Fire ant bite remedy

[flmama]

Hi all My 4 year old DD was recently stung by fire ants. She is itching them like crazy! She has been taking oral benadryl and I have been applying a hydrocortisone cream. I think it is mildly helping but she is awake at night itching and complains of itching and pain during the day. I have done a quick search on this forum and came up with the following:

Baking soda paste
Tea tree oil

Does anyone know if these are effective and safe to use on a child with pustules (some are oozing). I have an appt with a derm in the morning (already scheduled for another issue) and plan to ask her. The response I have been given in the past by her ped is to stick with the benadryl and cortisone cream.

Any thoughts or experience would be greatly appreciated!

[kavamamakava]

Originally Posted by flmama

Hi all My 4 year old DD was recently stung by fire ants. She is itching them like crazy! She has been taking oral benadryl and I have been applying a hydrocortisone cream. I think it is mildly helping but she is awake at night itching and complains of itching and pain during the day. I have done a quick search on this forum and came up with the following:

Baking soda paste
Tea tree oil

Does anyone know if these are effective and safe to use on a child with pustules (some are oozing). I have an appt with a derm in the morning (already scheduled for another issue) and plan to ask her. The response I have been given in the past by her ped is to stick with the benadryl and cortisone cream.

Any thoughts or experience would be greatly appreciated!

The baking soda paste is safe and could help reduce the inflammation and itching. Personally, I don't like to put tea tree oil on broken skin. I am very sensitive to it, but not everyone is. It's safe.
Also, if you can find this weed anywhere nearby, it will help a lot with reducing the stinging/itching/inflammation:
Plantain leaf (no relation to plantains) grows close to the ground and usually in drier soil and mixed in with grass.
http://maryanncopson.typepad.com/pho...afplantain.jpg
This shows a really thick patch but it is often flattened against the ground and doesn't always have those long buds sticking out of the center. Sometimes they are a lot shorter. More like this http://www.herbies-herbs.com/pages/h...ntain6430L.jpg
It is fibrous too. Here are some more pictures http://www.cas.vanderbilt.edu/bioima...ecies/plru.htm

What I do is rinse it and chew it and apply the chewed leaf as a poultice over the area and wrap it with guaze or an ace bandage or a rag or a sock or something to keep it in place. You can mash it up another way if you want by chopping it or tearing it or pulsing it in a blender or food processor. I think saliva enzymes probably help activate the healing properties but I haven't researched it to find out so don't mind me. When my kids get bee stings it works to eliminate the pain and swelling in a matter of hours. It's really magic.

Another thing that I have done to relieve the insane annoyance of fire ant bites is to run an ice cube over it. Ahhhh relief.

Also, an ointment with calendula, chamomile, and golden seal can help speed the healing so it doesn't bother her for so long.

I hope she gets relief soon!

[flmama]

Thank you so much for the recommendations! I will look for that weed in our yard although I don't remember seeing anything like it...

The tea tree oil was a concern for me as well. My daughter has very sensitive skin so the last thing I want is for her to have a reaction to something else! I already feel horrible about these bites. A friend recommended a foot bath with epson salt or the baking soda and maybe a couple of drops of the tea tree oil. The derm rescheduled with us so I am taking her in tomorrow afternoon. I'm hoping to get her some relief (and much needed sleep) in the meantime!

Thank you again for you help!

[kavamamakava]

Hopefully they are getting better. A nice calendula ointment should really soothe. And soaking with salts will help a little too.