How To Clean A Pack And Play With Bed Bugs

How To Clean A Pack And Play With Bed Bugs (Easy Steps)

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Naturally, as a parent, one of your main responsibilities is to protect your baby. Bed bug infestations can be a daunting task for parents.

Bed bugs are so-named because they tend to infest areas where their hosts sleep, like beds. They also hide in wait-in areas where people remain still for some time. This includes a couch, movie theater, train, bus, or taxi seats.

Of course, protecting yourself from these bed bugs can be quite a challenge, let alone protecting a baby that can’t fend for him or herself from its belongings.

In this article, we discuss practical tips on how to clean a pack and play with bed bugs.

We all know parenting is not easy. However, with a team effort of both parents and pest control experts, bed bug issues can expeditiously be resolved.

Table of Contents

How To Clean A Pack And Play With Bed Bugs

BEG BUGS IN PACK N PLAY

It doesn’t matter how you got bed bugs. The biggest issue now is how to get rid of them off your pack-and-play.

And since this bloodsucker has made its way to your baby’s territory, you’ll want to handle it in the most natural, non-toxic way possible.

Fortunately, many natural and highly effective ways to eliminate bed bugs exist.

Here are the practical and most effective things you can do to keep your pack-and-play free from beg bugs right now…

1. Wash and Dry Everything You Can

Bed bugs can’t stand high temperatures, so if unsure, run anything you’re suspicious of through a hot cycle in a dryer.

Bedclothes, such as pack-and-play sheets, blankets, pillowcases, soft toys, or any clothes you took to the hospital, can be treated this way.

To clean your playpen, fill your bathtub with the hottest soapy water you can get and leave it to soak for an hour; drain and scrub. After that, let it dry in the sun; this will help kill adult bed bugs and eggs.

2. Steam Everything Else

Bigger household items like cribs, playpens, suitcases, and overnight bags can be treated with steam; this is a highly effective method and an all-natural way to eliminate bed bugs.

This method can kill bed bug families on pretty much anything you own. And since this method also sterilizes, it is a 100% natural, non-toxic, and effective way to get rid of bed bugs when you have a baby at home.

If you don’t have a steamer in your home yet, I can tell you there are affordable bed bug steamers that are quite cheap and go a long way toward eliminating bed bugs.

I’d recommend the McCulloch MC123 Handheld Steam Cleaner.

This is one of the best bed bug steamers, it’s affordable and extremely versatile and heats water to over 200 degrees Fahrenheit, which is more than enough to kill generations of bed bugs.

Here is a video showing how to get rid of beg bugs.

Do Beg Bugs Bite On Babies?

An effective way to identify bed bug bites is to know that bed bugs tend to bite in clusters. Single bed bugs often bite a person, including a baby, more than once in a single feeding.

Bloodsuckers like fleas tend to congregate around the ankles and feet, while bed bugs bite any body parts they come in contact with.

Therefore, if you notice any tight clusters of multiple bites on your baby’s skin, there’s a good chance that bed bugs must have invaded his pack-and-play or any of his belongings.

How To Protect Your Baby From Bed Bug Bites

While you get busy clearing your household of bed bugs, it’s highly necessary to protect your little one from getting more bed bug bites.

The easiest way to do this is to protect your baby’s sleeping environment that is his playpen or crib, from those bloodsucking intruders.

To do this, firstly, you need to get a crib and/or playpen mattress cover to seal off any bed bugs that might be hiding in the crib mattress. By doing this, you also prevent any new bed bugs from taking charge in your little one’s crib.

Secondly, you need to set up bed bug traps under each crib’s leg so that any bed bug that tries to climb onto your baby’s crib will get caught before it can get close to your baby.

Lastly, cover your baby’s crib with strong mesh netting. It is a known fact that bed bugs love climbing up walls and then dropping down onto beds to get to their unwilling victims.

Therefore, a strong mesh netting cover will do a great job parachuting bed bugs away from your baby.

Remember, ensure you position the crib away from walls or any piece of furniture that is close to the crib. Bed bugs have shown a strong tendency to climb anything they can to get to their victims so don’t give them a chance!

Hopefully, by doing this properly, you must have successfully protected your baby from getting bed bug bites without even resorting to pesticides.

Read Also: How To Make Pack And Play More Comfortable

How To Prevent Bed Bug Bites on Baby

The best way to keep bedbugs from biting your baby is to ensure there are no bed bugs in your house or baby belongings.

And to this achieve this perfectly, you must block off the usual channels by which bed bugs spread from house to house.

One of the easiest ways to do this is to avoid using furniture or pack-and-play, as this is a major cause of bed bugs.

But even if you don’t have any used furniture, be aware that bed bugs can be found anywhere, including inside hospitals, so when you return from the maternity ward, it’s likely your little one is not the only thing you’re bringing back.

How To Inspect For Bed Bugs

1. Identify

Knowing what these bed bugs look like at different stages is vital. Adult bed bugs are quite easy to find because of their size (a bit larger than a sesame seed) and are dark reddish-brown.

Nymph’s size varies; the smallest (youngest) looks like the size of a poppy seed.  They are lighter in color, but most have a dark stomach spot, indicating they have had a blood meal.

The egg size is tiny, white, bean-shaped, and about the length of a comma on this page. This makes them very difficult to be found sizes.

One of the key indicators to identify the presence of bed bugs is the presence of fecal stains and shed skin.

Many things can cause black specs on a pack-and-play mattress/box spring/headboard, so dampen the stain with a moist paper towel. It could be bed bug feces if you notice a rusty brown color.

2. Inspect

If you suspect a bed bug activity, start your inspection at the most likely site of infestation – the bed or sleeping area.

Bed bugs can hide in three main places: the mattress, box spring, and headboard.

Mattress:

Check the entire surface of the pack-and-play mattress from the top, sides, and bottom. Pay close attention to the seams, piping, and pillow top around the edge of the mattress.

Lift the pillow’s top edge and examine both sides of the seam. Remember to look beneath the mattress labels or tags too.

If you can safely move or slide the mattress off the box spring or bed frame, lean it against a wall to inspect the underside. You can also use a vacuum to catch and remove any fleeing bed bugs.

Box Spring:

Inspection of the box spring can be daunting when you can’t move it easily off the frame, but the network of wood and springs inside is one of the perfect hiding spots for bed bugs.

But if your box spring can be moved, prop it against a wall and remove the thin cloth on the underside (the dust cover).

Get a bright flashlight and inspect the seams and outer covering for live bugs and signs of bed bug presence.

Another hiding spot for bed bugs is under staples. To inspect it properly, encase the box spring completely in a bedbug-proof cover.

Headboard and Bed Frame:

Whether made of wood, metal, or plastic, headboards, and bed frames provide plenty of hiding spots for bed bugs. Adults and nymphs can hide in gaps just like the thickness of a credit card.

To inspect these difficult areas and flush bed bugs out, get a “crevice tool”, like a thin spatula, screwdriver tip, or part of any business or credit card.

Then get a bright flashlight to examine all the screw holes, then slide the crevice device through the length of all holes, corners, and cracks to remove the bed bugs.

Bed Linens:

Examine the seams of your linens (sheets, pillow covers, blankets). Remove the pillowcases off your pillows and examine both items.

Pay attention to seams and folds. If you find out that the pillowcases are infested with bugs, treat them in the dryer.

C. Lint Rollers

Certain lint rollers, especially the extra sticky type, can play a huge role in inspecting items and removing bed bugs.

For instance, when returning from travel, use a lint roller on your suitcase or baby item to inspect for and remove bugs hiding in seams.

Social workers like nannies, or visiting nurses, who work in other parents’ homes can use lint rollers on clothing, backpacks or bags, and other gear that might come contact bed bugs.

To learn how to use lint rollers on mattress seams. Just roll the sticky surface over the areas in question.

Pay close attention to trapped bed bugs. Remove and fold the sticky layer over itself to encase bed bugs, and toss it away.

Read Also: How To Fix A Squeaky Pack N Play

How To Treat Bed Bug Bites On Baby?

Now you’ve known how best to protect your baby, and since no one feels the bugs when they’re biting, how do you get rid of the existing bed bug bites on the baby?

Many antihistamine treatments that work on adults can also be used on babies. But, be mindful of what you apply to your baby’s skin.

And since babies are smaller and used to putting their hands in their mouths, babies are at greater risk than adults from poorly applied treatments.

This is why natural ointments like Aloe Vera are good options. Rub the ointment you use entirely into the baby’s skin. The less your baby can get on his fingers and into his mouth or eyes, the better.

Aveeno Baby’s Eczema Therapy Soothing Bath Treatment is another great way to relieve bed bug bites on your baby.

This product is marketed to relieve baby eczema, but it’s a moisturizing, soap-free formula with added natural colloidal oatmeal. This also works perfectly for soothing bed bug bites.

Finally, if you notice the natural products are not giving you the desired result, you could consider a corticosteroid cream.

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Conclusion

Pack and Plays is a fantastic household tool that offers new parents convenience, portability, and a haven for their baby.

And, since your kid spends most of his time there, you should ensure your baby is safe from possible rashes or infections. This is why you must learn how to clean a pack and play with bed bugs correctly.

We believe that this simple, practical cleaning guide that we have provided can help you to keep your pack-and-play clean and free from bed bugs at all times so you can protect your little one from harm.

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