It’s summertime and for many people that means more time outdoors. People aren’t the only ones that come out more in the summer though. Insects do too. So, we turn to bug repellents like sprays to protect our skin from pests like mosquitos and ticks. But, did you know that the active ingredients in most bug sprays are pesticides? Yes, with many bug sprays, we are actually putting pesticides on our skin – and on our children’s skin, but we don’t have to.

Here are some tips for choosing safer bug repellents for your family this summer from Tracy Gregoire, LDA’s Director of the Healthy Children Project, and Sydney Cook, the Director of Science and Research at MADE SAFE.