Sounds like you haveor had leaf miners and leaf hoppers.
Your babies are obviously in distress, drawing the bugs to them in large quantities. Let me suggest planting them with a handful of cornmeal, a good bit of compost on the top of the soil and watering them in with a seaweed mixture. A misting with garlic tea will dissuade the bad guys until they recuperate and get established. Hope this doesn't come too late - if you lost the first batch, take heart and plant a new one. I just put mine in this way last week and they're growing like....well, weeds!
Kathe