Keep Your Child Safe: Insect Stings, Allergies, and Asthma

Insect Safety

Washington's outdoor spaces attract insects and critters year-round. Help keep your child sting-free with these safety practices:

If your child encounters bees, wasps, or other stinging insects:

• Stay calm and avoid swatting
• Keep sticky foods, meats, sugar, and frozen treats like ice cream indoors to reduce attraction
• Make sure your child wears shoes outside—even dead wasps and bees can sting
• Supervise children with life-threatening allergies and move them to a safer place when stinging insects are active

Read more about insect stings at healthychildren.org.

Allergy Awareness

Pollen and other environmental allergens affect children throughout the year. Allergens cause the body's immune system to react to substances as if they were attacking the body.

Allergy symptoms can look like colds or asthma, so knowing what to watch for helps with diagnosis and treatment. Watch for these symptoms:

• Chronic runny nose
• Nasal stuffiness
• Sneezing
• Throat clearing
• Nose rubbing
• Itchy, watery eyes

Asthma Management at Home

If your child has asthma or asthmatic symptoms, these habits benefit your child and family:

• Clean dust and animal dander from your home regularly to reduce airway irritation
• Replace cleaning products that trigger your child's asthma
• Quit smoking—secondhand smoke inflames your child's airways and triggers asthma symptoms

This content is curated from Early Learning's Spring 2025 issue of Health Digest, a newsletter for families.