Everett, our 2-year-old, got ate up by mosquitos or deer flies over the holiday weekend.  I swear his right ankle looked broken because the bite there was so swollen and purple.  And if any of you have (or know) a 2-year-old, you know that they can’t keep their hands off bug bites.  Everett had his bite looking raw after 1 night alone in his crib.  Sure there are the usual Benadryl and Cortaid creams to help with itching and redness…I should know, I’m a pharmacist by trade and we’re selling that stuff left and right this time of year…but for a 2-year-old who touches that spot 100 times a day then follows up by putting his hands in his mouth, I’m not keen on using medicinal antihistamine or steroid topical applications.  (Not that I haven’t done it in a bind.)  Instead, I turned to my practical aloe house plant.

I cut the end of a shoot off (yes, with a steak knife) and then spliced the skin away to reveal that miraculous gooey gel inside.

I smeared the gel over Everett’s bites and let it air dry.  After just 1 application, his bites were looking much better.  He’s not scratching them anymore either.  My boys always think it’s cool to see the sticky stuff inside our aloe plant.  Plus, it helps take their minds off whatever I’m about to slather it on…cuts, scratches, sunburns, etc.  Gotta love home remedies that really work and are safe for toddlers who’ll put anything in their mouths!