If you’re a parent from any part of the world, you will do anything to protect your children from harm. Nothing is more distressing than seeing your little one in pain, such as when bed bugs bite them at night. Fortunately, you can manage this problem by taking the proper steps. 

This article will be your guide to understanding bed bugs biting kids. We’ll also discuss the risks and the corresponding treatments.

What Are Bed Bugs? 

Bed bugs (Cimex lectularius) are blood-sucking parasites commonly found in mattresses.

What Causes Bed Bug Infestations? 

These insects usually appear at night and hide in warm parts of your home. They can originate from crowded areas like train stations, airports, and hotels. Your carpets, furniture, and linen can also suffer from infestation.

Moreover, bed bugs can also come home with your luggage. 

What Are the Signs on Babies and Kids?

Symptoms of a biting bed bug include small clustered red bumps on the skin, frequent itching and irritation, puncture at the centre of the spot, and red patches on the arms, legs, or face. 

How to Diagnose Them

While bed bug bites aren’t much of an issue, you can identify them by looking for red bumpy marks in clusters or lines, rashes on the affected area, and bed bug droppings or exoskeletons.

What Are the Corresponding Treatments? 

While they usually don’t cause a medical concern, biting bed bugs can cause an itchy sensation and affect your children’s sleep quality.

The right treatments for bed bugs highly depend on your child’s age and the bite’s severity. For baby-friendly bed bug treatments, you can clean the marks with soap and water, apply an ice pack on the affected areas, antiseptic creams, and a baking soda paste on the bites. 

On the other hand, you can use antiseptic creams, corticosteroid ointments, oral corticosteroids, and antibiotics to treat bed bug bites in older children. 

How to Prevent Them?

You can prevent a bed bug infestation by washing clothes in hot water, using bug-resistant sprays, closing windows and doors, applying mosquito repellent creams, cleaning the prams, and vacuuming mattresses and carpets. Besides ensuring a clean house, you may also call your local pest control services to stomp out your itchy problems. 

Can Biting Bed Bugs Cause Health Risks?

While biting bed bugs don’t necessarily warrant urgent medical attention, they can be itchy and irritating. If your child excessively scratches the bite, it may cause other infections. Remember that everyone reacts differently to biting bed bugs. Some may have a reddish scar that eventually disappears without treatment, while others might suffer more severe reactions. 

The only usual side effect these pesky bugs bring is itchy and irritated skin, which may cause discomfort to your child and disturb their sleep. 

What Causes Bed Bug Bite Reactions? 

Bed bugs biting your children usually don’t pose serious harm to most people. However, they can cause a severe allergic reaction that can trigger asthma attacks, anaphylaxis, or a skin infection that needs medical attention in rare cases. 

They can trigger a response in babies because of the anti-coagulant injected during the bite, the number of marks, and the individual’s sensitivity.

When to Call a Doctor?

If the biting bed bugs cause over-itching, swollen scars, or fever and respiratory issues in you or your baby, consult your doctor immediately.

The Takeaway

No parent would want to see their children feeling uncomfortable because of nasty bed bug bites. These itchy bumps can disrupt their beloved bedtime. You can prevent them by taking preventive measures, finding the appropriate treatments, and calling reputable pest control services. 

If your home has a bed bug-biting problem, let us help. Roach Busters has been stomping out unwanted visitors in Sydney since 2000 with our general pest control and excellent customer service. Contact us now, and we’ll help ensure a more comfortable home for your family!