Itchy and scratchy insect bites

It's that time of year again. When my son plays outside until the very last minute I'll allow. Then, later, as he's lying in bed he starts to complain of this spot or that spot. Invariably, I don't see anything in the spots he's pointing to. It seems odd because when I get a bug bite I flare up terribly. But flare-up or no flare-up, itchy bug bites drive my son just insane.

I prefer to use home remedies on my son's insect bites more often than not. My old stand-by is mixing baking soda with a bit of warm water and creating a paste. It's soothing and seems to take the sting away quite quickly. I've used it on both mosquito bites and bee stings.

Health911 has some more ideas on home remedies for insect bites. Some of their recommendations include rubbing apple cider vinegar on the skin as an insect repellent, dabbing dissolved Epsom salts on insect bites, using ice packs to reduce swelling, and using a paste of meat tenderizer to reduce the sting of bites.