Can a mesequito bite cause swelling in toddlers?

Question

My 26 month old son was 'bit' on his forehead by a mosquito, or so we thought. He woke up the following AM with severe swelling where the red circular mark was which is above his left eye. This is the 2nd time it has occurred. Our MD visit the 1st time was diagnosed as a 'bug' or 'spider' bite & was told it needed to run it's course. Neither incident caused my son discomfort & it's rare if I catch him scratching. He woke up this AM & the swelling hasn't gone down, in fact ... it seems a bit worse now affecting his upper eye lid. Could my son be allergic to Mosquito's bites? Or could this mark be from something else? Would benedryl help the swelling go down?

Answer 1

Now you know that you have to use deet on him. Get your doctor's approval, but it sounds like an allergy, so you're going to need to prevent the bites in the first place. Benadryl would help--make sure that you get dosage info. from your doctor.  

Answer 2

Most people have an allergic reaction to mosquitoes that is why they itch and swell up. He may be having a more serious reaction and that is why they are swelling more than usual. If it is affecting his sight I would take him to the Dr. Sometimes allergic reactions can be severe and affect breathing watch for this and call 911 if he has trouble. I would definitely have your house sprayed by a professional. After the first Dr visit and you were told to let the bite run its course did they tell you to give him benadryl? If so I would try it.

Answer 3

my niece will swell bad when she is bit by a mosquito. Chances are that he is allergic to the bug bites and there isn't a lot that can be done. You can definately give him benedryl to help with the itch and all and it might help with the swelling but not necessarily. If you put a warm rag on it, it might also help the swelling. It is what the allergy doctor told us to do when she gets bit. Hers usually tend to get a circle around it as big as a golf ball.

Answer 4

Yes, it sounds like he is allergic to them. Benadryl should help a little bit, but if he has allergies to anything else he'd be better off on a children's dose of Claritin or Allegra or something else.

I was VERY allergic to mosquitoes when I was little. When I was bitten I would swell up and go into anaphylactic shock and I would have to go to the ER.  

Answer 5

My daughter went through severe swelling when she was younger, but as she got older it got better.  For her it was a matter of building up a tolerance/resistance to the mosquito venom.  However, I have a couple friends that are allergic to mosquito bites and as adults develop a huge swelling from the bites.

I would suggest using Benedryl or an OTC brand of diphenhydramine.  It will make him sleepy, but should help with the swelling.  Benedryl also comes in a topical ointment, but you're not to use the 2 together.

Another thing to watch for if it's an allergy, is his throat and/or breathing.  If he is allergic his throat could start swelling inside and constrict his breathing.

As your doctor said, it could be a spider bite instead.  They tend to have this type of swelling.  Again, the benedryl should help.