Hello Moms
My 2 yr old little girl is extremely allergic to mosquito bites. She suffers from huge blistering whelps when bitten and the pigment of her skin takes months to return to normal. I give her 1 teaspoon a day of Loratadine (generic for Claritin)during the summer months. This helps tremendously if she gets a bite.
She also has eczema in the creases of her arms and legs. I treat that with Aveno and it works pretty well. There have been times that for some reason or another, that I did not give her Loratadine for maybe a week or so, I notice that her eczema is not as bad, or not even there. Then when I start her back up on the Loratadine it seems the eczema starts flaring up again.
My question is have any of you had this same experience? Another option for the bites, I have heard is Benadryl – which causes drowsiness. The Loratadine does not cause drowsiness and it truly works wonders.
Thank you for any suggestions and have a great day,
H.
Hi H.,
I'm so glad you posted this, because I didn't even realize that my son's eczema never seems to be a problem when we forget to give him his Claritin! Thanks!
As for the mosquito bites, I have heard that taking Vitamin B supplements every day keeps mosquitoes from biting because they don't like the taste. You could get liquid supplements online or at a specialty vitamin shop. Good luck, and thanks again for speaking up!
Hello H.,
is your daughter allergic to anything else? what if you increase her omega-3's --at sprouts they have it on a "pudding" type in little pouches (like ketchup) ask at the vitamin/supplements counter. is there anything else you can use to keep the mosquitos away? how about repellent bracelets?
http://www.allmosquitos.com/control-mosquito/mosquito-con...
I remember reading somehwere about depending on what you eat, mosquitos will stay away. you may want to goggle that.
Good luck! ~C.~
If you think about what Claritin is and what it does it totally makes sense...Claritin is a histamine blocker which dries you out (runny nose etc.). So, if would likewise dry out your skin. I would increase water intake for your little one while she is taking the Claritin. Some kids just have more sensitive skin. Both of my kids fall into the category and one of them has frequent flare ups of eczema. We have to use a prescription cream to get his to go away. My oldest has the same issue with bug bites - they end up the size of half dollars and take weeks to go away. I wish I had better advice for you, but it seems that the eczema is a nasty side effect of the Claritin. Good luck - I know how difficult it is to have kids with super sensitive skin!
I agree with the mom who said just treat when your child has a mosquito bite. No need to medicate for something that is not there and that doesn't help prevent the reaction. My son has the same problem with mosquito bite welts (not the eczema). I use the dye-free Benedryl on occasion if he seems to be really itchy with the bites, otherwise I just put some Benadryl cream or Hydrocortisone cream on the bite to help get rid of the itch. Otherwise, be sure to spray him with bug spray (OFF or other) when he goes outside to play. In summer, I bathe my son using Avon Skin-So-Soft bath cream and also use the Skin-So-Soft body lotion. It helps repels mosquitos too!
Here's tip for meds that cause drowsiness (like Zyrtec, which my son takes daily for allergies) - simply give it to him at bedtime!
Two quick suggestions. Eczema..ABC Arbonne Baby Care could be your answer. It is awesome! Pure, safe & beneficial AND if used routinely many times will clear the ezcema right up. I have SO many positive stories about it. ALSO, Arbonne offers aromatherapy. The Awaken spray works GREAT for warding off mosquitoes. Just spray it on when she's going outside & it will revitalize, lift spirits as well as keep the pesky mosquitoes away. No worries about harsh chemicals, or any bad for you stuff! If you would like more info, I would be glad to drop samples in the mail!
Val Murray
###-###-####
V..myarbonne.com
Claritan and Benadryl are both anit-histamines. Either should help your daughter's eczema because it's likely caused by an allergy.
Yes, either can dry out your skin.
Use Aquaphor or Eucerin moisturizer to help with the dryness.
You can buy Benadryl that will not make you sleepy. It would probably be safer for your little girl to take.
Good luck.
MK
My son has the same issues..He is 8 now..We have tried all the lotions and such..what works best for him and I (I also have ezcema) is Curel Fragrance Free...Also, if you don't have a perscription for Cream to treat the ezcema, Hydrocortizone cream (not ointment) works great. He always had problems with hands and feet and legs..so at bedtime I latherd him up with lotion and hydrocortizone cream then put him in light pjs, cotton socks on hands and feet to keep him from scratching..
Now that he is 8..he is on advair and Zyrtec..works great..but skin still needs cream on a nightly basis..even with lots of water, and good nutrition.
Claritin is an anti-histamine, so it will also suppress your daughter's immune system. She is likely allergic to something (thus the eczema) and her body can't combat it while on the claritin. My son has lots of issues with mosquito bites, BUT you really only need to treat when there's a bite. I use the dye free Benadryl for that and you should avoid having your daughter out when there's lots of mosquitos. The Benadryl does cause drowsiness, thus I only give it towards bedtime. If the bite is bothering my son earlier in the day, we use calamine lotion, which has a topical antihistamine - really far better than a systemic one like Claritin or Benadryl for a bug bite.
The most common cause of eczema is food allergies or gluten intolerance/celiac disease. The most common allergic reaction is to dairy or wheat.
