Many children enjoy playing in the outdoors and can spend hours exploring their natural environment. If your kids are the type who love hunting through the woods, make sure you teach them about ticks and how to prevent tick bites. A tick bite can cause several serious illnesses, including Rocky Mountain spotted fever and Lyme disease, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Being vigilant is the best way to prevent these conditions.
Know Your Environment
If your children spend a lot of time outdoors, you should investigate whether ticks are prevalent in your area and familiarize yourself with their appearance. Ticks are found all over the world, but are most commonly seen in humid and moist locales, according to the CDC. In particular, forests and leafy areas often have high concentrations of ticks. Instruct your children not to play in areas where they will be climbing through or around brush.
Repellents
The CDC recommends that parents apply an insect repellent containing either DEET or permethrin to their children to help prevent tick bites. You can use products containing up to a 20 percent concentration of DEET on the skin, but permethrin should only be applied to clothing or protective gear. Because of the chemical content of these products, always carefully read label directions before using repellents, and do not allow your children to apply them to themselves.
Stay Covered
One good way to prevent tick bites is to reduce the amount of skin they have access to by staying covered up when outdoors. The Florida Department of Public Health recommends that people wear long pants and long sleeves when in areas where ticks can be found. Also, tuck your childrens' pants into their socks to prevent them from accessing the skin near the ankle. Light-colored or white clothing is also preferable to darker colors because the ticks will be more visible and can be removed as soon as they are seen.
Check for Ticks
You should regularly check your children for ticks after they play outdoors, especially if you live in an area where ticks are common. Be sure to check your child's entire skin surface, including in the belly button, behind the knees, in the armpits, in and around the hair and scalp, in and around the ears and around the waist, the CDC advises. Older children should be taught to examine themselves for ticks. When doing a self-examination, a handheld mirror can be helpful for checking hard-to-see areas.
Tick Removal
If you do find a tick on your child, remove it immediately. In most cases, a pair of tweezers is all you need to remove it. Simply grab the tick with the tweezers as close to the skin as possible and pull upward in one steady motion, according to the Florida Department of Public Health. Avoid using a twisting motion, because this can cause the tick to break off the skin with its mouth still intact. Do not directly handle the tick, because fluids from its body may contain harmful pathogens. If you have trouble removing the tick, take your child to a doctor for assistance.
