Mosquito Bite on Forehead - 2.5 Yr Old

He might be "allergic" to mosquitos...my oldest is, and she swells up SO bad from them. Unfortunately, we live in an area with a high mosquito population all summer, so there's really no escaping them. Bug spray doesn't really seem to work.

Whenever she gets bit, I try to hit it with a cortisone or mometasone cream right away (she has a strong prescription) because she will scratch them bloody in her sleep, and they scar. It literally took about six months for last years bites to fade...I feel so bad for her!

So near the eyes, I wouldn't put cream on it without asking a doctor first...but definitely the benadryl or claritin to stop the itching and swelling.

Do you have an advice nurse you can call? They can be very helpful.

For tonight, I'd try giving him Benedryl. That should take care of some of the allergic reaction and bring the swelling down a bit. Go to the pharmacy through and talk to them to get the correct dosing.

HTH
T.

I'd use an ice pack - if he'll sit still.

You can also try a hit of Benadryl. Afterall a mosquito bite inflames due to an allergic reaction. Benadryl should help the histamines in his body calm down and help reduce the swelling.

I am senstive to mosquito bites and quite often they will swell up and seem completley distored looking. It's been that way since I was a little kid. My mom always gave me a bit of benadryl to help the swelling and reaction to the bite. She gave it to me at bedtime since it makes you sleepy. I still treat my bites the same way and it works!

My second son is the same. As soon as he gets bitten, he looks like he's been through a horrible trauma of some sort! But he always acts just fine.

We leave it alone. For him, it goes down pretty quickly, just like a regular bite.

BUT... I've found a way to help keep the bites away, and I wanted to let you know! I fill a spray bottle with mostly water, then I add some vanilla. It keeps the bugs away, he smells great, and I can spray him anywhere without fear that it will harm him!

I'm allergic to certain mosquitos, and your son's reaction sounds exactly what I go through. I know some people don't itch when they swell, but for me, bites are usually swollen and itch, but when I scratch or touch even, they hurt! I have found that hydrocortisone right on the bite helps a lot, though slower than I would like, and ice takes away the itch (if you can get him to keep it on his head). I have even used the cream on my eyelid when I got a bite there during the night once. I woke up unable to open my eye because of the swelling. No form of Benedryl ever worked for me, though. Good luck!

Stings on the head from mosquitoes are always worse looking than they actually are because they're not fleshy. I wouldn't do a single thing to it. Just go about as normal, don't let him scratch at it, and keep an eye on it. If it gets larger or shows signs of an infection with a weepy injection site like a bulls-eye then you would have a problem.

EDITED TO ADD: Please don't put any anti-itching creams or anti-histamine sprays or creams on the face without first talking to your pediatrician. Those things are not safe to have around the eyes or mucous membranes and the skin on the face is so thin it's better not to risk applying anything right now without doctor approval.

If you've given him Children's Benedryl before and you know how much of an oral dosage is appropriate to give him, then you can try that to reduce swelling. If you're unsure of the dosage it would depend on his weight, so you need to wait for the pediatrician for that anyway.

It's normal for a bite on the head. My oldest got stung by a bee right between the eyes he swelled so badly (he looked like a vampire from Buffy) being a bee sting we went to the er and were assured that he swelled that badly because of where the sting was. It makes sense if you think about it that area is skin and bone there isn't a lot of muscle and tissue like in your arm so when it swells it spreads wider unlike a mosquito bite on your arm because there is no where else for it to go. This time of the year I always have after bite in my house.

Hi. I know exactly how you feel. I have two daughters and we live out near the woods so there are always tons of mosquitos around especially at dark. My girls (2 yrs and 2 months) have gotten bite after bite. All we have ever done is put some neosporin on it constantly until it heals up. If it makes you feel any better, i have researched mosquitos and 90% of the time bites are harmless even to young children. They do not have vemon. Simply every human has a natural allergy toward mosquito spit (which they inject when they suck the blood). Every time i get bitten i swell up horribly and im 20. Some people have a bigger allergy than others. Also, the face area is EXTREMELY sensitive. I got bitten on the eyebrow a few weeks ago. Next morning it was completely swollen to where i couldnt open my eye completely and had a droopy eye all day. I do believe your little boy will be fine. Just be sure to doctor it consistently. If he starts doing anything different then normal then you should consult a doctor. Although west nile is rare, its still possible but the signs are pretty easy to see.

The same thing happens with my daughter and mosquitos (not always but definitely the first bite of the summer, and if she has not been bitten in a while). The last time my daughter got bit on the ankle it was HUGE! I called the doctor and they said to put some Cortisone cream on it and giver her some Benadryl. We did that for a few days and it went away, I personally would not put that on her face because it will probably get in his eyes and make it worse but I would do the Benadryl to help with the swelling. Poor little man :(

My daughter is allergic to mosquito bites too. I find a dose of zyrtec works to bring down the swelling and itching very quickly.

Omg- my 4 yr old boy was bitten on his forehead last night, and i applied cutter brand repellant(just as u did) everywhere except his face! It looked normal this afternoon, until about 4pm when my husband noticed it and said "wow- whats wrong with his eye!?" I called the Dr. (just as u did) and she immediatly called me back. She said to give him ibuprofen for the pain, (and it can sometimes reduce the swelling too) and apply ice to get the swelling down. She also said if it wasnt painful and he wasnt running a fever, to stay calm. I was ready to take him to the e.r. but the pediatrician told me only to take my son to the e.r. if he had more swelling, a fever, and pain. I've been keeping a close watch on it over the hours, and even though he looks like a lion or tiger of some sort(lol) he is acting like his happy energetic playful self. So, in short, im worried as well, but just look out for fever and pain or more swelling. I hope this was a little helpful, and for me, its good to know that its a pretty common situation.

If the suggestions below do not work I would recommend find a clinic that does detox mudding......the mud will draw the bite out immediately. I use Dr. Chalmers in Frisco, but I am not sure where to go in Fort Worth.

I think it would be worth a trip to the urgent care for your peace of mind, or maybe you can call them and ask if there is anything you should do at home. I took my DD in after she swallowed a leaf because it seemed to be stuck in her throat and she was coughing and gagging. By the time we got there she had swallowed it completely and I'm sure I looked like the first time fretful mother that I am, but it was worth $30 bucks to tell me she was fine.

You best get him checked... because he could have Conjunctivitis... eye infection.

You can take him to an urgent care office.
This is his eyes, after all.

Some people are allergic, to mosquito bites.
My cousin is.

My son had Conjunctivitis... last week. Had to take eye drops for 1 week.
Its either a viral or bacterial infection.
You have to treat it.

Make a paste with baking soda and water and put on any insect bite. Meat tenderizer works on bee stings. If they have a lot of bites a warm to cool bath with baking soda soothes the itch.