How to protect a child from a tick? Practical advice, what is worth remembering?

How to protect a child from a tick? Unfortunately, there is no method that can avoid stabbing with XNUMX% certainty. However, you can at least minimize the likelihood of being bitten and mitigate the potential effects where possible.

1. The most vulnerable to tick bites are active and mobile toddlers who spend a lot of time playing outdoors
2. We cannot avoid ticks or get rid of them from the environment, but we can minimize the risk of bites and possible complications
3. Appropriate clothing, thorough skin checks and quick reaction to the presence of a tick – these are the best ways to protect your child from the dangerous arachnid
4. More information can be found on the Onet homepage

The tick season is in full swing – May and June are the period of their greatest activity, the next one will come after the summer holidays, in September and October. However, this does not exempt us from being cautious in the remaining months. Children are most at risk of being bitten by ticks. The effects can be dangerous to health, a the natural activity of the youngest makes them an easy target for an aggressive arachnid. Ticks most often transmit Lyme disease and tick-borne encephalitis – and these diseases can be really dangerous for humans.

Tick ​​- small and dangerous

Most often it is not visible at all. Especially if it is not yet an adult, but the so-called a nymph, or a transitional form. It then resembles a little black dot that is easy to confuse with anything – dirt, pen marks or a mole. The body length of the ticks ranges from fractions of a millimeter to 30 mm. “Fed” specimens become more convex. Ticks most often live on shrubs up to 1,5 m high, adjacent to tall grasses. They are most active in the morning and afternoon hours. We usually do not feel their bites, so it is more difficult to locate them.

1. This is the biggest mistake when removing the tick. Never do that

First: education

First of all, it is worth talking to your child about what surprises they may encounter while walking in the forest or running in the meadow. It can also be a threat home garden and city park. Ticks like to wander, e.g. on animal hair – it is worth warning the child against hugging his beloved dog too often. We will not prohibit the child from playing or running on the grass, but it should avoid going under bushes and digging into high thickets. A child who will know the “habits” of the tick and, at least approximate its appearance, will more easily spot unwanted arachnids on their clothes or skin.

1. Which parts of the body are most vulnerable to ticks?

Appropriate clothes for the walk

It’s best to walk in bright colors to make it easier to spot a black dot or a microscopic spider. The safest way to play outdoors or for a walk in the woods is to choose clothes with long sleeves and trouser legs, and hide the legs in socks, and you need covered shoes. The head should be protected by a cap or a hat.

Examine the skin carefully

Ticks usually stick in well-supplied areas of the child’s body, where the skin is relatively thin. These are, for example, the knee bends, armpits, groins, the area behind the ears. It is these places that should be carefully viewed after returning home. But not only that – it is worth checking the whole body and clothes of the child, including the hairy scalp, where it is most difficult to spot the intruder. If we find a tick, remove it as soon as possibleusing appropriate tools, e.g. tweezers. The removed tick must be thrown immediately, preferably in the toilet, and then hands thoroughly washed.

If we have a pet that likes to walk on the grass, let’s also check its skin and coat before letting your child play with it.

1. Ticks can infect us with this disease. What are the symptoms of Lyme disease?

Chemicals will scare away ticks

It is impossible to cover every scrap of a child’s skin, if only because of the summer heat and comfort. Therefore, it is worth spraying the exposed fragments with a suitable preparation, preferably one that is intended especially for children. You can also use natural methods to repel ticks, such as essential oils or herbs (such as infusion of sage or thyme). Preparations for ticks can be found in various forms: spray, cream, patches and bands. Before we apply them to a child, before the first use, it is worth making an allergy testby applying the preparation to a selected place on the skin and checking the body’s reaction.

1. Spray for ticks and mosquitoes Tick Stop Sanity – effectively repels insects

Observe the bite site

If we find a tick on the child’s body and manage to remove it, we must observe the place where it stuck – mainly for erythema, which may be a sign of Lyme infection. It usually appears around 7 days after a tick bite, but can also occur after three weeks. Lyme disease can also cause flu-like symptoms, such as increased temperature, headaches and muscle aches. In this case, you should immediately consult a doctor with the child.

We encourage you to listen to the latest episode of the RESET podcast. This time we devote it to ecology. How to be eco and not go crazy? How can we care for our planet on a daily basis? What and how to eat? You will hear about this and many other topics related to ecology in the new episode of our podcast.