Mosquito Bites

How to Treat Mosquito Bites at Home

At-home mosquito bite remedies are plentiful, the best advice is to try and leave it alone and especially avoid scratching it. Other suggestions include washing the area with soap and water, placing an ice pack on the bite, applying a calamine lotion, or taking an over the counter antihistamine. This includes Benadryl (Diphenhydramine), Claritin (Loratadine), or Zyrtec (Ceftirizine).

If your kid can’t stop the scratching, there are additional overt-the-counter options. “An over-the-counter cortisone cream applied 3x/day may be helpful,” Dr. Morgana Colombo, M.D., a board-certified dermatologist, tells Romper. “Sarna lotion, also sold over-the-counter, can be used on top of cortisone cream or alone 2-3x a day.”

You can try to reduce the frequency of mosquito bites by staying inside when mosquitoes tend to be active (generally around dusk and dawn). If you are going out, then protect your little ones with the best mosquito repellent for kids and babies, or use mosquito repellent wearables, such as shirts made with insect repellent.