Why Children Get Bitten First
Children spend their day at flea height. They sit and lie on the carpet, crawl under tables, play on rugs, cuddle the dog on the sofa and often go about barefoot. A flea that jumps from the floor meets a child long before it meets an adult sitting on a chair.
The bites usually show on legs, feet and, for crawling babies and toddlers, the knees, hands and tummy. A pharmacist can advise on what is suitable to soothe a child's bites; see the GP if a bite looks infected, blisters or your child seems unwell. Keeping nails short helps stop scratching turning a bite into a sore.
Children's Bedrooms and the Pet That Sleeps There
If the cat or dog sleeps on a child's bed, that bedroom is one of the most important rooms in the house, not a side issue. Eggs fall off the animal into the duvet and onto the carpet by the bed, and larvae grow in the carpet edges below it.
- Wash the child's bedding, cushions and any washable soft toys the pet lies on, on the hottest cycle the labels allow.
- Put soft toys that cannot be washed in a sealed bag for the period we advise.
- Clear the bedroom floor completely before the visit, so every part of the carpet can be reached.
- Keep the pet out of that room until the vet's treatment has taken effect on the animal.
What Is Used, Where, and the Rules Around It
The home is treated with a residual insecticide applied to carpets, floors, soft furnishings and pet areas, usually alongside an insect growth regulator that stops larvae developing into adults. It is applied to the floor and furnishings, not sprayed into the air, and not onto beds or toys.
Everybody, children and adults, and every animal stays out of the treated rooms until it has dried. We will tell you how long on the day and when the children can go back in, and those instructions are the ones to follow. We never describe any treatment as safe in general; what matters is using it properly in your particular home.
Tell us at booking if there is a baby in the house, anyone pregnant, anyone with asthma or another breathing condition, or a fish tank, bird, reptile or small caged animal such as a hamster. It changes how the visit is planned.
More on the treatment and the precautions is on is flea treatment safe around pets and children, and our general advice on pest control around children and pets covers the wider picture.
Planning the Day With a Family
Most families in Wokingham find the easiest arrangement is a morning visit while the children are at school or nursery, with everyone out until the rooms are dry. Pack a bag for the afternoon, take the pet to be looked after or out for a long walk, and leave toys boxed up rather than on the floor. The treatment is a fixed £220 that is confirmed before anything is booked.
The day before, vacuum every floor and sofa and wash the pet's bedding; the full list is on how to prepare your home.