Worried About Your Child’s Sleepover?- 4 Tips To Prevent Bed Bug Infestation
A lot of young children love to spend time with their friends. Some of the activities that they might get involved in are sleepovers. Being invited to sleepovers is natural, especially if your child is friendly and active. Alternatively, your child might also want to invite his/her friends over. Unfortunately, the spread of bed bugs have lead many families to be wary about inviting other people into their homes. They are afraid that their guests might bring these nasty little critters with them. If you are worried about your child’s sleepover, there are some simple tips to help you keep bed bugs at bay.
Why Are Families Concerned About These Tiny Bugs?
Bed bugs are the size of an apple seed; thus, they do not look very intimidating. Unfortunately, these bugs have an appetite for human blood. They can feed on your blood while you are sleeping. When you wake up, you will find itchy, red bumps on your skin. Bed bug bites are generally painless, but the bites can result to itchy skin welts. For people who have very sensitive skin, especially children, the bites might result to skin rash.
The signs and symptoms of these bites will only affect the skin surface but it can cause discomfort, especially at night when these bites become extremely itchy. You or any of your family members might also suffer from certain allergic reactions, including:
- Swollen sacs of pus
- Skin rashes that looks like hives
- Skin inflammation
- Large wheals that can spread up to 8 inches across
These are just some of the reasons why many families are concerned about introducing these bugs into their home. Households can get infested with these blood thirsty creatures through second hand furniture, traveling, sleepovers, and so on. If your child wants to invite his/her friends over, it is best to follow certain precautions.
Precautionary Measures To Keep Bed Bugs Away
Do not let your fear of bed bug infestation rob your child of the experience of having his/her friends overnight. You can keep your child happy while keeping bed bugs away. Here are some simple tips you can follow.
- The first thing you can do is talk to the other children’s parents about the sleepover. You must let them know that bed bug prevention is taken seriously in your household. You can also inquire whether they are taking any preventive steps in their own homes.
- Let your child understand the seriousness of the infestation. It is also advisable to let them take part of the inspection process as this can keep them interested and active. You and your children can look carefully for viable eggs and live bed bugs. These are usually found in shoes and pant cuffs.
- Cover your guests’ mattress and bedding with an anti-bed bug encasement. This can keep bed bugs away and make bed bug detection easy.
- You must also encourage your guests to place their clean clothes and items in a luggage liner. Additionally, you must also tell your child to keep his/her clean and dirty clothes in separate anti-bedbug laundry bags.
As an additional tip, you must check the items that come in and out of your home, including overnight bags from sleepovers and backpacks. You must also teach your child to avoid sharing or borrowing clothes when they get invited for a sleepover. If your child comes home wearing unfamiliar clothes, immediately hot wash and dry it on high heat. Bed bugs can’t survive in extremely hot temperature.
It is important for families to be educated about the negative effects brought forth by these bloodsuckers. It is best to be vigilant, but avoid becoming paranoid. Do not stop your child from enjoying activities because of your fear of these bugs, but be educated about the precautionary steps you can follow to protect your home and your family.
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Kris Lim is a mother of one who knows that children love to participate in sleepovers. Despite her fears of bedbug infestation, she allows her child to enjoy such activities since she follows the precautionary tips she listed in her article. She also writes for home improvement and pest control websites, such as http://www.capitalk9pest.com/ .
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