Stings and bites

Being stung is a frightening experience for anyone, especially a young child, so the best thing you can do initially is to stay calm yourself and reassure your child.

You should seek medical advice promptly if:

• Your child has been stung more than once by bees or wasps
• She's been stung around the lips, mouth, throat or inside the mouth
• She seems to be suffering an allergic reaction to a sting - signs to look out for include a widespread blotchy rash, swelling of the lips, mouth and throat with associated breathing problems or general floppiness. This is called anaphylactic shock and is rare but very serious. If you notice any of these symptoms, take your child to the nearest A&E department. If anaphylactic shock is diagnosed, she'll be given an injection of adrenaline to help prevent body collapse

The majority of stings from wasps, bees and other insects such as horseflies and fleas are harmless if painful and/or itchy in the short term but the steps below should take away some of the discomfort.

Mosquito bites are more of a problem abroad, especially in countries where malaria is found, so check with your GP before travelling in case you need anti-malaria medication and take plenty of insect anti-repellent with you.

As far as jellyfish are concerned, only a sting from a Portuguese Man of War jellyfish, (rarely found in UK coastal waters), needs medical treatment. The rest can be self-treated using the tips for wasp and bee stings below.

Animal bites should be washed thoroughly using an antiseptic solution and covered with a clean, dry dressing before checking with your GP or local A&E department whether further treatment and a tetanus injection are needed.

What you can do

Bee stings which usually stay in the skin afterwards, scrape the sting out carefully with a clean fingernail rather than using tweezers as they could push more poison into the puncture. You don't need to do this for wasp stings as nothing is left behind in the skin.

• Bathe the puncture mark with cool water or an ice cube to relieve any swelling and heat
• Apply an antihistamine or anaesthetic spray, according to the instructions
• Vinegar may help ease a wasp sting while bicarbonate of soda and water is good for bee stings
• Give your child the correct dose of infant paracetamol to ease any discomfort