Chaos with a dash of mosquito spit:)

More Bugs:)

Due to a mosquito insisting that it take some yummy, fresh blood from my self-proclaimed "baby of the family", and the fact that the "baby of the family" must scratch every tiny bump, sore, cut, you name it, we ended up in the hospital with a nasty bacterial infection. To top it off we were put in "ISOLATION" as no one really knew what was up with the "baby of the family".

So, let's review some summer safety bug tips!
From the AAP - American Academy of Pediatrics comes this advise:

Don't use scented soaps, perfumes or hair sprays on your child.

Avoid dressing your child in clothing with bright colors or flowery prints.

Combination sunscreen/insect repellent should be avoided as sunscreen needs to be applied every 2 hours and repellent should not be reapplied.

The current CDC and AAP recommendation for children over 2 months old is to use 30 percent DEET. DEET should not be used on children under 2 months of age.

For for more into on DEET go to http://www.aapnews.org/cgi/content/full/e200399v1

So....why do bites become infected? According to MadSci Network Assistant Scientist June Wingert ,RM (NRM) your body contains cells called mast cells. When scratched they release histamine. Histamine causes tiny blood vessels to release blood into surrounding tissues. This causes the area to look red, feel hot and become swollen. Besides causing swelling, histamines sensitize nerves, making sensations such as pain or itching more intense.


***A trick is to use your fingernail to press into the center of the bite several times, making a star pattern, This helps disperse the mosquito spit without releasing to much histamine:)

Let's keep our 'babies of the families" free from "isolation" and show those bugs a thing or two!

Chaos with a dash of mosquito spit:))