What to do if a child is bitten by a bee or wasp

Every year, many children and adults experience the negative effects of bee and wasp stings. The effects of bites are different: from slight redness on the skin to anaphylactic shock. If a child is bitten by a bee, it is urgent to give him first aid.

How dangerous is a bee sting for a child

Pain and burning are not caused by a puncture with a tiny sting of a bee or wasp, but by the very penetration of an insect sting under the skin. The sting releases bee venom (or apitoxin). This is a very complex substance in its structure, which is a whole cocktail of hydrochloric and phosphoric acids, as well as other specific biological substances.

For example, a toxin such as melitin leads to the destruction of red blood cells, increases vascular permeability and helps the poison spread faster in the body. Histamine, which is also part of bee venom, is the strongest allergen. This substance is the cause of severe edema.

Attention! Histamine can cause a child to contract the bronchi, dilate blood vessels, and lead to a rapid decrease in pressure. Therefore, if a child is bitten by a bee, you should immediately contact a pediatrician!

The substance apamin contributes to the excitation of all nerves. From hyaluronidase, rapid swelling occurs due to the destruction of hyaluronic acid, an element of connective tissue. Phospholipase A2 damages cell walls. 

The child was bitten by a bee: how the child’s body reacts

Toddlers are the hardest to endure the sting of a bee or wasp, because children are very sensitive to any manifestation of pain. Therefore, if a child is stung by a bee, he may feel discomfort from burning for a long time. Moreover, the children’s body is less resistant to the effects of substances in the composition of bee venom. Often a bee sting in a child leads not only to swelling and redness, but also to severe manifestations of allergies. Anaphylactic shock may develop within the first 10 minutes. If you do not provide competent medical care on time, negative consequences will not keep you waiting.

Can a child have a temperature from a bee sting

If the sting gets into the veins and arteries, poison can be directly in the blood. It triggers an immune system response. An elevated temperature indicates that inflammation has begun in the body.

What to do if a child is stung by a bee

When a child is bitten by a bee, you can not hesitate to help! So that the swelling does not last too long, the following methods and means will come in handy:

1. If there are many bites, it is necessary to give the child as much liquid as possible (preferably plain water).
2. A cold object (coin, spoon) or a compress prepared from a solution of soda or salt (1 teaspoon per glass) should be applied to the stung area.
3. On the street, it is worth trying to find plants such as calendula, parsley, and plantain. They need to be washed, ground into gruel and held in the bitten place.
4. Fresh tea or dandelion juice in the form of milk is also suitable.
5. If the bite is very painful, you can give the child Paracetamol. Antiallergic drugs are given to the baby only if the instructions for the medicine indicate that this drug is suitable for him by age.
6. Gel “Fenistil” will help to cope with the symptoms of allergies.
7. For the youngest children, a small bath of motherwort, valerian, and string will be good.

First aid for a child with a bee sting

The main thing is to calm the child, distract him from the pain, since a careful examination of the stung place is important. The sting can be picked up with a needle treated with an antiseptic. Suitable for this purpose and a pin. You can also use tweezers or scissors for manicure.

After removing the sting, the wound must be treated. A solution of potassium permanganate will help, which should be applied to the bitten place with sterile cotton wool. If there are no antiseptics nearby, you can rinse the bite in clean water. After that, cover the wound with a napkin or cotton wool slightly moistened with salt water.

What to do if a child is bitten by a bee in the finger

When bitten into a hand or finger, the entire limb may swell. To smooth out the effect, it is worth pulling out the sting as carefully as possible. First you need to calm the child so that he will carefully get rid of the sting without crushing the poisonous ampoule at its end. After that, a swab moistened with a solution of soda is applied to the bite. The alkaline composition neutralizes bee venom.

What to do if a child is stung by a bee in the leg

When a bee stung a child on the leg, it is worth carefully examining the limb. If there is a point or hemorrhage in the bitten place, this does not mean that the sting is still left. Therefore, do not pick the wound too much. If the point is slightly suppurated, you can tear it off with disinfected tweezers or just clean fingers. But after that, the wound should be treated. For inflammation, you can put a compress of chopped parsley. After soaking the juice, the compress should be changed.

What to do if a bee stings a child in the eye

This is the hardest case. You should quickly consult a doctor. You need to try to distract the child from the pain and forbid crying – to make it clear that crying is dangerous. You can give the baby acceptable (in an acceptable dosage) allergy medications.

What measures to take with bites in the neck, lip, behind the ear

If a person is bitten near the lymph nodes, one should immediately think about retaining the poison. Plentiful drinking is recommended – little by little over short periods of time. Pharmacological balms and antihistamine ointments will help the baby resist infection.

If the lip has been bitten, quickly remove the sting, apply ice or a wet handkerchief. It’s good if there is an ascorbic acid nearby, Suprastin, Loratadin, and sweet tea (black and non-hot) is also suitable.

How can you anoint a bee sting to a child

Many do not want to use medications, but traditional medicine may well help. With allergies, it is possible only in its auxiliary role, without abandoning the main treatment. To eliminate burning and swelling with a bee sting, the following will help the child:

1. Cold compress or ice wrapped in a cloth for at least 30 minutes.
2. A cotton swab or napkin soaked in alcohol or a weak solution of vinegar.
3. You can use lemon juice for a compress, as well as chopped onion, garlic or tomato.
4. You can attach a chopped apple.
5. Shabby parsley will do too.
6. You can lubricate the swelling with “Psilo-balm” or “Fenistil” gel.
7. A Validol tablet soaked in water will help.
8. 20-25 drops of Cordiamin will help with lowering the pressure in the arteries due to urticaria.

If bad signs like swelling and fever get worse, you should go to the pediatrician as soon as possible!

Removal of edema and tumors

If a child has been bitten by a bee on the finger, and he (the finger) is swollen, then the following folk remedies can be used:

1. You can apply a gruel of salt soaked in water.
2. “Dimedrol” will help if the puffiness is too extensive.
3. Water with soda will remove swelling and redness.
4. Plantain or Kalanchoe in the form of a leaf, ground into gruel, will relieve swelling and reduce burning sensation.
5. To relieve burning sensation, you can anoint around the wound with toothpaste (it will cool the bite site and reduce redness).
6. Onions are very good at neutralizing poison.
7. You can keep tea or calendula in the form of lotions for 30-40 minutes.
8. Crush the mint, wet the bandage with its juice and fix it for 2 hours.
9. A compress from the gruel of plants such as tansy, St. John’s wort, wormwood, dandelion, thyme, Kalanchoe will help reduce swelling.
10. You can attach a freshly cut slice of lemon, apple, tomato, garlic or potato.
11. A weak solution of vinegar (apple and table) is also suitable, which can be moistened with a cotton swab.

When to see a doctor

The normal reaction of the skin and the child’s body, if the child was stung by a bee or wasp, is a slight hyperemia and itching. But an allergic child may develop Quincke’s edema, in which you should not wait for the baby’s condition to improve, but you should immediately seek medical help.

Go to the doctor for any bite should be as soon as possible. Only a pediatrician will give competent advice to parents if a child has been stung by a bee. The doctor will look at the bitten place and listen to a story about the circumstances of the bite.

The following video describes the signs of anaphylactic shock in children:

Conclusion

It is important to remember that wrong actions provoke insects to a mass attack. Bee venom is deadly if too much of it enters the body of a child. Therefore, on vacation, you need to try to protect the child from the attack of bees. You can explain to the baby that you can not play with insects.