Bed BugsTarget Baby's Pack & Play
Challenge
Although bed bugs are so-named because they tend to infest areas, like beds, that are near where their hosts are sleeping, bed bugs will hide-in-wait in any area where people remain still for awhile including sofas, or even movie theater, train, bus, or taxi seats. One location that people don’t like to think about because it is so revolting is a baby bassinet. A sleeping baby is as much of a target for bed bugs as an adult. Even though babies have a fraction of an adult’s blood volume, they have more than enough to satisfy the blood meal requirements of tiny bed bugs. Also, babies sleep for many more hours than adults, so there is more opportunity for the bed bugs to feed and thrive.
On this particular bed bug job, I inspected a “Pack ’n Play” portable baby bassinet, and found it to be infested with bed bugs. Who knows how many times this unit was folded down and reassembled in other homes during mom and baby’s visits, potentially carrying hitchhiking bed bugs into other homes? There are instances where certain infested furniture is best thrown away, and this was one of them. This unit was portable, highly infested, and I did not want to treat it with harsh residual chemicals where a baby would then be occupying it for extended hours. It just wasn’t worth risking the baby’s health for a $100 item.
Solution
As per my recommendation the Pack ’n Play was discarded. After, the baby’s room and other areas of the home were treated. Bed bug infestations can be challenging, but with a team effort of the homeowners and the pest control technician, bed bug issues can expeditiously be resolved. Of course, with bed bugs, the best protection is prevention. Anything brought into your home should be inspected, especially when coming back from trips or your child is coming back from school to visit. Immediately wash all clothing after returning from a trip. When you are sleeping in areas outside of your home, be vigilant in checking mattresses for bed bugs. Taking some common sense precautions now can save you a lot of time, aggravation, and headaches later.
