What to Use to Soothe Mosquito Bites in Babies

Nosotros love beingness outdoors with our little ones — fresh air, sunshine, and a modify of scenery tin can brand everything ameliorate. Unfortunately, 1 drawback that comes with the alfresco territory — most noticeably during the summer months: Bugs. Creepy, crawly, bitey bugs to be more specific.

Information technology's 1 affair when you, an adult, get an itchy, ouchie sting. Only when your poor, defenseless sweetheart gets one? Cue the tears — from yous and them! It can be uncomfortable, painful, and scary for a piffling one. Information technology'southward important to be prepared for bug bites and know what to exercise. Read on for our tips on how to identify, care for, and, hopefully, foreclose them.

baby with insect bite — Kwangmoozaa/Shutterstock

How to identify unlike bug bites

Before you panic and call the pediatrician (been there, done that!), you lot can endeavor to place a bug seize with teeth or sting yourself. Most of the fourth dimension, you'll see a cherry-red bump on your child's pare. You may observe them grabbing at it or itching before you fifty-fifty run into the spot. Here are the virtually mutual insect bites on babies:

Mosquito: 'Tis the season. Mosquitoes do not discriminate — blood is blood, and they volition banquet on your infant's soft, delicate pare without hesitation (they're bugs, after all). A mosquito seize with teeth on Baby looks like, well, a mosquito seize with teeth on you! It tin can be characterized as a small red bump with a tiny dot in the center.
Bee sting: If you see a blood-red dot with almost instantaneous swelling (stinger potentially included), you know your child was the victim of a bee or wasp. Of course, before yous fifty-fifty identify the marker, your kid might be crying in pain! While not very common, bee and wasp stings can cause serious allergic reactions in some children, so watch your kiddo advisedly.
Fire ants: Fire ant bites tin be painful and cause a burning sensation. They typically happen on the feet or legs, and tin result in swelling and fluid retention.
Flea bites: These frequently announced in a small group of red dots. Accept dogs or cats? This can help clue in your bite detective work.
Bed bugs: Appearing as a cluster, bed bug bites oft have dark red spots at the center. These will unremarkably exist on an exposed part of the trunk that PJs don't embrace.

How to care for problems bites

These treatments will help out your kiddo if they're a victim of a issues bite or two:

Hydrocortisone or antibody cream: Not so fast, Mama. Earlier y'all whip out your handy hydrocortisone foam or slather one the antibiotic ointment, talk to your child's pediatrician. Some recommend against using cream for insect bites for babies under two years of historic period.
Aloe vera gel: This soothing gel can be applied directly to a seize with teeth to soothe the affected area and accept the itch out. Pro tip: Keep it in the refrigerator, so information technology's extra cooling.
Baking soda paste: Stir a few drops of water into a teaspoon or ii of baking soda to create a paste that draws out the crawling.
Treating a sting: If it's a bee sting, you'll desire to first remove the stinger — ASAP. Clean the expanse with cool water, and consider using a cream every bit mentioned above (this warrants a quick call to your md for the official "Okay!"), or effort some calamine lotion to soothe and relieve hurting and itching. If yous suspect your child is having an allergic reaction, seek firsthand medical assistance.
Tick bites: When your children spend time outdoors in the summer, you'll want to check them for ticks. These buggers tend to gravitate to warm areas — the scalp, the bellybutton, the ears, etc. If y'all see one, don't panic! Step one is to remove the tick. Yous can endeavor soaking a cotton ball in soapy warm water and belongings information technology to the tick for xxx seconds or so. Remove, and, hopefully, the tick volition come off, too. If this doesn't work, you'll need to utilize tweezers. Grasp the torso virtually your kid's skin and pull straight out without turning your tweezers. This should do it!

Exist sure to put the tick in a jar, and so y'all tin can prove it to your pediatrician to decide if it is ane that could bear affliction. If y'all're unable to do this, you can hash out Lyme disease take a chance or testing options with your pediatrician.

Signs that it might be more serious

Issues bites are typically more of an annoyance than a medical concern. Simply sometimes, kids can have reactions. Monitor the bite and make sure it'due south healing properly. Call your doctor if the seize with teeth appears to crust over, gets ultra-cerise, hard, or inflamed effectually the eye, or if the surrounding surface area becomes swollen. Moreover, if your kid appears to be having an astute reaction to a issues bite, you'll want to seek immediate help — if they experience shortness of jiff, interruption out into hives, or become ill, call your pediatrician or take them to an ER or urgent care facility.

A reaction will typically happen soon later a sting. Anaphylaxis is a rare but possible allergic reaction to a sting and requires immediate medical care — and so telephone call 911.

kid with bug bites — VasitChaya/ Shutterstock

Prevention tips to avoid bug bites

Take these preventative steps if your picayune one is out and about:

Apparel for the occasion: If you know your child will exist playing in a woodsy or heavily green expanse with long grass, dress them in long breathable pants, long sleeves, socks, and hats. We empathise that information technology's summer and won't always be possible to cover your kiddos upwardly, but think in terms of layers.
Use bug repellent: You can use an insect repellent on infants older than two months of age. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends using a thirty% DEET product. Be certain to launder information technology off at night.

Issues bites are no fun for anyone. It's particularly hard when your piffling i takes the burden of a mosquito or fly swarm. At that place are some simple steps you can take to hopefully forestall them and a few to treat the inevitable ones that do happen. Either way, you'll go on your kids at-home and exist prepared — and that will aid take the sting out of this unpleasant situation.