Insect bites in children: What do ?
Find out how you treat insect bites effectively to provide your child quick relief. The practical tips from 12mintes will certainly be a great help.
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Dr. Annalena Dehé & Dr. med. Lukas Dehé
First aid is a matter close to our hearts, we are passionate emergency physicians and parents of twins.
Summer is just around the corner and with it, unfortunately, insects and especially mosquito and midge season. It's almost unavoidable: Mosquitoes frequently attack our babies. In the vast majority of cases, insect bites are harmless and heal easily. In very rare cases, there are children who experience a severe allergic reaction to insect venom—especially bee or wasp venom—in their first years of life. In this article, you'll find practical tipsto be perfectly prepared for the summer and against insect bites!
Table of contents
- Treating insect bites in children
- Insect bites on the neck and face
- Remove bee stings
- Protect children from insect bites
Treat insect bites in children
Other children also develop an allergy in the course of their lives, which only gradually over time and with each contact, i.e. insect bite through e.g. Bees, wasps or Hornets arises.
In the vast majority of harmless cases, a
- Redness with Overheating as well as
- a severe itching,
caused by the poison and the associated inflammatory reaction
Scratching and manipulation of the bite site can cause this local
Soft tissue reaction can then be further aggravated.
Mosquito bites in children – what helps?
After a mosquito bite - especially in small children,
who are not aware of the consequences of scratching - it can be useful
be the Cool the sting briefly,
- e.g. with a refrigerator-cold compress or
- under running cold water.
The stitch can then be cooling insect bite gel After a match day in the
Sandpit or in the forest, it makes sense to protect the bite area with a Disinfectant on
non-alcoholic base.
What to do about insect bites in children - 4 tips
Here you will find 4 tipsHow parents should behave after an initially harmless insect bite:
-
Briefly cool insect bites (relieves itching and swelling)
-
If the skin is contaminated, disinfect the puncture site (non-alcohol-based disinfectant)
-
Check whether a sting remains in the skin; if present, it should be removed immediately
-
If there are signs of inflammation or if the child has scratched, disinfect these areas as well (non-alcohol-based disinfectant)
Special case: insect bites in the neck or face area
In the case of stings in the face and especially in the neck area, as well as in the case of an accidentally swallowed insect, there is always a risk of Swelling in the respiratory tract. As soon as there is a swelling in the mentioned area, it is a critical emergency situation: Then the emergency services or the emergency doctor should be alerted.
What parents can do: In an acute situation, parents can try - depending on the location of the sting:
- to keep the swelling as minimal as possible by cooling (e.g. ice cubes) or a very cold drink.
- If signs of an allergic reaction are present, anti-allergy medications such as antihistamines can also be administered.
Other signs of an allergic reaction may include severe swelling with skin reddening and/or Wheal formation This reaction may initially be limited to the area of the sting and then spread to the entire body.
Remove the beehive: This is how it works!
In bees, the outermost part of the sting is the so-called poison sacAfter a bee sting, you should always check whether the sting remains in the skin – this is usually the case. Wasps, on the other hand, can sting repeatedly with the same sting. If the bee's sting is still in the skin, it should be removed. to be removed immediately, as poison continues to be pumped from the venom sac into the body.
And this is how you remove a stinger:
-
Fix the stinger, e.g. with tweezers, as close to the skin as possible at the sting site and not too close to the end of the stinger.
-
Remove the stinger with a quick, jerky motion along the angle of the sting.
-
Then check whether the stinger has been completely removed or whether it is still left in the puncture site.
How can you protect children from insect bites ?
There are various recommendations for preventing insect bites.
Intactable content
The "right" clothing
It makes sense to favor long-sleeved and long-legged clothing, even if you cannot protect yourself 100 percent with it.
Insect protection spray
Be careful, as insect repellent sprays are not approved for all ages. Some insect repellents can cause allergic reactions, so always test on a neutral area of skin before applying the product over a large area. Do not spray directly onto babies' skin. It's better to gently wet clothing only. If you're unsure, you can of course consult a pediatrician.
Insect protection networks
Windows can be equipped with these nets.
Mosquito nets
This aid for cribs and strollers even offers an additional darkening effect.
We wish you a summer without insect bites!
Our medical experts take the utmost care to ensure medical information is accurate and understandable. This article is for informational purposes only and does not replace medical advice. Nor does this article claim to be complete. In case of a medical emergency, please call 112.
