Mosquitoes and children

The short answer

Children can safely use most of the same insect repellents that adults use, with a few age rules to follow. The main one is simple: do not put insect repellent on a baby younger than 2 months. For babies that young, cover the skin with clothing and drape mosquito netting over the stroller or carrier instead. For children 2 months and older, an EPA-registered repellent with DEET, picaridin, or IR3535 is appropriate when you apply it correctly. Products made with oil of lemon eucalyptus (OLE) or its synthesized version para-menthane-diol (PMD) are the exception, and those should not be used on children under 3 years.

As for the bites themselves, they are almost always just itchy and harmless. Children often react to mosquito bites more strongly than adults do, so a bite can swell into a firm red bump a couple of inches across and still be nothing to worry about. A small number of mosquito-borne illnesses do affect children more than adults, so bite prevention matters, but a typical summer bite needs little more than something to calm the itch.

The short version: No repellent under 2 months (use netting and clothing). DEET, picaridin, or IR3535 are fine from 2 months on. No oil of lemon eucalyptus or PMD under 3 years. Most bites are just itchy.

Which repellents are safe for kids, and the age rules

The safest and best-studied approach is to use an EPA-registered repellent and follow the label. EPA registration means the product has been reviewed for safety and effectiveness when used as directed. See choosing a repellent for the full picture. Here is how the common active ingredients apply to children.

DEET. DEET can be used on children 2 months and older. The EPA does not set a minimum age or a maximum concentration for DEET on children when the product is used as labeled. That said, a higher concentration is not stronger, it simply lasts longer before you need to reapply, so there is rarely a reason to reach for a very high percentage on a child. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that repellents used on children contain no more than 30% DEET, and notes that about 10% protects for roughly 2 hours while 30% lasts about 5 hours, with no added benefit above 30%. The practical approach is to pick the lowest concentration that covers your time outdoors and reapply if needed.

Picaridin. Picaridin can be used on children 2 months and older, with no additional age restriction beyond that. Many parents prefer it because it is nearly odorless and does not feel greasy or damage plastics the way DEET can.

IR3535. IR3535 can also be used on children 2 months and older, with no additional age restriction. It is another well-tolerated option registered by the EPA.

Oil of lemon eucalyptus (OLE) and PMD. This is the important exception. Do not use products containing oil of lemon eucalyptus or para-menthane-diol on children under 3 years. Note that “pure” or essential-oil lemon eucalyptus is a different thing that is not tested or registered as a repellent, so it is not a substitute.

How to apply repellent to a child safely

The way you apply repellent matters as much as which one you choose.

Spray or squeeze the product onto your own hands first, then rub it onto the child. Do not spray it directly at a child’s face.
Do not put repellent on a child’s hands. Young children put their hands in their eyes and mouth.
Keep it away from the eyes and mouth, and off any cuts or irritated skin.
Use just enough to cover exposed skin. More does not work better.
Do not apply it under clothing.
When you come back indoors, wash the treated skin with soap and water, and wash treated clothing before it is worn again.

Protecting babies too young for repellent

Because repellent is off the table for babies under 2 months, physical barriers do the work instead. These methods are safe at any age and are worth using for older children too as an extra layer.

Drape fine mosquito netting over the stroller, bassinet, or infant carrier. Choose netting with an elastic edge so it stays put, and make sure it is not resting against the baby’s skin where a mosquito could still bite through it.
Dress the baby in lightweight clothing that covers the arms and legs.
Avoid being outdoors with an unprotected infant during peak mosquito activity, and keep window and door screens in good repair so mosquitoes stay outside.
Remove standing water around the home so fewer mosquitoes hatch near where your family spends time.

La Crosse encephalitis and children

Most mosquito-borne illnesses in this country affect adults and children alike, but one stands out for hitting kids harder: La Crosse encephalitis. It is a brain infection caused by La Crosse virus, spread by the bite of an infected treehole mosquito, and it is one of the most common causes of arboviral (mosquito-borne) nervous-system disease in children here.

Most people infected with the virus never feel sick, and severe illness is uncommon, but when the serious form does occur it happens most often in children under 16. In national data the median age of reported patients has been about 8 years, and the large majority were under 18. There is no vaccine and no drug that cures it, so prevention comes down to avoiding bites and removing the small pockets of standing water where these daytime-biting mosquitoes breed. Activity is concentrated in the Appalachian, mid-Atlantic, upper Midwest, and Southeast regions, mostly in late summer and early fall.

This is a good reason to be consistent about bite protection for children in those areas during those months. For the full picture, including symptoms and the warning signs that need urgent care, see La Crosse encephalitis.

Treating a child’s bites and big local reactions

For an ordinary itchy bite, simple measures are enough. A cool compress (ice wrapped in a wet washcloth) held on the bite for a while calms both the itch and the swelling. A 1% hydrocortisone cream, available without a prescription, can be applied up to three times a day until the itch settles. For itching that is keeping a child up at night, an oral antihistamine can help, but check the label and your child’s age before giving any medicine, and ask your pediatrician if you are unsure about dosing for a young child. Try to keep the child from scratching, since broken skin is how bites get infected.

Children commonly get larger reactions than adults. A bite can swell into a firm red area a couple of inches across and get bigger over a day or two. On its own this is a harmless local allergic reaction to proteins in the mosquito’s saliva, not an infection and not a dangerous allergy. When these large reactions are pronounced, are accompanied by warmth and swelling, and sometimes low-grade fever or swollen glands, they are sometimes called “skeeter syndrome.” It tends to show up in early childhood, is more common in kids, and usually eases as a child gets older and their body grows used to local mosquitoes. It is treated the same way as an ordinary bite, with cold compresses, topical steroid cream, and an antihistamine, and it typically fades over several days. Because a big warm red reaction can look like a skin infection (cellulitis), the timing is the clue: a saliva reaction appears within hours of the bite, while infection tends to develop later. For more detail see treating mosquito bites and skeeter syndrome.

When to call the pediatrician

Most bites never need a call. Reach out to your child’s doctor if you see signs that a bite has become infected or that something more than a simple bite is going on:

Spreading redness around the bite, especially if it is painful to the touch, warm, or begins more than a day or two after the bite.
A red streak spreading away from the bite, which can signal a deeper infection and should be seen promptly.
Pus, honey-colored crusts, or a sore that is draining, which can point to a skin infection such as impetigo.
Fever along with a spreading red area, or a child who simply seems unwell.
Severe itching that is not improving after a day of hydrocortisone cream.

Seek care urgently, rather than waiting, if a child has a high fever with a severe headache, a stiff neck, confusion, unusual drowsiness, or a seizure, particularly in late summer in an area where mosquito-borne brain infections occur. Those are not bite reactions, and they need immediate medical attention. And of course, any sign of a rare whole-body allergic reaction (trouble breathing, swelling of the lips or tongue, hives spreading over the body) is a medical emergency.

Sources

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Preventing Mosquito Bites. https://www.cdc.gov/mosquitoes/prevention/index.html. Accessed 20 Jul 2026. (Do not use insect repellent on babies younger than 2 months; for children 2 months and older use EPA-registered repellents; do not use OLE or PMD on children under 3 years; do not apply to a child’s hands, eyes, mouth, or cut or irritated skin; adults apply to their own hands first, then to the child; cover strollers and carriers with mosquito netting and dress children in clothing that covers arms and legs.)
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Using Insect Repellents Safely and Effectively. https://www.epa.gov/insect-repellents/using-insect-repellents-safely-and-effectively. Accessed 20 Jul 2026. (When using on children, apply to your own hands and then put it on the child; do not apply to children’s hands or near eyes and mouth; DEET has no age restriction and no restriction on percentage for use on children; some oil of lemon eucalyptus products should not be used on children under 3.)
American Academy of Pediatrics (HealthyChildren.org). How to Choose an Insect Repellent for Your Child. https://www.healthychildren.org/English/safety-prevention/at-play/Pages/Insect-Repellents.aspx. Accessed 20 Jul 2026. (Repellents used on children should contain no more than 30% DEET; about 10% lasts roughly 2 hours and 30% about 5 hours, with no added benefit above 30%; DEET, picaridin, and IR3535 acceptable for children; do not use OLE or PMD on children under 3.)
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About La Crosse Virus. https://www.cdc.gov/la-crosse-encephalitis/about/index.html. Accessed 20 Jul 2026. (Most infections asymptomatic; illness ranges from mild fever to encephalitis; spread by infected treehole mosquitoes.)
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Clinical Signs and Symptoms of La Crosse Virus Disease. https://www.cdc.gov/la-crosse-encephalitis/hcp/clinical-signs/index.html. Accessed 20 Jul 2026. (Leading cause of pediatric arboviral neuroinvasive disease; severe disease most common in children under 16; median age of reported patients about 8, most under 18; no cure, supportive care; activity concentrated in late summer and early fall.)
Seattle Children’s Hospital. Mosquito Bite. https://www.seattlechildrens.org/conditions/a-z/mosquito-bite/. Accessed 20 Jul 2026. (1% hydrocortisone cream up to three times a day; ice in a wet washcloth for 20 minutes; large local reactions of 2 to 4 inches are a harmless local allergic reaction to mosquito saliva; signs of infection including spreading redness, red streak or lymphangitis, and impetigo; when to contact a healthcare provider.)
American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. Ask the Expert: Mosquito bite large local reactions and Skeeter Syndrome. https://www.aaaai.org/allergist-resources/ask-the-expert/answers/2026/mosquito. Accessed 20 Jul 2026. (Skeeter syndrome is a large local inflammatory reaction to mosquito saliva; reaction appears within hours, in contrast to the slower time course of cellulitis.)
Cleveland Clinic. Skeeter Syndrome. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/23289-skeeter-syndrome. Accessed 20 Jul 2026. (Reaction to proteins in mosquito saliva; localized redness, warmth, swelling, and itch, sometimes with low-grade fever or swollen glands; treated with anti-itch cream, antihistamines, and sometimes oral steroids; commonly begins in early childhood and eases with age.)

Educational reference only. This is not medical advice. If you or your child may have a mosquito-borne illness, or if a bite looks infected, contact a healthcare professional. Last reviewed 20 July 2026.