Summertime is when the kids are most active. However, this is when ticks are most active as well, so you need to be extra careful so that your child won’t get bitten by them. While insect bites are common, especially during warm months, you need to be concerned about how they may affect your child’s health. A tick might be small, but they can spread diseases that can be harmful to anyone.
To help you know what you can do to remove or prevent tick bites on your child, here are some valuable information to serve as your guide:
What Are Ticks?
Before anything else, let’s define what ticks are. Ticks are tiny biting insects that get blood from a person or mammal to feed themselves. They are small arachnids that require blood to complete their life cycle. Tick bites are usually painless, and they are not always noticeable unless you search for them. They can last on the host for at least 3 to 6 days, sucking blood before they drop off on their own. So, removing them is crucial if you don’t want your child to contract a disease.
You can know if your child has contracted a possible disease or allergies from the bite once you’ve noticed some of the following signs and reactions after you have removed a tick from them:
- Rashes all over their body beginning 2 to 14 days after the bite
- Running fever or headache beginning 2 to 14 days after the bite
- Increased redness or swelling over time
- Weak, droopy eyelids, droopy face, or a crooked smile
- Appearing red ring or bull’s eye rash 3 to 30 days after the bite
Ways You Can Remove Ticks
To avoid such cases, you need to search for the ticks on your child and remove them immediately. You can remove ticks at home, but you need to wear hand protection so as not to spread harmful bacteria from the tick to your hands. You can follow the steps below for effective removal of ticks on your child:
- Use fine-tipped forceps or tweezers to grasp the tick easily.
- Grasp the tick firmly as close to the skin as possible and pull straight upward without twisting to avoid crushing the tick.
- Avoid crushing the tick once you have removed them, as they may release harmful pathogens. Instead, place the tick in a plastic bag or other sealed containers and flush them down the sink or toilet.
- Thoroughly cleanse the area of the bite with warm water and soap.
If your child experiences any tick bite reaction, you can bring the tick you have sealed to your doctor so they can identify what kind of tick it is. This way, they can know if the tick carried any diseases to your child and provide the necessary treatment.
Ways You Can Prevent Ticks
The good news is that you can prevent ticks by simply applying some insect repellent to your child’s skin and clothes. It can also help if you let your child wear tight-fitting clothes, socks, and hats when playing outside to keep ticks away from their skin. You should always be on the lookout when your child is playing outside and inspect their scalp, elbows, knees, and skin behind their ears and arms if there are ticks.
Conclusion
Most of the time, tick bites won’t cause severe problems to your child. However, removing the ticks can help prevent any allergic reactions or diseases. It is safer if you are knowledgeable about what it can cause your child, so you can do the proper course of action if tick bites do happen. Calling your doctor is also a great way to handle the situation.
Your Kids Urgent Care offers telemedicine in Orlando, FL, to help you deal with the tick bites on your child. We have excellent pediatric and emergency services for children even by means of telecommunications technology. Get in touch with us for any of your child’s health needs! We also serve patients in Tampa, St. Petersburg, Largo, FL, as well as Vestavia Hills, AL.
