Are Bed Bugs Bad For Newborns?
WouterIf your newborn baby is experiencing frequent bedbug bites, it is important to treat them immediately. The bites can be itchy and develop into rashes. The bites are caused by bedbugs injecting saliva and numbing agent into the skin. The bites usually take a couple of weeks to heal, but there are some home remedies and over-the-counter medications that can be used to speed up the process.
The first step in treating bedbugs is to identify them. If you see a small red or brown spot, it’s a sign of a bed bug infestation. If the bed bug bites are on your baby’s face or body, you should consult a doctor immediately. You can also use bed bug spray to keep your house free of pests.
Baby bed bugs look similar to adult bed bugs, but are much smaller. They’re about one-tenth to one-tenth of an inch long. Adults are about a half-inch long. Nymphs are slightly larger and develop a dark brown spot on their abdomen. Adult bed bugs are one-half to one-quarter inch long and are a medium brown color all over.
To kill adult bedbugs, you should wash the bedding regularly and apply insect repellant creams to bare skin. But beware that some insect repellants are toxic for babies and infants. Be sure to ask the pest control company how their chemicals affect children. Another alternative is to use low-strength topical corticosteroid cream, but be sure not to apply it to the face or in folds of the skin. Another way to kill bedbugs is by keeping your child’s nails short so that they won’t rub them on the skin and break it.
