This can be a very hard time of year for allergies. It’s especially hard when you have kids that suffer. My whole family suffers from allergies. I have learned a few tips and tricks that help ease allergies with kids.
Allergy Symptoms
Coughing, fatigue, itchy/watery eyes, sneezing, and scratchy throat are all symptoms of allergies. Sometimes it’s hard to tell if a child has a cold or allergies. According to WebMD, allergy symptoms can last from days to months, so see your doctor if cold like symptoms are not better after two weeks.
Normally there is no fever or aches and pains with allergies. The good news is that allergies are not contagious, but the bad news is that it can be hard to get rid of them, especially if you suffer year-round from different trees and plants.
Prevent Allergies
It might be impossible to completely eliminate allergies, but there are some things you can do to prevent or minimize them.
- change Air Filters: This is a simple fix that helps everyone. Changing your air filters helps keep the air inside your home clean. This is especially helpful for those that are allergic to dust. You can do this yourself, or if you are having service done on your air unit, you can ask the technician to change them for you.
- vacuum/dust weekly: Dust mites love carpet, so it’s important to keep them at bay and vacuum with a HEPA filter.
- wash bedding weekly: Wash and change your sheets weekly, at least, always in hot water.
- keep windows and doors shut: I know it’s great to get fresh air inside, but on high-pollen days you do not want to let allergens inside your home.
- remove shoes inside your home: All the pollen on dust particles stick to shoes. When you wear shoes in the house, it will track in all the bad stuff all over your home. A simple fix is to remove shoes and wear socks.
- wash/brush pets weekly: If you have cats and dogs, wash and brush them regularly. Pet dander can be bad for allergy sufferers.
- bathe/Shower if you’ve been outside: If my kids have been outside for an extended period of time, I always make sure they bathe or rinse their hair out. All the pollen sticks to hair, and sleeping in it overnight can be harmful. A simple hair rinse helps!
Treatment
Know your children’s triggers. If they are itching or sneezing a lot after playing in the grass or playing with a pet, they might have allergies.
If your child is constantly suffering, it might be a good idea to visit a pediatric allergist. I recently had to take my 3-year-old because he was coughing for months on end, non-stop. He had no fever and no other symptoms, just this horrible cough. We decided to do some allergy skin tests to see what he was allergic to. Now we know what to stay away from, and the doctor helped come up with a treatment plan to help him.
Other treatment options include daily over-the-counter children’s allergy medicines and nasal sprays. There are several that are doctor-recommended, and if used correctly, they can help.
Staying on top of treatment plans and doing what I can to prevent really help my kids with relief of allergies.
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