Overview
As one of the most frequent causes for visits to the doctor's office, insect bites and/or stings are quite common among infants. While bites and stings on an infant are typically just an inconvenience, some reactions can be life threatening. The severity of an insect bite will vary from child to child, and only a small minority of infants develops this severe reaction (anaphylaxis).
It is important to get immediate medical attention for a severe reaction to a bite or sting, such as those that may occur with stings from bees, wasps, and hornets. Most insects (such as ants, mosquitoes, flies, spiders, ticks, and mites) do not cause such a severe reaction.
A bee will occasionally leave behind a stinger attached to a venom sac. It is important to try and remove it as soon as possible. Wasps, on the other hand, do not leave their stingers in the skin after stinging, which means they can sting more than once.
