Ticks. Yuck.
Summer in Manitoba is gorgeous. The sunshine! The breezes! That unmistakable perfume of grass! We want our little ones to be outside as much as they can be during the summer… but we need to keep an eye out for ticks.
Ticks spread illnesses including Lyme Disease that can have long-lasting negative effects on our health – so we *all* need to be on the lookout.
But since little ones (and our dogs!) are generally more apt to be close-to-the-ground in the grass, they can be more susceptible to tick bites.
The Canadian Paediatric Society has assembled a great list of things you can do to prevent tick bites, as well as discussion about various insect repellents.
If you should find a tick on a member of your family, here is a link to Health Canada’s advice on what to do. DON’T just pull on it or “smack it” the way you would a mosquito – that can increase the risk of disease.
Any time your little ones are spending time in the woods or in tall grasses, make sure to do a good “tick check” all over. The sooner you can remove a tick, the better.