My daughter and I were attacked by mosquitoes this past weekend. I managed to take most of the damage (about 40 or 50 bites) but a few got through and my 9 month old daughter has some nasty looking bites, especially on her face. (She was strapped to the front of me and I couldn't see her face.) I'm afraid to put benadryl on her face where she can rub it into her eyes, or get it on her hands an into her mouth. I put a little baking soda paste on her, and my wonderful day care provider gave her an oatmeal bath, both of which seemed to help a little, but only on a very temporary basis. Any other ideas on what I can do for the bites, or to keep her from rubbing or scratching? I promise I'll never take her out on a walk without bug spray again... I feel so terrible...
J. O
I have given my babies a homeopathic remedy for bug bites. You cab get it a health food store or I have seen a simlar product at Trader Joes. Good Luck.
J.
You were right about not using Benedryl...my daughter has eczema and sometimes gets itchy. I asked my ped about using Benedryl, and she said it can be dangerous in babies. When my daughter is itchy, I use aquaphor, and that gives her some relief.
I would suggest going with a natural solution. Our family loves these safer alternatives that I have found, plus the itching goes away quickly and the swelling of the mosquito bite also goes down fast! Please contact me for more details.
J. T.
Try Witchhazel with Aloe, it is great for bug bites as well as scrapes.
First of all.... STOP feeling terrible! This last weekend I was an "awful" Mommy and had my daughter outdoors until 2am and even though she had on bug spray she still got a few bites! While it helps it does not get rid of them all- unfortunately! Also, you need to give yourself a ton of credit and a pat on the back for taking her for a walk in the first place! So kuddos to you on that!
Anyhow there is a stick or gel that Benedryl makes that works pretty good for itching. The only thing that I have found that works GREAT though is something called Magic Masto Lotion (MML). My daughter has Mastocytosis and for the itchies we make up this stuff using Vanicream and Nasalcrom and a teeny bit of glycerin. We use it for her masto spots, bug bites, hives, sunburn and even diaper rash! The whole family is using it now as well as several of my friends. A little goes a looooong way! If you want instructions on how to make it go to
www.Mastokids.org on the left hand side of the page you will see it... click on it and you will see it... also there is a link to FAQ for it. This has helped our family as well as many others a ton!
Good luck and stop beating yourself up over this, this wont be the first or the last time this happens! lol
Many blessings!
A little hydrocortisone cream should help with the itching..don't put it on very thick and she shouldn't be able to rub it in her eyes. Also liquid benedryl if it is really bad. If they are really swollen and red you might want to do a quick check up with the dr. My 4 year old had one like that and I took him in and even though there wasn't any infection the dr. said there could have been and that she has had a couple patients she had to admit for badly infected bites this year.
Hi,
I feel your pain. We were out this weekend also but the skeeters were bad. My husband fogged the yard and we used bug spray. The weird thing is that my husband and son got only a few bites. I got seven and my poor seven year old daughter got nineteen. She is suffering. There all from her knee to her feet. I've tried benedryl, hydrocotisone and now I'm trying the baking soda paste. They all seem to work temporarily and I just keep reapplying until and try to get her not to itch. Good luck to both of us.
Check with your doctor, but I use hydrocortisone creams and they work well for my older son. But, I would recommend not using bug spray on your infant. Again check with your dr, but I was told by mine that I couldn't even use any for my 11 month old when we were taking a trip to WI and for my 3 yr old to use something with less than 7% deet. You can use mosquito netting or other types of covers just in case you run into a bunch of mosquitos. Good luck!
I know this sounds silly, but instead of bug spray, I put dryer sheets (like bounce) all around my son. I stuff them in his stroller, back pocket, etc. It repels misquitos really well. He is 5 1/2 months old and has never had a bite. My husband and I also rub them on ourselves and it works. Good luck!
The AAP suggests .5% cortisone cream for bug bites and any other itching problems. Try that.
In the future, consider using bug spray or wipes with a lower concentration of Deet (7% is okay for the little ones).
Good luck.
Hi, I'm sorry to hear about your bites. We recently went on a camping trip where the mosquitoes were so bad, even the bug spray didn't hold up. Have you ever tried a product called "Itch-X?" It was recommended to me by my doctor. It's an OTC topical spray or gel that works much better than any anti-itch product I've ever tried. It's made by B.F. Ascher & Co. It is aloe vera based, and it works very well!
I hated putting bug spray on my son when he was little like that... still do and he's 4! Now that he's older though, I'm a little more comfortable. What I'm getting at is this: Don't beat yourself up!! Sometimes the risks outweigh the benefits.
If she's scratching badly, you might contact your pediatrician and ask about giving her some liquid Benadryl (or the generic) by mouth. She'll have to give you the dose for your little one, but it should help take the edge off of the itchiness! My son has horrible reactions to mosquito bites, so when he get's them we give the Benadryl to fight the reaction from the inside out!
Please don't laugh or think this is strange.. but I use Listerine as a skeeter and bug repellant. I pour it into a spray bottle with a mister.. and spray my kids down and any where that they'll be. It works wonders. It's safe to use on the lil ones and their clothes. I would spray some on my hands and then rub it onto their faces. It dries almost immediately. You can also use the store brand listerine or even what I use.. the cheap stuff from the dollar stores. Good luck!
Please do not use insect repelent on your little one. Last summer the ticks and mosquitos were really bad here-my grandkids were eaten up with mosquito bites, and in one day I removed 5 ticks off my Sean! I am partnered with a company that has all non toxic products. One of them being called SOL U MEL. our guide said to spray diluted Sol-U-Mel directly on clothes and was safe for skin, so I lightly sprayed them down before they went outside to play, below the neck-arms, pants, legs, shoes, everywhere! For a solid TWO HOURS they were completely protected! I have also used this to spray the grassy areas in the yard, and it kept away the insects, gnats etc. Is sensitive enough you can even make your own homemade baby wipes with it!
I you are interested in finding out more, e-mail me at ____@____.com !!!!!!!
dap a little vinegar on each bite
Hi Jeanette, Benadryl makes as my daughter calls it an "itch stick". It a Benadryl in a stick I picked it up at Wal-Mart for like 2.50 or something like that. It is awesome cause it only goes on that spot. Also I bought some clear anti itch calamine lotion with also is awesome. My daughter too got attacked about 3 weeks ago and they both were a god send to me..Good Luck
I agree with Tammy. She gave you some good advice. I always liked the oatmeal baths, they worked great the time my son got chicken pox. He lived in the tub, playing with is toys and soaking in the oatmeal bath.
S.
This won't help now, but there is a product on the market called "Afterbite" that is a miracle. It is basically just ammonia and if you put it on a mosquito bite soon after you are bitten the bite goes away. Usually I do more than one application--I rub some on and let it dry and then repeat the process about 5 times and within an hour or so the bite is flat and red and not itchy. You'd have to be careful around the eyes, of course, but because it evaporates there wouldn't be a problem with it getting rubbed off or rubbed in the eyes.
And don't feel terrible!! Lesson learned, as will many others be!
