It's winter here, so we spend most of our time indoors. This week, both of my guys (5yo) have complained about itchy bites. To me, they look like mosquito bites, but that seems unlikely at this time of year. I don't see anything online - bed bugs, spider bites, etc. - that looks like these "plain old" bites. There is no pattern to the bites, they occur randomly all over their bodies. They are small, red and elevated (they really look just like the mosquito bites I get every summer), without any surrounding rash or welt. These are obviously quite itchy to them, so I want to know how to get rid of whatever is causing the problem. We have no pets, but they are in school this year. Has anyone else seen bites like these or have any suggestions of how to proceed?
Our pediatrician hasn't been too helpful with these types of issues in the past, and it takes two months to get in to see the dermatologist. I'm wondering if this is even a question for a doctor or for a knowledgeable exterminator?
Sounds like either fleas or bedbugs. I would suspect bedbugs first wit no animals, but you can get fleas without animals. I would get an exterminator in to see what they find.
Could it be the chicken pox? Chicken pox start out looking like mosquito bites. I would call your pediatrician or take them to urgent care to get it looked at.
I'd say fleas. My cats don't go outdoors, yet always have fleas. The vet said we track them into the house on our clothes and feet. I thought we'd get lucky in the winter, but I think because it's been so warm out this year, the ground isn't freezing, so the fleas are still alive out there. Just noticed last week that my cats have fleas again.
My 3 yo kept waking up with what looked like mosquito bites. I took him into our doctor and found out it was hives. It took almost 3 months for him to be taken off the meds they gave him without another breakout. We were told that it was caused from a virus, which elevated his histamine (spelt wrong?) levels which is why he kept getting the hives. Good luck!!
Are fleas possible? Do you have animals or do your neighbors or childrens' friends? From pictures online, flea bites look like simple, plain-ole bites.
My guess would be fleas as well. You don't have to have pets to get fleas. If your weather has been anything like ours (bi-polar!), every time it warms up a bit, the bugs come out, then when it gets cold again, they try to find somewhere warm to stay... your house :(
Put a plain white towel in the middle of the floor (on the carpet) and see if any of the little buggers show up!
I wonder if its not spider bites. There could a spider/ under the beds or in the corners of the frame... on the wall near the bed that is getting into bed with them and biting them.
My son had bites also usually one or two a night and we finally found the very little spider ( the bite reaction was bigger than the bite! I even looked 3x before I found it!) hiding under his bed. Killed it and solved the problem
i would be willing to bet it's fleas! even if you don't have pets, they can come in on your clothing and from what i understand, they are really bad this past year. our oldest dog is 9 and we've NEVER had a flea, EVER but we had an issue late summer with them and will still find one here and there. they are very difficult to get rid of, we did flea bombs in every room of the house and still see a random one jumping around! Grrrrr, so frustrating! good luck though!
It may be a heat rash. My boys get them if they are over dressed, especially at bed time. Those polyester pjs with feet don't breathe at all. All sweat & body heat gets trapped inside. The sweat evaporates due to the dry air in the house & dries out the skin. (Even so my boys love to wear them,,,I've been able to find some light weight ones.)
Try switching to 100% cotton pjs, apply lotion twice a day, get a humidifier for their room & make sure they are not overdressed during the day. My kids always wear one less (or lighter) layer than I do. They run around so much they have no problem staying warm. If it is a heat rash & you follow these steps it should start going away in 24hrs. It may take two weeks to completely go away. The lotion should make the itching go away.
Good luck.
Just curious if you have checked their mattresses for signs of bed bugs? You can look online for what to look for. I think there will be little spots of brown on sheets and on mattress in the seams. Have you stayed at a hotel recently or someone elses house? Both bed bugs and fleas can travel via clothing/suitcases to your home.
It could possibly be a mild food allergy. Sometimes when I drink wine, I get those in random places because I'm mildly allergic to the tannic acid in wine, but not enough to cause a huge reaction. A friend of mine gets mild reactions when she eats shellfish but again not enough to be serious.
Other than that, I've got nothin'!
we had a similar thing happen to us. We as adults were getting the bites. So we starting using a bed bug mattress cover (the one that goes all around, not just the top), and we stopped getting the bites. I would try this route first - it would be much better than having it be fleas like others suggest!
Sounds like hives. benadryl or other antihistamines may help.
My granddaugthers were being bitten by something during the night that also looked like mosquitoe bites. I sprayed their yard and into the wep holes in the brick with a spray for fleas, ticks, ants... I bought at a big box store.
It may have to be repeated in two weeks to catch the eggs. Problem solved for about $10.
i would try to get into your dr. if you don't feel comfortable or can't get in, go to urgent care. i've used the one on 26th street by kmart (i'm from erie too)and the drs in there are great. it has been really warm here and who knows what's flying around that winter hasn't killed yet. I would really double check also for bed bugs...thats almost what it sounds like. my little one gets a rash in the winter when its super dry but definitely does not look like just bites. do you know when they show up? like do they seem to get them during the day or at night? that might be able to help identify where in the house the culprit is. if you think it's in their room at night, do a "camp out" for a few days in another room and see if they get any more. good luck!
