Bite Blocker

According to experts, Bite Blocker is the safest natural repellent for children. In fact, its use is recommended by the American Pediatrics Academy. Made with plant-based ingredients including soybean oil and geranium oil, Bite Blocker outperforms many other natural insect repellents in comparison tests, though it is not consistently effective. Its protection time (90 minutes to two hours) is not as long as another highly rated natural repellent, Repel Lemon Eucalyptus (*est. $7.50 for 4 oz.), which has a protection time of about four to six hours. Unlike Repel, however, Bite Blocker is suitable for children as young as 2 months old. Reviews report that Bite Blocker is also effective against black flies.

ConsumerReports.org and the Journal of Medical Entomology both provide comparative reviews that cover a wide range of repellents, though neither uses many test subjects. An older report from the New England Journal of Medicine is informative but lacks current information. A report on eMedicine.com is particularly helpful in looking at different types of repellents, though no specific studies are cited. Testing by Slate.com, which is much more informal, looks at repellents in terms of their scent and feel.