Flea Bites on Babies - What should I do?

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Flea bites are small, irritating, and can drive you crazy! It’s bad enough when you have flea bites on you and your pet, but when there are bites on your baby things seem to get a little bit more personal. If left untreated these bites can cause children and babies unnecessary discomfort and pain. Below I’m going to teach you how you can keep these bites from itching, how to recognize infections, identify flea bites, and prevent further flea infestations.

What do flea bites look like?

Flea bites are small, red, swollen bites that cause extreme skin irritation. If you look closely at the flea bite you will see a small red dot at its center. This is where a flea bit your skin to draw blood. Fleas need a host to provide blood meals without blood meals the fleas will die.

These bites typically happen around our ankles. This is an easy place for fleas to get to and they are able to burrow into our socks where it’s warm and moist. If most of your bites are on your ankles it very well may be flea bites. On your babies the bites will most likely occur on legs or arms if those areas aren’t clothed.

If your bites don’t look at all like this then you may be experiencing a different kind of infestation such as bed bugs. If you want to read more on bed bug bites check out my article on the difference between flea bites and bed bug bites here.

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Preventing Infestations

Prevention is the best method to keep fleas off you and your family. If you can keep fleas from getting in your house then you wont have to treat bites or an infestation.

Flea Drops – This is the best flea prevention product out there. It can be pricy but you won’t be disappointed. Flea drops are applied to your pets back. When fleas come in contact with the area or bite your pet it will kill them. The applications can last anywhere from 5 weeks to 2 months depending on the brand. I prefer Frontline Plus if you would like to read more about flea drops you can find out more here.

Flea Traps – Traps are great passive flea killers. Fleas are attracted to warmth. Flea traps have a small light that hangs above a sticky substance designed to trap fleas. When the fleas head for the light they quickly become trapped in the sticky substance. You can place these traps all over your house or just in the areas where you pet spends a lot of time. Check out my guide to flea traps article. It will teach you how to properly use flea traps and how to make your own flea trap!

Flea steamers – You can prevent a flea infestation with a steamer. Fleas can’t survive in the temperature, and moisture produced by a flea steamer. If you have carpeting in your house I suggest buying a steamer that meets all the requirements to kill fleas. You can buy one of those steamers here or you can read more about flea steamers here.

Flea Shampoo – This is the final item on my list. Flea shampoo is exactly what it says it is. Its a shampoo that is designed to kill fleas. Its not something you have to use daily because the effects last for long periods of time. Depending on the brand you get is how long it will last. You can buy flea shampoos with natural ingredients to prevent damage to your pets skin. When using flea shampoo I typically use Adams Plus Flea and Tick Control Shampoo with Precor.

>>Buy the best flea prevention product now!<<

How to stop itching on your baby

You can use soothing creams such as calamine lotion or Aloe Vera to help relieve some of the pain from itching. Both work just as well as the other.
The same anti-itch cream used on mosquito or ant bites works on flea bites as well.
You can also use a cotton ball soaked in baking soda to treat itching as well. This helps reduce pain and inflammation. It’s not one of the most effective methods but if you’re short on money this is a quick itch fix.
Bug repellant can keep more fleas from jumping on your baby and adding more bites. Make sure to read the directions on the bottle to make sure that the repellant is safe to use on infants.
You can use ice to numb the pain if it becomes too severe but most of the time babies don’t enjoy something ice cold on their skin so I suggest using this method as a last resort.
You can apply essential oils such as tea tree oil or baby lotion to the bites to prevent infection.

Flea Bite Infections

Flea bite infections can be dangerous if not tended to. If you believe you have a flea bite infection you should seek medical attention quickly. Some of the flea bite symptoms include: