Dieser Beitrag wurde geschrieben von Dr. Annalena Dehé & Dr. med. Lukas Dehé

Insect bites in children: what to do?

Learn how to effectively treat insect bites to give your child quick relief. The practical tips from 12minutes will certainly be of great help to you. read more...

Dr. Annalena Dehé & Dr. med. Luke 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, comes insects and especially mosquito and gnat season. It is almost impossible to avoid: mosquitoes often attack our babies. In the vast majority of cases, insect bites are harmless and heal easily. In very rare cases, there are children who react with a severe allergic reaction to insect venom - especially bee or wasp venom - in their first years of life. In this article you will find practical tips to 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
  • removing bee stings
  • Protecting children from insect bites

Treating insect bites in children

Other children also develop an allergy in the course of their lives, which only gradually develops 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
This local infection can be triggered by scratching and manipulation of the sting site.
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 to 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 day of play in the
Sandpit or in the forest, it makes sense to additionally protect the sting area with a disinfectants on
non-alcoholic based cleaning.

What to do if children have insect bites – 4 tips

Here you will find 4 tips how parents should behave after an initially harmless insect bite:

  • Cool the insect bite briefly (relieves itching and swelling)

  • If the skin is contaminated, disinfect the puncture site (non-alcoholic-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-alcoholic-based disinfectant)

Special case: Insect bites in the neck or face area

In the case of stings to the face and especially to the neck area, as well as in the case of an accidentally swallowed insect, there is always the risk of swelling in the respiratory tract . As soon as there is a swelling If a fire occurs in the area mentioned, it is a critical emergency situation: Then the emergency services or the emergency doctor should be alerted.

This is what parents can do: In the acute situation, parents can try - depending on the location of the sting:

  • to keep the swelling as minimal as possible by means of cooling (e.g. ice cubes) or a very cold drink.
  • If signs of an allergic reaction are present, anti-allergy medications such as antihistamines may also be administered.

Other signs of an allergic reaction may include severe swelling with reddening of the skin and/or wheal formation This reaction may initially only occur in the area of ​​the sting and then spread to the entire body.

Removing bee stingers: How to do it!

In bees, the outermost part of the sting is called the poison sac After a bee sting, you should always check whether the stinger is still in the skin - this is usually the case. Wasps, on the other hand, can sting again and again with the same stinger. If the bee's stinger is still in the skin, it is to be removed immediately because 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, jerking motion along the angle of the stinger.

  • Then check whether the stinger has been completely removed or whether it is still left at the puncture site.

How to protect children from insect bites?

There are various recommendations for preventing insect bites.

The “right” clothing

It is a good idea to favor long-sleeved and long-legged clothing, even if you cannot protect yourself 100 percent with it.

Insect repellent spray

Be careful, as insect repellent sprays are not approved for all ages. Some of these insect repellents can cause allergic reactions, so you should always "test" them on a neutral area of ​​skin before applying the product to a large area. The spray should not be sprayed directly onto babies' skin. It is better to only carefully wet clothing. If you are unsure, you can of course consult a pediatrician.

Insect protection nets

Windows can be equipped with these nets.

mosquito nets

This aid for cots and strollers even offers an additional darkening effect.

We wish you a summer without insect bites!

Our medical experts take great care to formulate medical content correctly and understandably. This article is for information purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice. This article also makes no claim to completeness. In the event of a medical emergency, please call 112.

Dr. Annalena Dehé & Dr. med. Lukas Dehé
Annalena und Lukas sind nicht nur selbst Eltern von Zwillingen, sondern erfahrene Notärzte, die wissen, worauf es bei medizinischen Einsätzen ankommt. Seit vielen Jahren sind sie als Notärzte auf Notarzteinsatzfahrzeugen und einem Rettungshubschrauber aktiv und helfen dort, wo es am dringendsten benötigt wird.

Mehr Informationen über Dr. Annalena Dehé & Dr. med. Lukas Dehé findest du hier.

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