Hellobee

We have the misfortune/privilege of living in the Washington DC area, where summers are humid, sticky and full of mosquitoes, and now that Baby C is an active toddler, we are spending a lot of time outside with the “wildlife.” Over the past few weeks, as the weather warmed up and hit its usual on-off rainy summer routine, the mosquitoes have been out in force throughout the day, and as it unfortunately turns out, Baby C inherited her mother’s attractiveness for the buggers.

Earlier this week, we came to pick Baby C up from daycare and found a huge bump on her forehead, right above her eye. At first glance, it looked like she hit something, but it turned out to be a very swollen mosquito bite. There was another on her leg, and we didn’t think much of them because she’d gotten bit before and though her bites are larger and redder than most, they usually weren’t a bother. By bedtime, the bump appeared to be receding, but the following morning, the poor kid looked like she went a few rounds with Mike Tyson.

My initial worry was that she was having an allergic reaction. The bite on her leg had swelled significantly as well, and both sites felt hard and hot to the touch. Thankfully she wasn’t exhibiting any signs of anaphylaxis – trouble breathing, dizziness, rapid pulse, etc. – but because the swelling seemed so severe, we played it safe and went to her pediatrician to check her out.

It turns out that mosquito bite swelling is actually pretty common in kids, especially in younger kids like Baby C, whose immune system is still young and trying to figure out how to fight invasion of foreign bodies, like mosquito saliva, effectively. Bites located in areas that don’t have a lot of fat tissue (forehead, nose, near eyes and ears, hands and feet – but really, anywhere for kids that are still small and skinny, like Baby C) tend to appear particularly dramatic because there’s not much room for the swelling to go, which is why Baby C’s forehead bite traveled down to her eye and her ankle bite traveled around and down to her foot. By that afternoon, the swelling came down in her eye but traveled toward the bridge of her nose and toward the other eye, and the following morning, reduced even further to appear mostly around her nose. Our doctor told us that as long as the swelling was reducing gradually, and we didn’t see any hives, infection of the site or fever, which are usually key indicators for a true allergic reaction, there wasn’t anything to worry about, save some discomfort from the itching and swelling.

Please note that this post should not be taken as medical advice or substitution thereof. I highly encourage anyone to go see a doctor if there’s even a bit of doubt about what may be happening with a bug bite – it’s always better safe than sorry, and doctors understand the concern, given how dramatically bites can present on kids. After we confirmed that Baby C wasn’t having an allergic reaction, we went into treatment mode with some old world remedies courtesy of my mom, who treated my never-ending bug bites back in Russia without medication, and more modern solutions.

1) Keep kiddo and the affected areas as cool as possible. Heat can exacerbate itching, so while the inflammation works its way through the kiddo’s system, try to keep their room cool, especially when they sleep, and the affected areas as lightly covered, if at all, as possible. Sheets that don’t heat up while they sleep are also good to have handy.

2) Ice and/or cold help. If your child will tolerate holding an ice pack (mine just wants to lick it so it doesn’t get very far), use it for a few minutes every hour as possible to help reduce swelling and keep itching to a minimum. For nighttime, we took a few light burp cloths and put them in the fridge for the day, so that Baby C could have something cold to hold on it, and throughout the day (we time this around diaper changes but any frequency works) we run a cold/wet paper towel over the swollen areas.

3) Baking soda and water help shrink swelling. This is an old remedy of my mom’s and I swear it works. Mix a teaspoon of baking soda with a half cup of water, dip a paper towel or wash cloth into the mix, and hold it on the bite/swelling for a minute or two, as wiggly toddler will allow. I can’t testify to the science on this, but as someone who’s always been a feast for mosquitoes, this has worked wonders on my own bites over many years. Bonus points – the water dries quickly so when kiddo is rubbing and scratching the affected area, especially if it’s near their face, they aren’t getting anything into their eyes/mouth.

4) Antihistamines. Benadryl is the most commonly recommended anti-itch medication, though it can be a bit tricky to administer to the under 6 age group because officially, it’s not formulated for the younger set (as per labeling – interestingly, many online sources say it’s safe enough for kids as young as 4 months!). I asked a pharmacist at our nearby Target and then confirmed with our pediatrician that it is safe for Baby C, who’s 2, to take Benadryl, and they gave me a dosage based on her age and weight (3.75ml for a 23 lb 2 year old). I definitely recommend checking with your doc, especially if kiddo is under 2. Beyond Benadryl, there are a variety of other options – unfortunately both Baby C and I seem to be immune to Benadryl, and it can actually have a hyperactivity effect in toddlers. I found a generic Target version of Cetirizine* (the active ingredient in Zyrtec) that I prefer to use – it’s formulated for kids 2 and up, and requires one small daily dose (with a possibility to increase to twice a day) rather than the 4-6 hour dose with Benadryl. Antihistamine creams can be used on site of the bite/swelling, though I prefer not to use it on Baby C’s face to avoid getting it in her eyes and mouth when she rubs the site.

5) Cut their nails! Baby C HATES having her nails cut, but I’d never been more thrilled that we just did her manicure the day before she got bit because without it, her face would have been scratched to bits with the amount of rubbing she’s been doing around the swelling. Having those claws dulled also helps prevent tearing of the skin around the bite and possible infection.

What other methods have you found effective for easing discomfort that comes with bug bites?

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ed. note: Cetirizine syrups tend to contain methylparabens and propylparabens.