Read information about how to help your baby if he has been bitten by a mosquito or midge and has an allergic reaction, itching, or swelling. What products are effective in combating these insects?
Every inhabitant of the planet knows such insects as mosquitoes. As a rule, after a mosquito bite, red spots appear on the body, which at first are very itchy and go away over time.
For a child, this itching is sometimes unbearable, and he begins to scratch the bite site, thereby aggravating the situation. And some babies may be allergic to bites. Let's explore effective methods that will help children avoid problems after an insect bite.
What to do if a child is bitten by a mosquito or midge and develops an allergy: first aid
When the warm season comes, it is very difficult to protect yourself from bites of all kinds of insects. After all, they fly everywhere - not only in the forest belt, but also just on the street.
When going for a long walk with your child, be prepared to provide first aid against midge and mosquito bites. Not only can these insects cause allergic reactions in babies, they also carry various infections.
Camping. Insect bites
If a child has a normal reaction to insect bites, the affected area of skin will first turn red and slightly swollen, and then begin to itch. If you properly care for the affected skin tissue, the bite will not be visible after two days.
But when the skin color in the area of the bite becomes bright pink or deep red and painful swelling occurs, then this is an allergy. If you notice such spots from bites, then your baby needs help:
- first disinfect the redness green
- To reduce itching, apply gauze soaked in cold water
- If an allergic reaction occurs, give an antihistamine
- helps well with bites and irritation Fenistil (anti-allergenic ointment)
- if a rash, shortness of breath, vomiting, etc. appears, call an ambulance immediately
What to do if a child is bitten by mosquitoes?
Help at home
If a small child’s body is hypersensitive to various chemical and biological compounds, then the child may develop an allergic reaction against the background of a mosquito bite. Depending on the degree of reactivity of the child’s body, the severity of the allergy is individual.
The formation of a hypersensitivity reaction can be recognized by the characteristic pink or reddish halo around the mosquito bite, intense swelling and severe itching. If parents notice such changes, then the first aid algorithm for the child is as follows:
- First, carry out an antiseptic treatment of the mosquito bite with a solution of brilliant green;
- To reduce the intensity of itching, apply gauze or cotton cloth soaked in cold water to the affected area of the body;
- If the allergic reaction is severe, then the baby is given an antihistamine (anti-allergic) drug;
- Antihistamine ointment Fenistil is used as a local anti-inflammatory and antipruritic agent;
- If a child develops symptoms such as vomiting, severe skin rash, shortness of breath and general malaise, parents should immediately call an ambulance.
If mosquito bites are not complicated by a severe allergic reaction, then you can relieve the characteristic itching and discomfort at home. The following options are used to treat bite sites:
- Brilliant green solution. In addition to the antiseptic properties that this remedy provides, the solution of brilliant green has an anti-inflammatory antipruritic effect;
- Toothpaste. Thanks to its menthol content, regular toothpaste can relieve a child from painful itching caused by mosquito bites;
- Boric or salicylic alcohol. In order to relieve your baby from discomfort and severe itching, you can lubricate the bite sites with one of the types of alcohol 3-4 times a day.
In addition, alternative medicine suggests the use of additional remedies that will help get rid of discomfort after bites of various insects. The most effective recipes include:
- Lubricating inflamed areas of the skin with kefir or yogurt. The contact of lactic acid contents on the surface of the skin reduces the intensity of the inflammatory process, suppresses itching and redness;
- Soda-salt solution. To prepare the product, you need to dissolve 0.5 tsp in 250 ml of boiled water. baking soda and 1 tsp. table salt. It is necessary to moisten a piece of gauze in the resulting solution and apply it to the inflamed areas;
- Ice cubes. Cold compresses made from ice cubes pre-wrapped in gauze or cotton cloth help to cope with the manifestations of the inflammatory process;
- Lemon or plantain juice. To relieve itching and other manifestations of the inflammatory reaction, areas of mosquito bites are lubricated with lemon juice or freshly squeezed juice from plantain leaves;
- Warm baths with sea salt. If the location of mosquito bites is the child’s lower extremities, then parents need to organize warm foot baths for the baby with the addition of sea salt. If the bites are located higher, then an alternative to baths are lotions made from warm saline solution.
After a mosquito bite - swelling
Sometimes insect bites cause swelling in the skin tissues of children. They stop it, as mentioned above, using different methods:
- cold lotions
- by applying point pressure on the inflamed areas with a blunt object for 9-12 seconds
- make lotions soaked in a solution of water and alcohol (1 to 1)
- apply ointments ( hydrocortisone , sinaflan , starting from 2 years of age)
- antiallergic ointments ( fenistil gel )
Swelling from mosquito bites
IMPORTANT : For general swelling (anaphylactic shock), which fortunately happens very rarely from mosquito bites. It is necessary to place the child on his back and provide air access. Call an ambulance. If you are far from the city limits, then you need to inject adrenaline, then give an antihistamine and wait for the doctors to arrive.
How to lubricate the red spots of mosquito or midge bites on the face and body of a child?
Of course, it’s good if, when going on vacation to the forest or to a summer cottage with children, you stock up on insect bite repellents in advance. Moreover, it is important: when choosing them, be sure to consult with a specialist or independently read the information in the instructions.
After all, many of them are contraindicated for children. But we will talk about this further. Now we will study what to do if the baby is bitten by mosquitoes, but he cannot tolerate the itching and scratches the wounds on the skin. What to anoint them with?
How to anoint a child's skin against mosquito bites?
So, redness can be lubricated with the following medications:
- Zinc ointment
- Tsindol suspension
- Bepanten-plus ointment
- regular asterisk
- calendula tincture
- balm Rescuer
- gel Fenistil and others
Gels, ointments against mosquito bites for children
IMPORTANT : If your baby has a lot of mosquito bites, then give him antihistamines so that the child does not experience stress and can sleep at night. Such drugs can be used: Suprastin, Fenistil drops and others.
The danger of mosquito bites
Insects that are so harmless at first glance, like mosquitoes, can cause serious consequences in a child’s body when they come into contact with the baby’s internal environment. The most common complication of mosquito bites is the entry of bacterial, viral or fungal pathogens through scratching on the surface of the skin.
That is why the places where mosquito bites occur must be promptly treated with an antiseptic. If parents and their child are in countries with a tropical climate, then mosquito bites in this area often lead to the development of the following infectious diseases:
- Tularemia;
- Yellow fever;
- Lymphatic filariasis;
- Dengue fever;
- Malaria.
To prevent such serious infectious pathologies, every parent needs to take care of timely protection of the child from the bites of blood-sucking insects.
Remedies for mosquito and midge bites for children
In addition to the above drugs, the following available remedies are successful in combating itching and relieving inflammation after bites of nasty insects:
- toothpaste , which contains menthol, soothes itching
- alcohol ( salicylic, boric ), valocordin , corvalol - just lubricate the bite sites with them and these areas stop itching literally within a few minutes
- Zelenka not only temporarily relieves itching, but also protects delicate skin from suppuration after bites of midges and mosquitoes
Mosquito bites, how to treat them?
Folk remedies for mosquito and midge bites
There are many such remedies for insect bites, let's look at the recipes for some of them. If insects have already bitten, then do the following:
- In a cup of cold boiling water, dissolve half a small spoon of salt and a full teaspoon of soda . Wet gauze and apply to red spots
- Lubricate the bites with yogurt , kefir
- Crushed leaves of mint , plantain , bird cherry , parsley , aloe
- Juice of green onions , dandelion , lemon also relieves inflammation
- Ice cubes wrapped in a handkerchief and applied to the bite site will relieve your children from irritation and itching on the skin
- warm bath with sea salt is a very good remedy for itching and inflammation of skin tissues.
Treatment of insect bites with folk remedies
To scare away insects from your location, use the following folk methods:
- plant an ordinary elderberry near the house, mosquitoes cannot stand its smell
- Lubricate with fish oil to protect against mosquito bites
- Boil boiling water in a saucepan, throw ten bay , this will get rid of insects in the room
- the smell of valerian also has a negative effect on mosquitoes, but if there is a cat in the house, the aroma will have an intoxicating effect on it
Elderberry against mosquitoes
Mosquito and midge repellers: bracelets for children, mosquito nets, Fumitox, sprays, gels, creams
Many caring parents think about how to protect their child from mosquito bites. This matter must be approached thoroughly. After all, such drugs are divided into:
- repellents (bracelets, sprays, creams, gels)
- barrier methods of protection (mosquito nets, tulle)
- electrofumigators , ultrasonic repellers
Repellents are recommended to be used when going outdoors. It is necessary to take into account the contraindications of sprays, gels, and creams. Because they often have age restrictions, and not every child may be suitable for this or that drug.
Mosquito repellents for children
Barrier methods are effective for newborns. Babies in cribs and strollers are covered with nets, and thus it is possible to avoid insect bites.
Mosquito net
Electrofumigators, unfortunately, are not always effective, since the evaporating liquid or aroma of the plate can cause an allergic reaction in the baby.
Electrofumigators against mosquitoes
Ultrasonic repellers are safe for both children and adults. Their alarming sound signals can only irritate insects; the human ear does not perceive such sounds.
Ultrasonic mosquito repeller
IMPORTANT: Use comprehensive means to protect your child from insect bites. Choose ones that will not harm your baby.
Let's protect children from mosquitoes
When protecting our kids from annoying insects, all means are good. And there are a great many of them:
- Mosquito net. They are produced by various manufacturers.
- Repellents. Available in various forms.
- Ultrasonic repeller.
- Fumigator. A plate or special liquid is inserted into it. For example, “Moskitol”, “Fumitox”, “Raptor”.
- Patch. “Magikoplast” has proven itself well.
- Folk remedies.
What is the best mosquito repellent for children under one year of age?
