If you have lived in Texas for any amount of time, you know that mosquitoes can be a problem. Sorry, mosquitoes and their bites ARE a problem. This is especially true in the warm summer months where they are most active and our kids want to be outside the most. Sometimes it feels like there are so many mosquitoes that there is a risk that they could carry off a child.
So, how do you deal with mosquito bites when it comes to your kids? Or, more importantly how do you prevent the bites in the first place?
What are mosquitoes?
Mosquitoes are small carnivorous insects that live for about 2-4 weeks. There are over 3,500 types of mosquitoes worldwide, but only about 200 types of mosquitoes live in the United States. Certain mosquitoes spread diseases while others are just considered a nuisance. The average person cannot tell which ones spread disease and which ones don’t. Mosquitoes that carry diseases feed on the blood of humans and animals. The germs enter their body and multiple and then they go on to bite a different human or animal and spread the disease to the next creature.
In the United States, disease spreading mosquitoes are able to spread germs like Zika virus, Dengue fever and chikungunya. Worldwide, mosquitoes are famous for spreading malaria. While malaria can occur in the US, most often people become infected outside of the states.
How do I treat mosquito bites in my children?
When a mosquito bites a child, it pierces their skin in order to suck up blood. When it does this, it injects its saliva into the skin. This saliva is seen as a foreign invader to our immune system and the immune cells get called into action. As the cells come to fight off the percieved attack, they release chemicals. Histamine is among those chemicals and this causes the redness and itching from the bite.
Most mosquito bites in children are just annoying little red and itchy bumps on the skin. However, some children have larger local reactions to the bite that can result in significant swelling. This is especially true when the insect bites a child on the face.
Treatment for mosquito bites depends on how big the reaction is and how much your child cares about it. Most bites can be treated with local creams and ointments that decrease itching. Generally over the counter hydrocortisone cream does the trick.
If your child has many bites or a large local reaction that is causing him itching misery, you can give them a dose of non-sedating antihistamines such as loratadine or cetrizine (Claritin or Zyrtec). Or if they are having trouble sleeping due to the itch, you can use a sedating antihistamine such as diphenhydramine (Benadryl) or hydroxyzine.
Other strategies to prevent scratching are to trim your child’s nails short so that they cannot do as much damage to their skin. Or to cover the bites in a bandage to prevent scratching. Distracting your child can also work.
Can mosquito bites get infected?
If the skin is not getting better in a few days or there is increased redness, pain or heat at the bite site, be sure to consult your child’s pediatrician. The skin can easily become infected with germs if your child is scratching a lot.
But don’t be fooled by “skeeter syndrome.” Some kids can have such a large reaction to a bug bite that it can be confused with a skin infection. One main difference is that skeeter syndrome occurs early on after a bite, while infection occurs later after a few days. If you are having trouble knowing the difference, your pediatrician can help.
Any child with significant eyelid swelling or swelling that is limiting activity should be seen by their pediatrician. Those children require further evaluation and sometimes even need oral steroids or more potent prescription topical steroids to help resolve their symptoms.
How do I prevent mosquitoes from biting my child?
There are many things that you can do to decrease the chances of a mosquito biting your child:
- dress your child in clothing that covers their arms and legs
- use mosquito netting over strollers and baby carriers
- avoid spending time outdoors as the sun is rising or setting because mosquitoes are most active at dawn and dusk
- get rid of standing water in your yard as moquitoes lay their eggs in still water
- treat clothing and gear (not skin) with permethrin if you are spending extended periods of time outdoors (i.e. camping)
- prevent mosquitoes from getting into your house
- use a DEET containing bug spray when spending time outdoors
DEET containing bug sprays are the most effective ways to prevent mosquito bites ( as well as flea and tick bites) for your children. They have a long history of safety and outperform all other chemicals that are marketed towards bite prevention. You can use DEET containing sprays on your children ages 2 months and older. Find a product that has around 30% DEET in it and spray it on your hands first and then apply it to your child. Avoid getting the chemical on their hands, or near their eyes or mouth. You also want to wash it off as soon as you come indoors.
PLEASE don’t use combo sunscreen and bug spray options. You need to re-apply sunscreen often, but you don’t want to reapply bug spray with similar frequency. DEET containing sprays last about 5-6 hours depending on the percentage of the chemical in the spray.
Mosquitoes are one downside of the weather warming up in Texas. However, there are many things that you can do to prevent these tiny creatures from ruining your summer fun.
© 127 Pediatrics, June 2022
Dr. Andrea Wadley is the owner, pediatrician, and breastfeeding medicine specialist for 127 Pediatrics. She has an established house calls pediatric practice in Colleyville, TX. She also sees patients all over Tarrant county for concierge breastfeeding medicine consults, lactation consults, fourth-trimester care, tongue tie clipping, and medical ear piercing.
