Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon witch hazel
  • 1 tablespoon white vinegar
  • distilled water

Instructions
 

  • Add essential oils, white vinegar, and witch hazel to a 2oz spray bottle
  • Top mixture off with distilled water and shake well

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