Natural Cures for a Bee Sting

We were at a Renaissance Festival far from anywhere civilized...and my 18 month old got stung by a bee. I did not have the requisite first aid kit in the vehicle, so my mother said to put expressed milk on his thumb. Before the application, the thumb was red, hot to the touch, and swollen. Thirty minutes later it was no longer swollen or hot, but it was still red. One hour later it was not even red with the exception of a small dot to show where the sting was.