I have an eight-day old baby and am staying at my mom’s house. I have recently noticed fleas and flea bites while staying here. My mom has a dog and a cat and I’m assuming that’s the source of the fleas. What can I do to get rid of the fleas without endangering the baby?
getting rid of fleas is a THREE STEP process.
1. FIRST bathe the animals w/a VERY good flea shampoo, then the animals need to be treated w/either an over the counter medication or medication you get from the vet. make sure you DO NOT use dog flea prevention on the cat (it could cause death). they are cheap at any discount store…about 4-8 dollars for a 3 month supply. you apply the liquid from the little capsule between their shoulder blades.
2. Have the yard and house sprayed. you can do your best killing off the fleas on the animals but you will NEVER get rid of them completely unless you have someone spray your house and yard w/something that will kill adult fleas AND eggs.
they DO make a spray that should be safe for animals and children to be around, but i would spend the night at someone elses house the day of the spray.
3. Clean ALL cloth in the wash! Fleas will lay eggs on ANYTHING, so you will need to wash ALL bedding, clothing, rugs etc. and any hard surfaces need to be cleaned w/bleach or 409.
if the fleas are SO bad that they are already biting your child, i would suggest you stay ELSEWHERE, and shower WELL and wash your clothes etc. when you leave so you won’t bring your flea friends with you.
until your mother gets the infestation (cause that is what she has) under control, your child is in serious danger of catching something from the fleas…Lime Disease etc.
Aside from moving (or using a professional exterminator) the dog & cat need to be taken out & treated by a professional. While they are out having that done, someone needs to set off some flea foggers to kill what’s in the house. Just make sure to wash EVERYTHING after the fact!! Wash all of the animal’s bedding & treat the spots that they frequent with spray. You can also get sprays to treat the yard. There’s unfortunatly no quick or easy fix on this one. You may want to consider staying in a motel or with someone else for a few days to insure that all of the toxic fumes are out of the house if you do use a fogger. Good Luck!
http://www.diatect.com/flea-and-tick-kil…
can find this product at ACE hardware, sounds pretty safe. After you get rid of the fleas in the house, have your mom take the animals to the vet to get Capstar. It kills fleas and ticks right away the literally fall of the pet. GOOD LUCK
AKA MOMMY has the best answer.
I have one addition…YOU cant be the one doing all of this especially if you’re breastfeeding. You cant be handling chemicals.
If I were you, I’d arrange for some one else to do everything AKA MOMMY advised …while you & baby stay elsewhere during the treatments.
treat the animals!
then have the carpets and all furniture cleaned(anything fabric)
I got a special spray (not a flea bomb) to spray carpet and furnishings from the vet. It works for 7 months. Don’t have the baby in the same room for about 1/2 an hour (or anybody with asthma or other breathing problems). Once it is completely dry, it is safe for pets and babies. You have to combine this with flea treatment on the pets as well.
Our problem isn’t fleas but mange mites. Takes months to get this completely under control! I would have the baby on fresh bedding and away from the floor!
the dogs should be taken to the vet for a flea dip or bath – doing so at home may not be effective. At the same time the dogs are treated the whole hosue should be treated by a professional pest control company. They can be eveywhere so you can’t jsut treat part of a house. Dog beds should be laundered in hot water after the flea treatment as well. you will only have to be vacant for a number of hours. To be on the safe side I would launder the baby’s bedding and cloth items after the treatment is done if they use a fogger type.
I have a dog and a cat too and I know I dread the warmer months when fleas are everywhere. I have a 4 month old and I try to make sure to keep my pets up to date on their flea treatments. I use advantyage flea meds I think. I also wash my pets prior to the application with flea shampoo. LAst year we had a big problem with fleas so I even put flea collars on them as well. I know that may be over doing it but whatever it takes I say. The animals are the host for all the fleas. Therefore it is important to take care of them. The vets office also offer flea dips for the animals. I wouldnt trust flea bombing your house I am personally not comfortable with that.
Move to another house.