Author Topic: Bug Bite Allergies  (Read 1446 times)

NextTime

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Bug Bite Allergies
« on: May 28, 2018, 10:09:44 AM »
Anybody else’s little ones have bad reactions to bug bites?
My little guy looks like he has two black eyes right now.

The best  Prevention is obviously to not let them get bit, but How do you guys treat the bites once they occur? We do a pretty good job with the bug spray, but inevitably this happens a couple of times a year.

Benadryl and ice packs are our go to methods, but I’m hoping someone someone has a secret to bring the swelling down faster. He also gets Zyrtec every day, which I thought was working pretty well until yesterday.

bogart

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Re: Bug Bite Allergies
« Reply #1 on: May 28, 2018, 09:33:14 PM »
I don't have any wisdom, but I can tell you  I was allergic to mosquito bites as a kid (I honestly don't really remember this, though I have a vague recollection that they'd swell up to the size of a chicken egg and, well, itch).  I don't remember my parents doing anything for this though they may well have had me checked out by a doctor (certainly I went to the pediatrician for medical issues) and/or used topical creams.  But I outgrew it and indeed, as an adult am mostly the (annoying) person who doesn't get bitten by mosquitoes while those around me are being devoured -- so, there's hope ...!  I hope you're able to find a solution for your LO, though, it's no fun knowing they are uncomfortable/in pain/unhappy. 

lizzzi

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Re: Bug Bite Allergies
« Reply #2 on: May 29, 2018, 05:53:25 AM »
Make sure you're using the Extra-strength Benadryl cream--the 2 percent.

NextTime

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Re: Bug Bite Allergies
« Reply #3 on: May 29, 2018, 07:39:32 AM »
I don't have any wisdom, but I can tell you  I was allergic to mosquito bites as a kid (I honestly don't really remember this, though I have a vague recollection that they'd swell up to the size of a chicken egg and, well, itch).  I don't remember my parents doing anything for this though they may well have had me checked out by a doctor (certainly I went to the pediatrician for medical issues) and/or used topical creams.  But I outgrew it and indeed, as an adult am mostly the (annoying) person who doesn't get bitten by mosquitoes while those around me are being devoured -- so, there's hope ...!  I hope you're able to find a solution for your LO, though, it's no fun knowing they are uncomfortable/in pain/unhappy.

Yeah we keep hoping the next summer will be the one where the allergy calms down. No dice so far. Poor little guy.

lizzzi

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Re: Bug Bite Allergies
« Reply #4 on: May 29, 2018, 11:59:09 AM »
The Benadryl (diphenhydramine) 2 percent cream is also good for poison ivy or chigger bites. It's head and shoulders better than anything else I've tried. Remember to wash, shower, bathe whatever in as cold a temperature of water as you can stand. Warm to hot water will make you itch like crazy. Or just jump into a cool pool.

GuitarStv

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Re: Bug Bite Allergies
« Reply #5 on: May 29, 2018, 12:26:58 PM »
I lived deep in the woods in Northern Ontario for most of my childhood.  Mosquitoes weren't much of a problem, but every single day we didn't have snow was a battle against black flies.  They would wriggle their way between folds of clothing, into hair, and would bite open bleeding holes all over your body.  After coming in from outside, they would crawl off us and congregate at all the windows in the house . . . and my mom would use a vaccum cleaner to suck them all up.  We used to joke that we needed to keep the dog on a lead so the bugs wouldn't carry her off.

Get a bug spray with the highest percentage DEET you can find and use it regularly.  Don't go out at dusk, or in the early hours of the morning.  Try not to go out when it's overcast, or not very windy.

Once bitten, the most important thing is to NOT SCRATCH.  It will be itchy as heck, but every time you scratch the bite it just extends the itchiness.  If you scratch it a lot you'll end up with a big bump and might end up giving yourself lifelong scars (ask my sister . . . who was never able to prevent herself from scratching).  Try to stay cool.  If the itching gets really unbearable, apply some ice to the area.  Calamine lotion helps a bit, benadryl cream helps a bit.  Not scratching helps more!

NextTime

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Re: Bug Bite Allergies
« Reply #6 on: May 29, 2018, 01:58:59 PM »
Yup. We went the no DEET route the first year, when he was around 3 years old. 

Then the doctor said, "No, you need something with DEET."

GuitarStv

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Re: Bug Bite Allergies
« Reply #7 on: May 29, 2018, 02:15:55 PM »
Just be careful with it around stuff that has been painted.  Age 12 GuitarStv sprayed himself too close to a couple of his prized micromachines and all the paint melted off of them.  :(