Effective Home Remedies for Mosquito Bites (First Hand Experience!)

Our toddler has an allergic reaction to mosquito bites. She swells up pretty bad! And when she scratches them, they sometimes get infected, leaving the affected area more swollen and purulent. I also noticed that when her swelling starts to subside, some of them bruise up.

A pharmacist suggested I give her oral Benadryl for children (5ml every 6 hrs) and apply a thin layer of hydrocortisone cream on her mosquito bites, 2-3 times a day.  I did this for about a week while we were away on our trip. She was so itchy, and I was desperate! Eventually, the swelling and itchiness went away.

A week after we got back home, we went camping. The campsite was infested with mosquitoes! A mom’s worst nightmare when you have a kid who is notoriously allergic to mozzie bites! She ended up with yet another round of swelling, this time even on her face. I was heartbroken to see her face end up disfigured from the swelling. Even her younger sister who didn’t have a bad reaction to mosquito bites before ended up with awful swelling. (She still managed to keep her happy disposition despite it all). So our camping was cut short, and we went home the next day.

This time I opted for a more natural solution. And I’M GLAD I DID! The cream was handy while we were travelling, but I would’t want to expose my toddler to harsh and toxic chemicals again if I can help it.

Don’t get me wrong, the hydrocortisone cream worked. But I am not comfortable finishing another tube to put on her skin when we just finished up a small tube not long ago. I also didn’t like how the affected areas ended up with white flat scars that are still visible up to now. The home remedies I used didn’t have this side effect on her skin, and they were suprisingly very effective!

Let me share with you what they were, and how I used them to cure mozzie bites on our little ones.

1. Tepid bath with baking soda. I ran the tap in the tub and added about a cup of baking soda just before the girls went in for their bath. Baking soda is known as an effective home remedy to stop the itchiness caused by nasty mosquito bites. Since it’s alkaline in nature, it can neutralize the PH of the skin, which offers relief from itching.
2. Ice. I applied ice wrapped in cloth (you can use a cold pack if you have one) on the swollen parts morning and night (or as often as you can). This greatly reduce inflammation, and itching. The cold temperature of ice numbs the affected area, and limits the distribution of inflammatory substances to the bite site.
3. Toothpaste with baking soda. If you had made a baking soda paste to apply to your little ones bug bites before, you know baking soda works like a miracle! And this is pretty much similar to that, only more convenient. I noticed the same (if not faster) result doing it this way, minus the prep and the mess. I apply a dab of toothpaste on the mozzie bites before they go to bed. Once the first coat has dried, I applied yet another thin coat especially on areas that are pretty bad. Make sure that the toothpaste is completely dry before you send your little ones to bed or it will make a mess on their sheets!
4. Raw, organic honey. In the morning, after I have wiped off the toothpaste from the night before, I apply a thin coat of honey on the affected areas. Honey has many anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties, which helps to relieve itching, and can also prevent infections.

These natural home remedy has been my go to now when our little ones get mozzi bites. I noticed that when I apply the ice as soon as I noticed she’s been bitten that they ended up not swelling as bad as it has been in the past. As soon as I’m done icing it, I would apply a thin coat of toothpaste with baking soda (or raw honey) on the affected areas. And it worked like wonders! I was thrilled!

I read an article that vouch for the effectiveness of applying the inside of a banana peel on mosquito bites. Someday I might just try that just because we always have plenty of bananas at home. I will let you know if it is as effective as the article claim it to be.

Thanks for reading this post and hope you’ll give it a shot.