The fact is, no one likes to talk about common childhood ailments like lice, ringworm, or pinworms. Just thinking about it can make your skin crawl. But when you find out that your children have one of these common problems, believe me when I say, you want to talk about it real fast and get the answers to your questions so you can fix the problem pronto! When you find out that your child has pinworms or you are wondering if they do- you will likely want to know, “How do you get pinworms?” and “How do you get rid of pinworms?” That is why I am happy to partner with Reese’s Pinworm Medicine to help provide you with answers and an easy, safe, and affordable solution to get rid of pinworms fast.
What are Pinworms?
Let’s start with the basics. Pinworms are nasty little critters. These small parasites can live in the colon and rectum. A case case of pinworms is the most common type of worm infection and unfortunately, the whole entire family can get it.
According to MedlinePlus, “Pinworms spread easily. When people who are infected touch their anus, the eggs attach to their fingertips. They can spread the eggs to others directly through their hands, or through contaminated clothing, bedding, food, or other articles. The eggs can live on household surfaces for up to 2 weeks.”
You can see why pinworms are more common in young children than adults- because they are often still perfecting their personal hygiene skills. However, because pinworms are very contagious, adults in the same household as an infected child may get them as well.
How Do You Get Pinworms?
Once you know what pinworms are, you often want to answer, “How do you get pinworms?” to make sure it doesn’t happen to you or that you don’t get reinfected. You get pinworms from someone who has pinworms. It all started when someone had a bowel movement and wiped their booty and didn’t wash their hands afterwards. That person then has the pinworm eggs on their fingers (too tiny to see) and then touched something that you touched and the eggs made their way into your mouth where they hatch in your intestines and start the cycle again. That is why kids tend to get them more frequently than adults. School-aged children don’t tend to wash hands every time.
You don’t want to pass pinworms to other family members or anyone else. Therefore, it is time to discuss proper hand washing procedures with your child. Clip your child’s fingernails. It is also a good time to disinfect your bed sheets and toilet seats to kill any tiny eggs that may be lurking.
Pet owners may be wondering if you can get pinworms from a dog or cat. Nope. Only humans get pinworms. Your cat or dog can not infect you or be infected with pinworms.
How To Prevent Pinworms Spreading
- Excellent hand washing is a must (after using the bathroom and before eating are the two most important times)
- Because eggs can live on household surfaces for up to two weeks, you probably want to disinfect all bathroom surfaces at a minimum.
- Because eggs can live on household surfaces for up to two weeks, you probably want to wash all bed linens, worn underwear, and worn pajamas regularly.
- Avoid putting your hands in your mouth or biting your nails.
- Avoid scratching the anal area.
Pinworms Symptoms
How do you know you have pinworms? Well, my cousin was once telling me her daughter had pinworms and I asked exactly that question. She told me, “Oh, you know!” I was like, “But how do you know?” That is when I got the gross details I had been asking for. You can actually see the little critters. Pinworms are between 2-12 mm which is a little less than half an inch. The adult worms are visible to the naked eye in poop- small white lines wriggling about. Gross, I know but I want you to have all the facts.
So the symptoms are:
- Itchy anus (if you see your kids wriggling around a lot but they say they don’t need to go potty, they might have an itchy anus from pinworms)
- Pain, rash, or skin irritation around anus
- Pinworms on toilet paper after they wipe
- Pinworms in poop
Does your child have an itchy bottom or other symptoms of pinworm infection? If you’d like to know for sure if your child has pinworms, you can also perform the tape test to check. Speak with your pediatrician to get an official diagnosis of pinworms and/or about any medical concerns.
How To Get Rid Of Pinworms
How do you get pinworms? Now that you know what they are and how you get them, you probably want to know how to get rid of pinworms. I have good news for you, and you could probably use some if you are having to face a pinworm infection! Pinworms are easy to get rid of with pinworm medication in addition to use of the prevention tips above to help prevent reinfection.
Pinworm Treatment: Pinworms Medication
If you or your child has pinworms, the pinworms treatment to get rid of pinworms will consist of pinworms medication taken orally. When my own child got pinworms, I did indeed see them in his poop and I realized that was why he had been wriggling around in his pants so often.
Off to the grocery store I went and the pharmacist told me that I could use pinworm treatment over the counter and suggested Reese’s Pinworm Medicine. I was happy to try it because it was available immediately and it was very reasonably priced. I brought it home wondering, “Does Reese’s pinworm medicine work?” Because pinworms are so contagious, I bought the family pack box to make sure we were all covered and not take any chances. Reese’s pinworm medicine did work for my son and the itching stopped after about 24 hours. The worms were gone within a couple of days and they did not come back. I did use all the prevention tips I gave above to help prevent reinfection.
Reese’s Pinworm Medication: Over The Counter Pinworm Medicine
If your child has pinworms, Reese’s wants to reassure you that it is the most common intestinal parasite in the United States and although it can be an inconvenience, pinworm is very treatable. They offer Reese’s Pinworm Medicine and Reese’s Pinworm Itch Relief Wipes to help you get rid of pinworms.
Reese’s Pinworm Medicine
This #1 trusted formula has been treating pinworm since 1986. It is safe and effective and doctor recommended for ages 2 and up. This full prescription strength Pyrantel Pamoate Liquid Suspension requires just one single dose to be effective. It taste sort of like bananas. It was so easy and worked so well. One dose did the trick to get rid of pinworms with no reinfection in my family. I would recommend it in a heartbeat.
Reese’s Pinworm Itch Relief Wipes
These anti-itch medicated wipes provide itch relief while pinworm medicine is taking effect. The wipes format keeps contact with highly contagious pinworms to a minimum. I can’t give you my personal experience with the Reese’s Pinworm Itch Relief Wipes because I didn’t know about those when my son had pinworms. I can tell you that had I known about them, I probably would have bought those too because he could have used the itch relief and I would have been happy knowing his little fingers were staying far away from those yucky pinworms.
Where To Get Reese’s Pinworm Medicine:
You can buy Reese’s Pinworm Medicine and Pinworm Itch Relief Wipes at any Walgreens location and online at amazon.com. Reese’s Pinworm Medicine is also available in many grocery stores. I got mine at Publix. You can use their store locator to find a retailer near you.
Find out more about Reese’s Pinworm Medicine and get a product rebate at reesespinworm.com
I know that pinworms are the last thing you want your children to bring home! I hope this answers your questions on pinworms and helps you solve how to get rid of pinworms quickly! Be sure to see your health care provider for any medical concerns.
Related Posts:
Healthy Families Do These 5 Things