About 20 percent of people in the United States have experienced a bed bug infestation in their home or know someone who has encountered bed bugs. Bed bug bites can lead to infection, allergic reactions, and they can even damage your furniture.
Do you want to learn more about baby bed bug bites, the signs of bed bug bites on babies, and more? Keep reading our guide to the signs, symptoms, and treatment options for bed bugs.
Signs of Bed Bug Bites on Babies
There are several bed bug bite symptoms, and they generally present the same signs on toddlers and adults. While bed bugs aren’t necessarily dangerous, they are a nuisance and can cause discomfort, especially in children.
One way you can identify symptoms of bed bug bites on babies is to observe if they are experiencing red and itchy bumps. Many times, these look like mosquito bites. However, bed bugs tend to bite you several times in a distinctive group or line.
While you may only have one bite from a bed bug, they often bite more than once if they get dislodged or cannot find a good blood vessel to feed on. They might be moving to find another spot to feed.
Often, these bed bug bites are found only on exposed skin. This includes your arms, legs, and even your face. If you wake up in the morning and notice any new bites on you or your child, you may want to check for bed bugs!
Signs of Bed Bugs
While bed bugs are tiny creatures, there are still ways you can spot them. Generally, you don’t ever find living bed bugs. They are very small and are also very good at hiding in the seams of your mattress!
If you do happen to see a live bug on your bed, it is helpful to know what a bed bug looks like. They are only about 1/4 of an inch long, they are shaped like an oval, and they are a reddish-brown color.
However, there are other signs that you have these pests in your bed or other furniture. One of the most obvious signs of bed bugs is having blood stains on your sheets or bedding. When a bed bug is dislodged from your skin and smashed after a feeding, the blood they ate will stain your sheets.
You also may find dead bed bugs or the waste of bed bugs in your bedding. Bed bug waste most often looks like dark brown flecks.
If you are worried that you may have bed bugs in your home or in a hotel you are staying at, there are ways you can check for them! To do this you will need a flashlight and something flat, like a credit card.
Simply use the credit card to dig through the seams of your mattress and look for the bed bugs, their eggs, or even their feces.
Treatment for Baby Bed Bug Bites
When your toddler is bitten by a bed bug, they may not be able to control their itchiness. However, itching bed bug bites may lead to other infections and maybe even scarring.
To prevent this from happening, make sure you wash the bitten area with soap and water, and consider using an anti-itch cream on the affected area.
There are many reasons that your child may have a reaction to a bed bug bite. First, bed bugs often inject an anticoagulant into your body when they bite you. This is what makes it so itchy! It also could be your body reacting to the saliva from the bed bug.
Because bites are mainly uncomfortable and not dangerous, all you need to do is keep your child comfortable and help soothe the itchiness. If you are still worried about it, you can consider reaching out to your child’s physician with any questions or concerns about bed bug bite treatment.
How Do Bed Bugs Spread
While bed bugs aren’t inherently dangerous, they are an extreme nuisance that can be hard to get rid of. One of the biggest problems of bed bugs is that they can spread very quickly and easily.
There are a few different ways that bed bugs spread. The most common way is that they travel on items. Whether they crawl into your luggage, your clothing, or furniture that you have bought, it is easy for them to catch a ride into your home.
This is why bed bugs are so prevalent in places like hotels and universities.
Bed bugs can also spread through crawling. While they don’t fly, they can crawl quickly. This means they can travel into other rooms of your house and create an infestation.
Finally, bed bugs breed very quickly. Once you have one pregnant female in your house, you will begin to notice an infestation within a month or two. Because bed bugs can spread so quickly, it is vital that you take care of bed bugs as soon as you see the signs of bed bug bites.
Find a Professional Pest Control Company Today!
If you have found bed bugs in your home or have noticed the signs of baby bed bug bites, it is important that you get a professional company to help you remove these pests! Bed bugs are easy to spread, so you need to move quickly!
If you are looking for bed bug removal in Utah, Washington, Oregon, or Idaho, Custom Bed Bug can help! Contact our team today to learn how you can easily identify and get rid of bed bugs, or contact us for a free quote!