Tag: pop-up tent

Baby mosquito bite hacks

On By jocairdwp2 Comments

Mosquito and other insect bites are no fun at any age but particularly galling when the person who’s been bitten is too young to understand that scratching will only make the discomfort worse. When you take into account the fact that mosquitos in some parts of the world can carry dangerous diseases like malaria, zika and dengue fever, it’s important to get informed and organised ahead of time to stop your baby getting munched.

How to stop your child being bitten by mosquitos

A woman and her baby sit in a chair at a beach restaurant in Goa, India © Steve Pretty
The mosquitos only came out at dusk in Goa, so we didn’t need to cover up or use repellent in the daytime. At night we used repellent and the baby girl slept in her pop-up tent travel cot, which has integrated mosquito nets. © Steve Pretty

Mosquitos lay their eggs in standing water, so avoid hanging out by lakes or ponds, or even puddles after a storm. If your accommodation is on the budget end of the scale it’s worth doing some additional research as to its surroundings – when we took the baby girl to Goa when she was four months old I very nearly booked us into a place where the mossies would have us eaten us alive. It was only by doing some digging that I discovered the proximity of the huts to what the management called a stream but was in effect a swamp. Mosquitos and other flying insects don’t like altitude, so they shouldn’t be an issue in any destination over 2,000m up.

There are thousands of species of mosquitos, with some active during the day, some at night, some at dawn, etc, etc, but it’s fair to say that you’re most likely to get bitten at dusk. Keeping your little one covered up is the most effective way of stopping her from being munched: loose-fitting, full-length sleeves and trousers, the thicker the material the better, as the little bastards can bite through thin, tightly fitting fabric.

You can buy mosquito nets to fit around most cots – and prams and pushchairs for when you want to be and about – but more convenient is an integrated product like the NSA UK pop-up tent/travel cot. Nets treated with insecticide are more effective than those without.

Covering up isn’t necessarily the most attractive option in hot destinations, and you can’t keep a child under a mosquito net 24/7 – which is where insect repellent comes in. DEET-based products are recommended by the National Health Service for everyone over the age of 2 months – concentrations of between 20% and 30% are best for children (the higher the concentration, the longer your little one is protected). While safe for use, DEET is a strong chemical and shouldn’t be breathed in or applied near the mouth or eyes. If you can be very confident that there are no mosquitos where your baby is sleeping, it’s a good idea to wash the repellent off before bed.

Contrary to popular belief, citronella and tea tree oil have little to no repellent properties, so don’t rely on them if you don’t want to get bitten.

Treatment of bites

Baby on holiday in a pop-up tent travel cot on a beach in Goa, with the sun setting over the sea. A mini fan is keeping the baby cool. There are sun loungers on the beach.
The baby girl in her pop-up tent travel cot on the beach in Goa

Cold compresses can help to calm itching from bites, and you should trim your little one’s nails to limit the damage done by scratching. If your baby is in real discomfort, you can give her infant paracetamol. For very severe reactions to bites, a doctor or pharmacist will be able to offer advice or prescribe something to calm the symptoms (most over-the-counter insect bite relief creams are not recommended for children under the age of three).

Malaria

Malaria is even more dangerous in babies and young children than it in adults so it’s important that you take steps to avoid it. That means everything already covered in this post, but it might also mean antimalarial medication, depending on your destination, the age and weight of your child (not all medications are suitable for young children), and what you’ll be getting up to on your trip. Make an appointment with your GP or practice nurse six to eight weeks before you travel to discuss your options.

 

14 handy tips for taking your baby or toddler to the beach

On By jocairdwp

It won’t surprise you to learn that beaches are a hit with babies and toddlers. From smashing sand castles (building them is beyond the baby girl so far) to splashing in rock pools, and from putting pebbles in shoes to picking up random bits and bobs and exclaiming excitedly about them, the fun is pretty much endless.

A woman and a baby play on a black sand beach
Playing on the black sand beach in La Restinga, on El Hierro, the smallest of the Canary Islands

The entertainment taken care of, all that’s left to think about are a few practical concerns. Here are my tips:

1. Stay in the shade in the middle of the day, ideally between 10am and 4pm.

2. If your baby is under six months old, keep her out of direct sunlight entirely. Put her in lightweight clothing so she’s as covered up as possible, and use baby-safe sunscreen (the higher SPF the better, but at least 15+) on any exposed areas.

3. Apply sunscreen when changing your baby or toddler’s nappy at home before leaving for the beach. It’s much easier to get consistent coverage for that first application when she’s naked and not already covered in sand. Apply it all over just in case – you never know when a toddler might decide to strip off, and you want there to be sunscreen on when she does.

4. The easiest way to apply sunscreen to a baby or toddler is with a roll on. You can make your own from an empty roll-on deodorant – just pop the ball out with a spoon, wash and refill.

5. Reapply every two hours, or more frequently if your baby has been in water.

A woman in a sun hat carries a baby in a sling on a beach, its head covered by a cloth
The baby girl naps in the sling under a damp cloth on the beach in Goa

6. Minimise the faff of reapplying sunscreen all the time with a UV-protection suit.

7. Pack a spare hat for your baby in your beach bag (one with a peak and long flap at the back is best).

8. When changing your baby’s nappy at or after a visit to the beach, don’t bother trying to remove sand with wipes. Rinse it off or if that’s not an option let it dry then dust it off.

9. Normally I’d recommend using a reusable neoprene swim nappy and cotton inner rather than disposable swim nappies, but rinsing out multiple poo-filled nappy liners on the beach and then taking them home with you isn’t exactly a relaxing way to spend your holiday. So go for disposable swim nappies (remembering that they offer no absorbency so need to be changed out of for the journey home) or, if your little one will just be playing on the beach and not swimming with you, you can just stick with normal nappies.

10. Empty yoghurt pots make excellent sandcastle-building tools if a bucket and spade aren’t readily available.

11. Pack a mini inflatable paddling pool so your child can have a dip even if the sea is too rough or chilly for her to go in.

12. Another good way of keeping your baby cool is by covering her with a damp cloth (though admittedly less successful after she’s started crawling).

13. If your toddler isn’t enthusiastic about drinking water, keep her hydrated in hot weather by offering snacks like cucumber and watermelon.

14. Leave the pushchair at home, unless it’s an all-terrain model, and take your baby to the beach in a sling instead. Dragging a standard buggy through sand or over pebbles is no fun. If you need a place to put your little one down to nap, consider packing the pop-up tent travel cot I wrote about here. It doesn’t offer full UV protection, so you can’t safely leave her in it in full sunshine, but if you’re in the shade, it’s ideal for a snooze.

Baby on holiday in a pop-up tent travel cot on a beach in Goa, with the sun setting over the sea. A mini fan is keeping the baby cool. There are sun loungers on the beach.
The baby girl in her pop-up tent travel cot on the beach in Goa, her miniature fan keeping her cool