Bug Bites - Joshua, TX

Now I don't know what the age limit is but... I have a friend that got chigger bites really bad. She could't find any creams that worked, she even tried putting the clear fingernail polish on it that is suppose to smuther them. I gave her a spray called dermoplast that she said worked wonders on her.

Put the original Listerine mouthwash on the bite. It goes down within seconds. A park ranger told me about this when my son got bit by an asp. It worked immediately. It also works for fire ants.

Burt's Bees bug bite stick you can get it at Target or any place that sells a good selection of Burt's Bees.

We always used regular household Ammonia on mosquito bites. You have to catch them before they are scratched and it will take the sting and itchiness away nearly immediately. If you wait until after it has been scratched and the surface of the skin is broken, it will just sting and not be nearly as effective.

For chiggers though, if you know you'll be playing in an area that might have chiggers, you can dust the bottom of his pants and/or his socks with sulfur dust to keep the chiggers away. Once you have chiggers, they are much more difficult to get rid of.

Pharmaceutical companies put this restriction on their labels to protect themselves from liability. I have put Bedadryl spray on my kids, and with the help of my husband quickly put on long sleeves and pants to cover the area so my baby couldn't touch the medicine. I wouldn't put it on hands where it could easily end up in the mouth.

In the future lemon balm is a natural herb that you can grow and rub the leaves on skin to rebel mosquitoes and other bugs. It smells like citronella. Good luck!

Being in the country, I have trouble every year with poison ivy, mosquito bites, etc... I use vinegar or baking soda & water or dawn dish soap. Cigger bites are parasites and need nailpolish, or similar, to deny the "egg" oxygen, I don't know if dish soap will work. Also, I use a product that used to be called Rhuli gel, by J & J. (clear & green tube)that works better for me than benadryl.
OTC med. companies are trying to protect themselves from lawsuits and if used sparingly will work on children. Remember Icy Hot? Girl went into hospital because she used it every day and had to be "de-toxed". So for whatever it is worth: use common sense, observe your son, and rotate what you use to see what works,
Blessings!

call his doc first to be sure, but I have been putting small amounts of cortisone on my daughter's eczema since she was 18 months at doctor's suggestion. I know that also works well for bug bites.

One old remedy is Skin So Soft by Avon. It seems to keep mosquitos and other bugs away. My son has the same issues, I use Neosporin, Calamine Lotion and a small amount of Benadryl to stop the constant itching! Hope this helps.

Moist table salt rubbed on the bite has always worked for us.

I use the liquid benedryl on my 19 month old and she's fine. If he's at least 25lbs, it's just fine to use.

A little alcohol dabbed on should do the trick. I know from experience with my daughter and ant bites when she was little (a lot over her whole body) - my neighbor was a nurse. She came over and poured a bottle of alcohol in a tepid bath. When my daughter came out of the bath, she didn't have one ant bite left. Anyway - it should work on chiggers and mosquitos, too. I pretty much used it on all kinds of bites when the kids were growing up. Good luck!

I would usually call the pharmacy or call my doctor. They know best and won't charge you for asking the simple question.

Benedryl makes a clear anti-itch gel that works really well. I have used it with no side effects on all my kids for mosquito bites because they react so badly. My daughter is 22 months old and has contracted chicken pox - I know, lovely, right? - and I am using the gel on her rather than calamine lotion and her pediatrician said that was fine.
You can find the gel at any drug store with the cotizone creams and other anti-itch meds.

HTH
L.

Meat tenderizer works well on chigger bites - might work on mosquito bites too. Mix a little with water, to make a paste, and cover tht bite. It draws the poison/venom out that makes it itch. The paste will dry and flake off - that is OK. Meat tenderizer works on stings too. The sooner after being bitten or stung, that you put this stuff on, the better.

Hi S.,
Try baby oil. If it is chiggers this will take care of them. If it is mosquitoes it help with the itching.

Vaseline will help a little bit. You can also ask your doctor if you can mix a hydrocortisone cream with vaseline and apply that ... that's what the doctor told me to do when my son was 24 months, and I suspect that would be okay for a 21 month old.

Witch hazel will help with itching.

My daughter had ant bites all over her at just 4 months old- it was frightening (we thought it was chicken pox at first). We were advised by our pediatrician NOT to use anything topical on her, but to give her oral children's benadryl. The dosage is by the pound, not age & he told us how much to give her. I'm not big on medicine, but she was suffering. She was TONS better the next morning. We had another bad incident with mosquitos at 10 months & I was able to google the dosage chart my doctor used.
Fyi, we practically live on our patio. We have an organic lawn & used granulated garlic (big jug on the spice isle @ Sam's for $18)sprinkled all over the grass & plants. It has reduced the amount of mosquito's incredible. Just need to re-apply every 30 days...

HI S.,

If you have a aloe vera plant, just break off a piece and rub it on the bite.

Love and Light,
Rev. G. Hudson, Reiki Master.
www.reikigailhudson.com

This sounds crazy, and I have no idea if there's any scientific reasoning behind it, but I discovered that when I've just been bitten by mosquitoes and the itching starts, if I get into our swimming pool and get right out, the itching stops immediately and does not come back. Just thought I'd share . . .

I've used either antiperspirant or deodorant in the past (roll on), but couldn't remember which one worked. I just googled to find out, and ran across this little gem: http://tipnut.com/over-40-mosquito-bite-itch-relief-tips/

Looks like there are lots of kid friendly remedies like toothpaste or baking soda paste. I know I'll be testing a few of these remedies myself this summer... My daughter and I are like magnets to mosquitoes!

Good luck!

I use the benadryl lotion on the bite itself. But I would also give the liquid if they seem to be bothering him a lot.

I have rub anti itch medicine on my daughters bites for sines I can remember and she is five now. I know it says do not use at this age but when I did not use it she scratched himself to the point of the bites got infected. I believe that is worse. Calamine lotion might be a little less easier if you want to try that but you must reapply that every couple of hours. There is also a but replant at the whole foods that is great for your child's age that is natural and works. I can not remember the name but it is natural.