Finding a tick on your child can be a scary and confusing situation. Do you take it out yourself? Should you call the doctor first? Our pediatricians in Highland, Indiana are going to explain exactly what you should do below.
Stay calm and remove the tick carefully.
Finding a tick on your child can make you feel nervous or even scared, but you need to stay calm and act quickly. The sooner you remove the tick, the better it is for your child. Ticks can carry diseases, and the risk of infection increases the longer they remain on the skin.
Use fine-tipped tweezers to grasp the tick as close to the skin as possible and then pull it out slowly. Don’t twist or yank it, since that can break the tick in half and leave the mouth stuck under the skin.
Don’t use home remedies like nail polish or petroleum jelly to smother the tick or dab it with alcohol while it is still in the skin. These “remedies” can make the tick release more bacteria into the skin.
After removing the tick, wash the skin around the bite with warm water and soap. You can also use rubbing alcohol or hand sanitizer to disinfect the area. Then apply an antibiotic ointment to lower the risk of an infection.
Should you keep the tick?
You don’t have to, but it can help. If your child gets sick later, showing the tick to your pediatrician in Highland, Indiana can be useful.
To save the tick, put it in a sealed plastic bag or small container with rubbing alcohol. You should also write down the date you found the tick. That detail can help your pediatrician track when symptoms started if your child gets sick.
What to watch for in the days and weeks after?
Some tick-related illnesses don’t show up immediately. You might not see any signs for days or even a few weeks.
Lyme disease, for example, does not show symptoms until 3 to 30 days after the bite. Look for signs like fever, chills, headache, fatigue, and sore muscles.
Keep checking your child’s skin. A red rash might appear and grow slowly over time. This rash is not always itchy or painful, so it can be easy to miss unless you are looking. Look closely during bath time or dressing.
Other tick-related illnesses, like ehrlichiosis, can develop within 1 to 2 weeks. Symptoms include fever, muscle pain, rash, nausea, and headaches.
When should you call your pediatrician?
If you try to remove the tick and part of it stays in the skin, you should call your pediatrician in Highland, Indiana. You should also call if you think the tick was on your child for more than 36 hours.
If your child gets a fever, rash, swollen joints, or other symptoms within the next few weeks, make an appointment with your pediatrician so they can run tests if needed and start antibiotics early.
In some cases, a single dose of doxycycline can lower the risk of Lyme disease. Your pediatrician will decide if that is a good treatment based on what they see and how much time has passed.
How to prevent tick bites?
When your kids go outside, dress them in long sleeves, pants, and light colors. Treat clothes, socks, and shoes with 0.5% permethrin. It stays effective through several washes and keeps ticks away.
Use an EPA-registered insect repellent on exposed skin. Look for one that contains active ingredients like DEET or picaridin.
After outdoor time, check your child’s body closely, especially under the arms, behind the ears, around the waist, and behind the knees. Ticks like warm, hidden spots, so check carefully.
Also check their clothes and even pets because ticks can cling to anything soft or furry.
These steps will not prevent every tick bite, but they do lower the risk by a lot.
Looking for an Affordable Pediatrician in Highland, Indiana?
Are you looking for a qualified pediatrician in Highland, Indiana who can help you handle tick bites or anything else your child might face? If so, our pediatricians at 219 Health Network are the people to see. Contact us today at 833-219-0001 to learn how we can help.