Now that it is warm outside, you and your children will be spending more time in the great outdoors. Make sure you are protecting the family from ticks. You can do this by wearing long sleeves, pants and closed toe shoes when in wooded areas or grassy fields. Also, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends bug spray with 10-30% DEET. DEET is safe for children down to 2 months of age. The strength of DEET is linked to the length of time it will repel insects. 10% DEET will last about two hours and 30% DEET with last around 5 hours. You should check your child for ticks each night at bedtime.
If you get a tick bite there are two ways to try to remove a tick. One is soaking a cotton ball with soap and water and allowing it to sit on the tick for 30 seconds and then pulling it off. The other is to grab the tick by the head with tweezers and pull it straight out.
When to call Maryland Farms Pediatrics
While tick born illnesses are uncommon, please contact Maryland Farms Pediatrics if your child has a high fever following a tick bite or if you are unable to remove the entire tick.
Information taken from healthychildren.org and the American Academy of Pediatrics.