UKC

I'm planning to head up to Scotland in the summer with the family and do a bit of camping. We have a girl who will be about 7 months old, and are a bit worried about her being eaten alive. Unfortunately most of the approaches I use for dealing with midges involve covering myself in chemicals that are slightly less toxic to me than to them.

Does anyone have any tips for midge protection for very small people?

She has a travel cot that is basically midge proof so I'm not too worried about night time but she has to go outside some time.

I suppose my questions boil down to the following:

Are there any baby friendly midge repellents that actually work?

Are baby midge jackets a thing? My googling hasn't found anything suitable yet but I think I may be able to adapt a head net or two...

Are mozzie coils ok to use to keep a tent clear when children are that age?

In reply to davidbeynon:

I would have thought something citronella based would be all right.

In reply to davidbeynon:
Well, having grown our wee boy in this midge infested place... I'd say: when sleeping it's no problem just put a midge net over their cot/pram/ sleeping place and when awake and midges are out apply some Smidge (IMHO the best anti midge stuff available right now which is child compatible.) Put on clothes with long sleeves and legs and there won't be too much bother. (Hopefully) Always have midge headnets ready. If midges are too horrible and there is no wind, bail! No point prolonging the agony.
Enjoy!
Kids are a lot more resistant than people think.

In reply to davidbeynon:

My experience of raising two wee ones ion Fort William mirrors Heike's and Smidge is very effective and way less toxic than anything Deet based.

In reply to davidbeynon:

Similar experience to Al and Heike, bringing up a child in Glengarry. He never appeared bothered by them. Personally, I would be more wary of legs, deer kids, and ticks. Tent discipline (take that how you will!) I've found to be a priority camping, along with common sense. Mossy coils are great, but they do give off smoke ... so potentially same issues as tobacco re effect on lungs. I'd be interested to hear others' thoughts on this.

The main consideration for midges is wind, then sun. If I know it's going to bad for the blighters, we'll pick a site close to, or on the coast - you are almost guaranteed some respite at least twice a day then.

I'm in danger of going off on one so will stop myself.

Please get back in touch if you want any further pointers. Have fun, we always have done and still do.

Pad.

EDIT: Oops, just seen what spellchecker done. Should read clegs, deer keds, ticks, and mozzie.

In reply to kingieman:

Mossie coils are in general full of nasty chemicals and I would avoid them.

In reply to davidbeynon:

I would plan to camp as close to the sea as possible, some campsites are well known for being less of a problem for midgies than others.

Early summer is less of a problem than late summer (August is the worst month) and west coast is normally worse than east.

They don't like direct sunlight or wind so if its sunny you won't see them during much of the day and if its more than 5mph wind they can't fly.

Where are you planning to stay?

It would be a bonus if you have a tent you can cook in as most likely some evenings they will be annoying.

In reply to davidbeynon:

Thanks for the advice everyone. Smidge, nets and citronella candles it is I think.

The plan is to start by visiting some family in the inner hebrides, probably in a hostel or b&b as I know from experience that the island in question is brutal when the wind isn't blowing. Then heading up the west, probably as far as poolewe or ullapool before wandering over to catch up with friends in the southern cairngorms.

Tent is a fairly big family job with cooking space inside so it should be possible to make life unpleasant for the little buggers before we close up!

On current form she won't be walking so she will mostly be out of reach of the ticks in a sling or pushchair. Good point about the cleggs though!

-> she will mostly be out of reach of the ticks in a sling or pushchair

2/3 of the child tick incidents we've had have been a child in a pushchair - I think if you brush by an vegetation that is "deer height" you're at risk. Sticking a tick removal tool in your camping kit is a good idea - we've got an o tom tick twister (but can never find it when its needed!).

In reply to duchessofmalfi:

I'll make sure mine get packed. Is the o tom twsiter good?

All I have at the moment are some tick tweezers that are only really good for removing the bigger ones.

In reply to davidbeynon:

Yes the O Tom tick twisters are very good. You get two in a packet, one small one larger. I can recommend these.

In reply to davidbeynon:

Hey, some one may have suggested this but I made a baby midgy suit with no-see-um net and this pattern (https://jaycotts.co.uk/products/m7039#.VzuHNWPX98c) and I just put the zip in the back and filled in the aperture for the face with the netting too therefore keeping the baby midday free!

Jen

In reply to Jenny M:

I have been asking her to make me a grown up sized one but no luck yet!

In reply to Jenny M:

That is a really good idea. I'm pretty hopeless with a sewing machine but if it is too much then I should be able to adapt something off the shelf with a face screen and mittens.

Where do you get the mesh?

In reply to davidbeynon:

Pennine Outdoor are good for stuuf like that

http://www.pennineoutdoor.co.uk/p1h-insect-netting

In reply to davidbeynon:

This is the netting that I used was this (or really similar) - http://www.profabrics.co.uk/collections/mesh-insect-net-outdoor-camping/pro... It really is a super simple patter to run up. I decided to do French seams/ tape them in cotton bias for softness next to the skin.

J

In reply to davidbeynon:

Actually; I think it was this one. Sorry! (I buy ALOT of fabric!!) - http://www.pennineoutdoor.co.uk/fabrics/insect-netting-and-mesh-fabrics/p1h...

J