It’s no wonder that most parents are absolutely smitten with their new bundles of joy. Have you ever seen baby toes?? We want to keep our babies happy and help them grow up healthy and safe.
But then we remember that mosquitoes exist. Mosquitoes are natural pollinators, so sadly, we need them in our lives. But we don’t need to be bitten by them, and neither do our little babies.
Today is all about how to prevent bites from reaching our babies and what to do if one gets through and nibbles on our newborn. There are so many products and chemicals out there promising effective results. But these aren’t safe for our children. We need natural, chemical-free products and tools to ward off unwanted side effects.
Why Do Babies Need Extra Protection?
Babies need more protection because their immune systems aren’t up to snuff with adults or even older siblings. Intense allergic reactions are common in babies, as well as prolonged effects at the bite site.
Aside from itching, your baby can have various additional side effects. These can include additional swelling around the bite as well in the lymph nodes, darkening of the skin once the bite goes away, and even a fever.
As we grow, our sensitivity to bites often subsides, but babies don’t have that strength in their immune system at this stage in their lives. To make matters worse, there aren’t many remedies that are safe for babies.
So it’s important to prevent bites as much as possible and look out for intense reactions when bites happen.
Protecting Your Home
The first step is to ensure that your home and backyard are safeguarded against mosquitoes. It’s the place you’ll spend the most time when you have newborns and babies in the house, so you need to ensure their safety.
Here are a few things to do to ensure mosquitoes stay away from your home:
Screens
Ensure that any and all screens around your windows and doors are secured tightly and rip and tear-free. Any blemishes in screens are like perfect invitations for mosquitoes to come indoors, and they always RSVP yes.
Securing these nice and tight will keep the bugs out and your babies bite-free. Mosquitoes don’t need a lot of room to sneak in, so even the slightest tear should be repaired immediately. Thankfully, this is a job that you can DIY with ease. Screen materials are fairly inexpensive and can be purchased at local hardware supply stores.
There should even be simple videos online you can look up that show you how to replace screens with ease.
Protecting the Backyard: Plant Power
There are certain types of plants and flowers that you can plant in your backyard to repel unwanted attention from mosquitoes. Herbs like mint and rosemary go a long way in keeping mosquitoes away from your yard.
Flowering plants like lavender are also a wonderful option for keeping mosquitoes away. The plus for all of these plants mentioned is they all smell great and look beautiful in your yard.
In addition to a few particular plants, you’ll need to keep your yard areas secure in other ways. Make sure not to leave any standing water anywhere near or on your property. Mosquitoes need stagnant water to lay eggs. So if they see a water source that hasn’t been touched in a while, they will take advantage.
Plant Power and Natural Protection
You’ll also want to keep gutters and areas around storm drains free from lawn debris. Also, be sure to keep lawns trimmed and tidy. Tall grasses and drain areas filled with lawn trimmings are moisture breeding grounds that mosquitoes can use to hide in during the day.
They hide in the grass from birds and other animals that eat them, so the longer your grass, the better protection from prey. The moisture created from excess debris in your gutters and storm drains can be enough for mosquitoes to breed in. You won’t notice at first, but you’ll definitely realize it once the buzzing of their wings fills your backyard.
Keeping Baby Bite Free
You might not want to frequently, but there are going to be times that you need to leave the house. Whether it be for a doctor’s appointment or just a lunch to show off your new bundle of joy to friends and family, you can’t stay inside forever. You’ll need on-the-go protection to keep you and your little ones safe.
What You Wear
Proper car seats and vehicle safety measures are beyond important for children. However, since your little one is sitting still and restrained, they could be an easy target for mosquitoes. Hmmm… if only there was a way to add something to their car seat that repels mosquitoes. (Hint: it’s BuzzPatch — read on.)
Additionally, you should also keep your baby’s skin covered as much as possible. Long sleeves and pants are the best clothing options to keep mosquitoes from biting babies. This isn’t always easy for grumpy babies in the summer months, of course.
For Your Clothes
In addition to these safeguarding tricks, grab a pack of our BuzzPatches. They’re stickers that go on clothes, not on skin, and are safe for kids of all ages. They work by using all-natural essential oils aromas that are proven to repel mosquitoes. They are the perfect way to naturally keep mosquitoes away from your sweet babe.
(Plus, you can stick them on the car seat straps too! Adorable and protective, all at once.)
What Happens When a Baby Gets Bitten?
We try to be superheroes, but we can’t prevent everything from happening. So, unfortunately, there might be times when your baby does get bitten by a mosquito. As we said above, monitor your babies for extreme reactions in case medical intervention is needed.
How To Heal Mosquito Bites on Babies
If the bite and reaction are normal, your baby will be fine but will show signs of discomfort from the itch. There are a few home remedies that you can do that will help your baby feel better and help the bite subside faster.
Warm Compress
A warm compress should be applied to the baby’s bite. It will help with swelling and any pain in the area where your baby was bitten. You can take a washcloth and hold it under warm water or put it in the dryer for a few minutes. You don’t want to use boiling water, but warm enough to help with the pain.
Hold it on your baby’s bite for a minute or two a few times throughout the day to help the swelling go down.
Cold Compress
An ice pack once or twice throughout the day applied to the affected area can also be used to treat bug bites in babies. The itching sensation is uncomfortable for us; can you imagine what it must feel like to our babies? To help relieve the itching, apply an ice pack or a frozen bag of peas to the bite.
Who knew bags of frozen peas worked for anything besides black eyes??
Baking Soda
Making a baking soda paste from warm water and a tablespoon of baking soda can be used as a topical ointment for babies. It will help relieve both the itching sensation and the swelling from the bug bite. It might have stemmed from an old wives’ tale, but it does work and is a natural and safe remedy.
Something Very Important to Point Out
If your baby gets a bug bite, there will be no shortage of people around you that will swear up and down that it’s ok to use over-the-counter ointments on babies. However, there aren’t any creams on the market at the moment that are approved by the FDA. So refrain from using them unless otherwise advised by a doctor.
You also need to make sure not to give babies any oral antihistamines unless your healthcare provider says so. Unless the medicine you have was prescribed by a doctor for that specific child, you can’t be sure that any oral medication is safe. Babies that little require dosages in the appropriate amounts, and only a doctor will know how to prescribe them.
If you are looking for a magic solution made by science? MagicPatch is here. Powered by a unique grid technology, the MagicPatch lifts out the biochemicals causing the itching and bids them “bye-bye.”
We Think You’re Ready
Just like you had to adjust to a new parent's life, you will also learn to roll with the punches. Or bites, in this case. We are confident these at-home, all-natural remedies are perfect for helping ease your baby’s symptoms.
We are also confident that these tips for securing your home will go a long way with keeping your babies safe from mosquito bites in the first place. So rest well at night and out on the town, knowing that you are keeping your baby as safe as possible.
Sources:
Mosquito Bites on Babies: Identifying, Treating, Preventing | HealthLine
14 Natural Health Remedies For Children | Parents
How your baby's immune system develops | Pregnancy, Birth and Baby’
