Day Hiking Trails: Opt for natural insect repellent with kids

Monday, December 12, 2011

Several good alternatives to DEET exist. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia.

Use a natural repellent rather than products containing DEET, which can lead to medical side effects, especially among children.

Instead, use citronella, pure vanilla (as opposed to imitation vanilla) or lemon oil of eucalyptus. In each case, the odor repels the insect but is non-toxic for people.

Related articles:
g Handling bees, hornets, wasps and yellow jackets when hiking with kids
g How to avoid and treat chigger bites when hiking with kids
g How to avoid and deal with various annoying creepy crawlies on a hike
g How to avoid bugs when day hiking with children

Read more about day hiking with children in my guidebook Hikes with Tykes.

Meet the Author

My name is Rob Bignell. I'm a long-time hiker, journalist and editor. My son Kieran and I have been hiking together for the past decade. Before Kieran, I taught middle school students in New Mexico and Wisconsin, served as an infantryman in the Army National Guard, and worked in newspapers. I've won several journalism awards, from editorial writing to sports reporting. In 2001, The Prescott Journal, which I served as managing editor of, was named Wisconsin’s Weekly Newspaper of the Year. Currently I own and operate an online editing business, Inventing Reality Editing Service. After spending several years in Southern California, my son and I now live in Wisconsin on the scenic Red Cedar River.