What Parents Should Know About Ticks

I never used to think much about ticks — until my daughter came in from the backyard one afternoon, and I found one attached behind her knee. That tiny speck turned into hours of Googling, second-guessing, and calling our pediatrician in a mild panic.

Turns out, I’m not alone. Ticks are sneaky. And if you’re a parent, especially one with kids who love nature, it’s worth knowing what you’re up against — and how to stay calm when you do find one.

Here’s what I wish I’d known earlier.

1. Tick Season Isn’t Just Summer

We tend to think of ticks as a summer issue, but they can be active anytime the temperature is above freezing. In many areas, spring and fall are just as risky — especially in wooded or grassy places.

If your kids are outside building forts, exploring trails, or playing in tall grass (bless them), they’re in tick territory.

2. Not All Ticks Carry Disease — But Some Do

The word “tick” can instantly make us think of Lyme disease — and while the risk is real, not every tick carries it. In the U.S., black-legged ticks (also called deer ticks) are the ones most often associated with Lyme.

Here’s the thing: just finding a tick doesn’t mean your child’s going to get sick. But it does mean you need to remove it carefully and monitor the area.

3. Daily Tick Checks Matter

This is the simplest and most powerful thing you can do: check your child every day after they’ve played outside. Especially:

• Around the scalp and behind ears

• Back of knees

• Waistband area

• Armpits and groin

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Ticks like warm, hidden places. And many are really small — think sesame seed or smaller — so you have to look closely.

We made it part of our evening routine during tick season. Quick check, no big drama. It’s just part of parenting now, like brushing teeth or looking for splinters.

4. How to Remove a Tick Safely

This was the part that made me nervous — but it’s surprisingly simple when you know what to do:

• Use fine-tipped tweezers

• Grab the tick as close to the skin as possible

• Pull upward slowly and steadily (don’t twist or jerk)

• Clean the area with soap and water

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Don’t try to burn it off, smother it in Vaseline, or use essential oils to “make it back out.” Those tricks can actually make things worse.

Once it’s out, I take a picture of the tick (yes, really), just in case I need to show it to a doctor later. Then I drop it in a zip-top bag or tape it to a sticky note, label the date, and stash it for a few weeks — just in case symptoms show up.

5. Know What to Watch For

After a tick bite, watch for:

• A bullseye rash

• Fever or fatigue within a few weeks

• Headache, muscle aches, or stiff neck

  
  

These don’t mean something’s wrong — but they’re worth mentioning to your pediatrician, especially if you saved the tick and know how long it was attached.

(For what it’s worth, most cases of Lyme only occur after the tick has been attached for 36–48 hours.)

6. Prevention Without Paranoia

We don’t avoid the woods. We just prepare a little better now:

• Tuck pants into socks when hiking

• Use kid-safe repellents with DEET or picaridin

• Stick to trails, not tall grass

• Shower after outdoor play

  
  

It’s not about creating fear — it’s about adding awareness. Ticks are part of the world our kids are growing up in, just like bees or scraped knees. We can’t eliminate the risk, but we can manage it.

Final Thought

Finding a tick on your child can be unsettling — it was for me. But the more I learned, the less scary it became.

The goal isn’t to bubble-wrap our kids or stay indoors. It’s to give them the freedom to explore and the knowledge to stay safe.

And next time we head out into the woods, you better believe I’ve got the tweezers ready — just in case.