How to Check for and Remove Ticks

Summer weather may be welcome, especially if you live in a part of the world that has a lengthy winter, but if you have children, warmer weather also means the kids will be playing outside more. One danger of being outside is Lyme disease, which your children can pick up from ticks that attach themselves to their unsuspecting bodies. Make sure to examine your child thoroughly each time he or she has been in conditions where ticks might be present and able to attach to them. Symptoms of Lyme disease might be a tell tale bull's eye mark that is red and surrounded by a rash, out of the ordinary listlessness...your child simply does not want to do anything, lack of appetite, light fever, aches in the neck or head, or even vomiting. If you come across a tick on your child, take him or her (and the offending tick after you have removed it) to a professional for evaluation. Make sure to check your child thoroughly, every time he or she comes in from outdoor play, and even more importantly, do all you can to help prevent the ticks from being able to attach to them in the first place. The following information will help you to be informed on how to properly do both.

Preparation for outdoor play in warmer weather is best done by ensuring your child is wearing a lightweight (because you do not want them to overheat) long sleeve shirt and long pants, preferably tucked into their shoes or boots. Making sure feet are covered with socks and close toed shoes (no flip flop shoes) is also a must. These are especially true facts if your child is going to be playing in the woods, near swamps or marshes, in dense areas of vegetation or if your child will be playing in high grass. You want to cover as much bare skin as possible to aid in prevention of ticks. You also might want to consider dressing your child in white or light clothing so he or she, or their playmates can better spot anything adverse that might be trying to attach to them, such as a tick.

Once your child comes inside and play has resumed, check him or her for any ticks you can easily see, and then more thoroughly for any you may not be able to so readily spot. Have tweezers on hand to pull any ticks off of your child that you might come across. Be sure to grip the body of the bug firmly and pull quickly and straight from the skin with a steady thrust. You want to be sure to get the head of the tick out from under the child's skin if it has already attached to him or her, as that is how they hang on to the child. Check in places you cannot easily spot ticks, such as behind the ears, in the hair, on the scalp, behind the neck, and anywhere the body may fold or crease, such as behind knees. Ticks love to hide in dark places where they can not be easily spotted.

Know that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure when it comes to Lyme Disease. Do all you can ahead of time to ensure your child is at low risk for contracting it through exposure to ticks by limiting where they can play, dressing them properly if they will be in areas where ticks might be present, and checking them thoroughly after they have finished playing for the day. Know too, that just because they did not pick up any ticks in an area of play on any given day, that they very well could pick up ticks in the same spot on any other given day. It is important to repeat this process any time a child will be in an area where ticks might be present.