Washing the sting helps get rid of any lingering venom that might still be on your skin. It’s a good first step to take before you do anything else to ensure that you don’t make your sting worse. It’s important to keep your sting clean as it heals, too. Try to wash the area once a day to prevent infection.
Always wrap your cold compress in a towel first so you don’t hurt your skin by getting it too cold.
If the skin is broken where you got stung, apply the cream around the sting, but not directly on top of the open wound.
If you’ve already used hydrocortisone cream, that’s fine—you can add calamine lotion on top (and vice versa).
Try not to mix oral antihistamine types, as they can sometimes have different dosage recommendations.
Check with your doctor before giving pain relievers to children.
If your child got stung, cut their nails short so they can’t scratch their sting.
Baking soda helps neutralize wasp stings because wasp venom is naturally acidic, while baking soda is an alkaline. Topical poultices and oatmeal baths also have a soothing effect. [11] X Expert Source Andrea Rudominer, MD, MPHBoard Certified Pediatrician & Integrative Medicine Doctor Expert Interview. 13 April 2020.
If your sting is near your eye, don’t use this method. Meat tenderizer paste can cause eye irritation.
This is a home remedy that some people swear by, but doctors don’t usually recommend it. However, it doesn’t hurt to try.
If you’re allergic to wasp stings, you’ll most likely be treated with epinephrine to stabilize you. After that, medical personnel will treat your other symptoms.
