a cure for what ails you {in the summertime}

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it's been 7 summers with my oldest already. {wow} i love summertime. each summer comes with wonderful new adventures. but the ailments of each summer remain the same: bug bites and swimmer's ear. minor ailments, yes. but annoying and persistent enough to take a little bit of the fun out of swimming and spending time in the great outdoors.

here's what works for us...

bug bite relief

a few weeks ago my kids were gobbled up by chiggers. chiggers, in case you aren't aware, are the meanest little invisible bugs ever. they bite, even through (natural) insect repellent, and the bite's itch severely. i searched high and low for a natural anti-itch solution, because my daughter is allergic to anti-itch medication. every one that i came across offered just temporary relief. my poor babies were still itchy and miserable. then i tried a few name-brand over the counter anti-itch sprays and lotions, also to no avail. finally, i found an almost natural cure for my sweet babies' itches: store brand fragrance-free steroid-free cortisone-free clear anti-itch lotion. (this is Walmart's version) 

seems obvious now that i'm telling you about it but i always thought that stuff was just for chicken pox! it works on chigger bites, too! i only had to apply it to their bites twice and they never itched again. hallelujah! i'm keeping this stuff on hand for any bug bites we might get this summer. 

swimmer's ear

swimmer's ear is fairly new to us. i've only had 1 summer of both of my kids swimming under water. but it only takes 1 case of swimmer's ear to want to prevent it from ever occurring again. here's what works: 1-to-1 Rubbing Alcohol and White Vinegar solution. a few drops in each ear before and after swimming prevent Swimmer's Ear. i found this little bottle at Target and i keep it filled with the solution in our swim/beach bag. 

here's to an itch-free and underwater fun summer :)

preventing and curing summertime ailments works for me!