Bug Off! Preventing & Treating Bug Bites and Stings

The latest advice on how to keep these insects from biting or stinging your child, from Parents magazine and the American Academy of Pediatrics.

By Pamela Kramer

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Mosquitoes

Home Base: They live in wooded, grassy areas and over lakes and ponds. Rarely, they can transmit disease, such as the West Nile virus, which can cause inflammation of the brain, says David Kimberlin, MD, a specialist in pediatric infectious diseases at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

First Aid: Dab hydrocortisone cream, calamine lotion, or a baking-soda paste onto itchy bites. A cool compress may help too. Call your doctor if bites become infected or if your child develops a fever or a bad headache.

Steer Clear: Keep your child indoors at dusk, when mosquitoes are most active. Apply repellent to her skin, and when it's very buggy out, try to dress her in pants and a long-sleeved shirt.

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