Don’t let bug bites take a bite out of your family’s summer. While cases of West Nile virus and other illnesses caused by mosquitoes are a reminder that it’s important to protect your child from stinging insects, you shouldn’t let them make you anxious, or prevent you from taking your family outdoors. Follow these tips from the American Academy of Pediatrics to help you keep your kids itch-and-scratch free.

Before heading outdoors:

• Don't use scented soaps, perfumes or hair sprays on your child.
• Avoid dressing your child in clothing with bright colors or flowery prints.

When outdoors:

• Avoid areas where insects gather, such as stagnant pools of water, uncovered foods, and gardens where flowers are in bloom.
• Don’t apply combination sunscreen/insect repellent products on children. Stick to using separate products for these different needs. Why? Sunscreen needs to be reapplied every two hours, but insect repellent should only be used once a day and shouldn’t be reapplied.
• Use repellents with 30% DEET on children older than 2 months. DEET shouldn’t be used on kids younger than this age, and because 10% DEET only works for about 30 minutes, it won’t protect long enough for most outings. 
• Apply DEET sparingly on exposed skin, and don’t use it under clothing.
• Don’t put DEET on cuts, wounds, or irritated skin, or around the eyes and mouth (also avoid the hands of young kids since their little fingers often end up in their mouth).
• Don’t spray DEET near food.
• Follow directions on the product, and read labels to ensure you’re getting the DEET concentration you need.
  

When back indoors:

• Kids should take a shower or bath with soap to wash off repellents.
• Put treated clothes in the laundry to be thoroughly cleaned.