Mosquito Bites
This summer I’ve found the simplest way to deal with mosquito bites. And, bonus, there are no chemicals or medicines involved.
What is this miracle solution? Ice.
Yeah, I said it was simple. When one of the kids (or one of us adults) get bitten I rub ice on and around the area for about 15 or 20 seconds. If you do it soon enough it goes away. Like it was never there. I don’t know how soon “soon enough” is, but I do it the first time they complain it itches, or the first time I see them itching it. If I’m not with them when it happens and I do it later in the day it still helps, but in that case it’s not like it never happened.
Both of my girls have horrible reactions to mosquito bites and in the past we’ve had decent results with topical Benedryl
The best plan is to keep them from getting bit in the first place. We use the spray version of Natrapel
I use ice for so many things that sometimes I feel like the dad in “Big Fat Greek Wedding” with the Windex. But when you are trying to get the body to not have such a large reaction to something, ice helps. I don’t know why I didn’t think of it sooner for mosquito bites.
August 30th, 2007 at 3:47 pm
I’ve heard that amonia works well too. Just a dab. mark
August 30th, 2007 at 3:47 pm
I get terrible reactions to mosquito bites too. I use ice immediately and it works like a charm.
I also buy those mini ice packs for lunches and keep them in the freezer at home and in our camper… they work great!
August 30th, 2007 at 3:49 pm
Rubbing alcohol works great if you get it before the girls scratch. Put some on cotton and rub it on, wait several minutes and do it again. The next morning you will not be able to tell there was ever a bite. All the anti-itch makes me was to scratch even more.
August 30th, 2007 at 3:55 pm
But ice is so simple. No chemicals, and it’s usually around. When you are camping you can just grab some ice from the cooler. If you’re out in the yard with a drink just pull some ice from your drink.
Rubbing alcohol works on me but not the girls. Topical Benedryl works on all of us, but not as good as the ice. And neither of those are usually handy when you are out in the yard.
The point here is that there is a no-chemical solution that works.
August 30th, 2007 at 4:07 pm
Great tip! As someone who itches like crazy I’m glad to hear this one.
Another great tip I learned this week? For soiled childrens clothes, dampen with water and then put them in the sun. Voila….no stain and another great use for a water based product just like your ice tip.
August 30th, 2007 at 4:07 pm
Wow, this is great to know! We too have had excellent success with topical benedryl–doesn’t quite make it as if it were never there (on me, yes, but on dd, it is a little less of a miracle). Sometimes dd complains that the benedryl stings, so the ice is a great alternative.
August 30th, 2007 at 4:10 pm
when I was young, I was plagued by mosquitos and usually dabbed with alcohol but the itch went on and on.
Now that I’m an adult though, I hardly ever get bitten or nor am I bothered by mosquitos.
Does anyone have any idea why this might have happened? Is it true that eating garlic repels mosquitos?
August 30th, 2007 at 4:37 pm
Eureka! Thanks for the tip, it wouldn’t have occurred to me to try ice–about as non-toxic as it gets!
August 30th, 2007 at 4:39 pm
Love this idea!!!! We love to eat outside, but sometimes come in with mosquito bites. I can’t wait to try this one out.
Thanks!!!!
It’s chemical free AND costs nothing!!!!
August 30th, 2007 at 4:39 pm
Great advice RQ. Thanks!
skittles - Warning on using ammonia! When I was in 4th grade, my teacher believed in using ammonia on everything, bug bites especially! Of course, now a days, you would never hear of a teacher doing anything like this. They’d get slapped with a lawsuit or lose their jobs.
Within an hour of her applying ammonia, I looked like I had “hickies” from head to toe! I had a terrible allergic reaction and it took about 2 or 3 weeks for the marks to disappear.
fjm - I have heard about garlic too, but fear it would repel more than the mosquitoes! :o)
Have a good one,
Babymakes3
August 30th, 2007 at 4:42 pm
I do not know this, but I use the ‘MosQuit’. It is in a form of a mice. When you put the nose on the bite and push the button, It will warm up to 50 or 54 degrees for 3 or 5 seconds. It breakes down the protein from the bite, so your body does not make histamine any more. The histamine causes the itch. No more histamine, no more itching!
There are 2 buttons on the mice. One (3 sec. 50 degrees) for children and adults with delicate skin and one (5 sec. 54 degrees) for adults.
It does not burn the skin. No marks are left. It works very, very good!!! But…. it is a little painful. Especially for children. My DD does not want me to use it on her, but she alway scrach till her skin burst.
August 30th, 2007 at 4:44 pm
I meant: I do not know if you know this one. Sorry for my bad Enlish….. ;-)
August 30th, 2007 at 4:48 pm
For those of us lucky (???) enough to live around fire ants you can make a paste out of Accent (msg) and water and put it on the bite and it works fab!! My hubba hubba DH works outside 90% of the time and keeps it in his truck.
PS Come on referrals!! LID 12-5-05
August 30th, 2007 at 5:49 pm
I’m with RQ, I don’t bother with any of the chemical options because the ice just works better….
August 30th, 2007 at 6:24 pm
love the comment about my big fat Greek wedding.
Buster
August 30th, 2007 at 6:24 pm
I think we are so bombarded by marketing that we often forget that old fashioned, simple home solutions often work best.
August 30th, 2007 at 7:59 pm
Along the same line, our day care provider showed me this one. For bee stings, cut an onion as soon as possible and rub the cut onion on the sting. I tried this yesterday on myself with great results.
August 30th, 2007 at 8:03 pm
On a similar note, our day care provider uses onion on bee stings. After the sting, cut an onion and rub the cut onion on the sting. I tried it on a sting on myself yesterday and it worked well. Took the “sting” away. Another handy solution.
August 30th, 2007 at 8:41 pm
Years ago, my mom told me a horrible story about a girl who lived on her street who would put ice on zits with the same result. One day, after several years of doing this, the skin on her face began to turn black, and like a rash, it spread to cover her entire face. Within hours she was dead from blood poisoning. The infection retracted into the skin and was never treated. I don’t know if mosq bites are comparable to zits though, but with this discussion, I thought I’d pass this story on.
August 30th, 2007 at 9:10 pm
Ice is water. If you make icve from clean water, you are putting clean water on the skin. This is putting clean water on a cut–washing a wound, in other words. Frozen water does not cause blood poisoning.
No matter how Blair-Witch-Project-y the urban myths.
Ice after, and prevention/Natrapel, with a benedryl back-up — thanks RQ. I was worrying about mosquito issues just today!
August 30th, 2007 at 9:26 pm
WONDERFUL tip!!! I’ve never gotten a mosquito bite (bugs just do not like me, for some reason), but Elizabeth gets them FIERCELY!!!! I will DEFINITELY head for some ice when I see a new one on her (which will probably be tomorrow).
His,
Mrs. U
LID 9-12-05
referral 1-4-07
“Gotcha” Day 2-25-07 for Elizabeth
http://www.makingahouseahome.blogspot.com
August 30th, 2007 at 9:33 pm
No, no, TBS. The zits not being treated caused the blood poisoning, not the water. This story’s not an urban myth.
August 30th, 2007 at 9:34 pm
Great tip! Grace once got a tiny mosquito bite that made her eye swell shut. We used Benadryl but it makes her MEAN. (I’d rather deal with the swolen eye. :)
August 30th, 2007 at 9:35 pm
RQ, THANK YOU!!! My Sarah is being eaten alive. Our doctor says his middle child had the same problem the first summer after she came from China, too. With Sarah being allergic to many fragrances, Avon’s Skin So Soft Gentle Breeze is the only thing that doesn’t break her out, but she’s still getting a few bites. I’ll try this before we go to day care tomorrow!
August 31st, 2007 at 7:27 am
Oh, thank you RQ. That is such a great idea. I wish I had thought of that before. I get terrible bug bites that look like welts. I use alcohol and that works pretty good, but I will definitley try the ice next time. Also, thank you for the natrapel link. Will get some of that too.
August 31st, 2007 at 8:24 pm
Just tried the ice on a mosquito bite and hope it works.