Can Babies Have Allergies To Pollen

Triggers Of Nasal Allergies

• Cause. An allergic reaction of the nose and sinuses to an inhaled substance. The medical name for this is allergic rhinitis. The allergic substance is called an allergen.
• Most allergens float in the air. That’s how they get in the nose. Here are the common ones:
• Pollens. Trees, grass, weeds and molds are the most common pollens. Tree pollens come in the spring. Grass pollens come in the summer. Weed pollens come in the fall. Pollens cause seasonal allergies. You can’t avoid pollens because they are in the air. Most nasal allergies continue through the pollen season. They can last 4 to 8 weeks. Pollens cause seasonal allergic rhinitis. This is also called hay fever.
• Pets. Allergens can also be from cats, dogs, horses, rabbits and other animals. Most people don’t keep a pet that they are allergic to. They only have sporadic allergy symptoms when they are exposed to that specific animal. These symptoms will usually last a few hours. If someone with a cat visits you, they will bring cat dander with them. This will cause brief symptoms. If you own the pet, though, your child will have symptoms all the time.
• House Dust. House dust contains many allergens. It always contains dust mites. If your humidity is high, it will contain mold. House dust causes year round, daily symptoms. The medical name for this is perennial allergic rhinitis.

What Do Results Mean

The meaning of the allergy test results depends on what test you do. If your child has a reaction to the food challenge test or elimination diet test, thats a pretty clear indicator theres an allergy to a food and they should stay away from it.

Blood tests arent as sensitive as skin tests, and can yield both false positives and false negatives.

Whatever allergy testing is done for your child, its important to place those results in the larger picture of the symptoms theyve exhibited and their reactions to specific exposures. Taken together, that will help confirm any specific allergy diagnosis.

Milk Allergy Symptoms In Babies

Allergies are an overreaction of the immune system as it tries to protect us from foreign proteins. In older kids and adults, the fight between your body and say, cat dander or pollen, takes place up high, causing a runny nose or sneezing. But with infants, the allergy battleground is in the intestines. Here are the most common symptoms of milk allergies in infants.

• A lot of spitting up
• Vomiting
• Signs of abdominal pain
• Slimy diarrhea or blood in stools
• Hives
• Eczema Scaly skin rash
• Coughing or wheezing
• Watery eyes, runny nose or stuffy nose
• Swelling

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Chemical Allergies And Intolerances

Chemicals in common items like metal jewellery, clothing dye, adhesive dressings and glues can cause allergic reactions of the skin. This is called contact dermatitis. Your child might also react to creams, ointments or sunscreen used on her skin. These reactions are usually not life-threatening.

If your family has a history of sensitive skin, you could try using hypoallergenic products on your childs skin. Trying products on a small area of skin first is a good idea.

Keep your house as smell free as possible by minimising the use of perfumed cleaning products or air fresheners. These can irritate your childs skin and nose.

What Are Seasonal Allergies

Seasonal allergies strike at different times of the year, when trees, grass, flowers and weeds release pollen into the air to fertilize plants, and mold spores take flight to do the same. Also known as allergic rhinitis, or hay fever, seasonal allergy symptoms occur when airborne spores and pollen enter the eyes, nose and throat and set off an allergic reaction.

Symptoms include a stuffy or runny nose, congestion, sneezing, itchy eyes and nose, sore throat, chronic cough, and dark circles under the eyes.

Its important to keep in mind that allergic rhinitis is more than just a mild annoyance. Some of the consequences of seasonal allergies in children include:

• Fatigue and poor concentration in school due to lack of sleep
• An increase in ear and sinus infections
• Asthma exacerbations triggered by uncontrolled allergies
• Disturbed sleep
• Behavioral issues

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What Does Allergies Look Like In A 2 Year Old

Children can show allergy symptoms from their heads down to their toes due to allergies. Allergy symptoms come from watery eyes, wheezing, sneezing, itching of the nose, sneezing-type symptoms, itching of the back of the throat, and shortness of breath. Parents often wonder whether their children might be sensitive to allergies and develop a fever as a result.

How Do I Tell Whether My Baby Has Allergies Or A Cold

If you see your little one sneezing or rubbing their eyes, its natural for you to worry about Babys allergies. However, its important to remember that not every sneeze or itch means that your baby has an allergy. In fact, many of the symptoms that are associated with allergies are also common cold symptoms.

So how can you tell the difference? One of the easiest ways to distinguish between an allergy and a cold is to pay attention to timing. Allergies tend to be seasonal, so if your baby is sneezing and coughing during specific times of the year, its more likely to be an allergy. Colds, on the other hand, can occur at any time.

Another clue is the severity of the symptoms. Allergies are usually more severe than colds and can cause a range of symptoms, from mild sneezing to serious respiratory problems. If youre not sure whats wrong with your baby, its always best to consult your pediatrician.

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Signs Of Allergies In Toddlers

Allergy symptoms usually come on suddenly and usually last for as long as a child is exposed to the allergen. Symptoms can include:

• Congestion
• Runny nose with clear drainage
• Sneezing

At first, it can be difficult for parents to tell the difference between allergies or an infection such as a cold, said Jameel T. Clark, M.D., pediatrician with Norton Childrens Medical Group Dixie. One telltale sign it may be allergies is if your child is rubbing their nose and eyes. They may develop a line on their nose from rubbing the nose.

How Milk Allergies Affect Babies

A milk allergy is the most common food allergy in young children and infants. Many children outgrow the allergy, but some do not. Cow’s milk allergy is also common among adults.

When a child has a milk allergy, the proteins in the milk stick to certain antibodies that are created by the immune system. The symptoms produced by the immune defenses that cause the reaction can be mild or severe.

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Allergies Vs Colds In Babies And Toddlers

Colds and allergies in babies and toddlers are actually pretty hard to tell apart. Both can cause runny noses, sneezing, coughing, watery eyes, congestion and headache.

So how do you distinguish cold symptoms vs. allergies? Take this quick test:

• How would you describe the consistency and color of your little one’s mucus?
• Watery and clear
• Does your child have a fever?
• No
• Yes

If you answered mostly “2,” your child likely has a cold or other respiratory infection. If most of your answers were “1,” you might be dealing with an allergy.

There are a few other telltale signs that help you to differentiate cold symptoms vs. allergies:

If your childs symptoms have been going on for a while, are getting more severe and/or are causing other things like moodiness, fatigue, headaches and general discomfort, make an appointment with the pediatrician. That way youll be sure to get a proper diagnosis of whether your child has a cold or allergies, along with recommendations for kid-safe medications or treatments.

How Do I Know If My Baby Has A Food Allergy

Food allergies are much more common amongst children who come from families where other members suffer from allergy. Babies who suffer from eczema are at a higher risk of having food allergies. The more severe the eczema and the earlier in life that it began, the more likely there is to be a food allergy.

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How Can I Treat My Child’s Allergy

If you suspect your child has an allergy, your GP can refer you to an allergy specialist to carry out a skin-prick allergy test to help confirm this.

The most effective medical allergy treatments for most people are antihistamines, which come in liquid and tablet form. Not all antihistamines are suitable for younger children, so be sure to speak to your pharmacist about which ones are safe to give to a child.

Unlike food allergies, which can be life-threatening, air-related allergies are rarely serious. However, if your baby or young child has difficulty breathing, book an emergency appointment with your GP. If they develop severe breathing difficulties, call 999 for an ambulance. Also be aware that allergies and asthma often come together, and allergies can trigger asthma attacks.

Allergy Shots And Sublingual Immunotherapy

Otherwise known as immunotherapy, allergy shots are sometimes recommended in older kids to help treat allergies to pollen, dust and outdoor mold when medications just aren’t helping control their symptoms or they have side effects from them.

For three to five years, children are given shots of an allergen in gradually stronger doses, at first every couple of weeks then eventually every few months.

The goal is to help the immune system get used to the allergen bit by bit over time, so that eventually your child won’t experience allergy symptoms at all or they will be much more tolerable.

A newer form of this type of treatment without injections is available: a liquid mixture or tablet customized for a childs allergies called sublingual immunotherapy . The drops, which are placed under the tongue, can be given at home with instructions from the allergist.

Remember that seasonal allergies are fairly rare in babies under a year old, and most children will have between eight and 10 colds in their first two years of life. So check with your pediatrician to determine whether those sneezes and sniffles are truly triggered by allergies or whether the common cold is the culprit.

• What to Expect the First Year, 3rd edition, Heidi Murkoff.
• What to Expect the Second Year, Heidi Murkoff.

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Can A Child Have A Fever With Allergies

Allergies dont directly cause fever. If your little one has a fever, its a sign of an infection like a cold, ear infection or sinus infection.

Keep in mind, many people confuse seasonal allergies with a sinus infection . While they may be linked, theyre actually two different conditions:

• Seasonal allergies are an inflammation of the nasal passages that’s caused by allergens like pollen and grass.
• A sinus infection often starts as a cold and turns into a bacterial infection, although allergies can also cause sinusitis. Aside from fever, other sinusitis symptoms may include thick, discolored nasal discharge pain and tenderness around the nose, cheeks, eyes or forehead nasal congestion and inflammation and achiness in the jaw.

Can Newborn Babies Have Seasonal Allergies

A baby is less likely to develop allergies to seasonal animals during the first year of life.Even so, symptoms of allergy can start when your child is in the early stages of life.At the age of 3 to 5, children begin to develop seasonal allergies, and in most cases have seen symptoms by 10 years of age.

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What Causes Seasonal Allergies In Babies And Toddlers

Seasonal allergy symptoms usually occur during spring, summer and fall. Depending on where you live, the seasons and specific plants causing allergies vary. Unfortunately, no region of the United States is completely untouched by allergy triggers.

When your little one inhales one of the following seasonal allergens, her immune system churns out antibodies that jumpstart the release of a protein called histamine, which causes allergy symptoms:

• Spring allergies : Tree pollen. The most common culptrits cedar, birch, oak, maple and pine are found in most parts of the U.S. The farther south you live, the earlier the season usually starts.
• Late spring to summer allergies : Grass pollen. Grasses, including Bermuda, orchard, brome, rye and Timothy, are more likely to produce symptoms in late spring and early summer in the northern states, but are always problematic in the South, since grasses there pollinate year-round.
• Late summer to fall allergies : Weed pollen . Ragweed grows in nearly every climate and is the biggest source of hay fever symptoms.

Diagnosis And Treatment Of Milk Allergies In Infants

Your child’s doctor can find out if they are allergic to milk. They will ask you questions and examine your baby. They might also want to test samples of their blood or poop.

You might be referred to an allergista doctor who specializes in diagnosing and treating allergies. They will ask you detailed questions about your baby’s eating habits and symptoms .

An allergist might do an allergy skin testing to milk and, if necessary, an oral food challenge. For this test, the allergist will have your baby consume a small amount of milk or milk powder, then watch to see if there is a reaction.

Allergy tests are done in the office to make sure medical care can be provided immediately if a severe reaction occurs.

The doctor might also use a blood test or skin prick test to look for immunoglobulin E antibodies. For this test, the doctor will place a sample of milk on your child’s skin and then prick the area to allow the substance to enter the body. If there is a reaction within 10 to 20 minutes, it indicates an allergy.

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Can Babies Have Season Allergies

While rare in their first year, infants can indeed develop seasonal allergies. Babies a year and older and toddlers are more commonly affected by baby seasonal allergies. It can be difficult to tell when a baby is suffering from seasonal allergies because, unlike an adult or even an older child, your baby cant tell you how theyre feeling. Its up to you to watch out for baby allergies and signs your infant has seasonal allergies.

Internal changes

Internal changes due to baby allergies refer to your childs emotional and mood changes. A child suffering from infant seasonal allergies is more likely to be irritable. They also may be less alert than normal. You know your baby better than anyone and are the best source for knowing when your baby is acting strange. Your baby might be extra tired and lethargic while having trouble staying asleep when put down. Its also essential to pay attention to when your baby experiences symptoms. If your baby sneezes and gets red, itchy eyes when you take them for a walk or wakes up with these symptoms, you can better pinpoint the allergen of issue. For example, pollen is typically the culprit for babies who experience symptoms after time outdoors, and dust is a common allergen causing babies to wake up with allergy symptoms. If you notice that seasonal allergies have begun to affect your babys skin by making it red, dry and flaky, we recommend our oogiebear nosebalm, which can help nourish their sensitive skin.

External changes

Does My Baby Have Seasonal Allergy Symptoms

“If you take your baby for a walk outside and often notice a runny or stuffy nose, itchy eyes, and trouble breathing, your baby may have an allergy,” says Renee Matthews, M.D., an asthma and allergy expert in Chicago. But kids aren’t typically bothered by outdoor triggers like grass and ragweed until after age 3, so the cause might be something else entirely.

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Also, babies can be bothered by household allergens such as mold, dust mites, pet dander, and cockroaches. Nasal allergies affect as many as 40 percent of children, and symptoms can start as early as 6 months. Pay close attention to when your child’s sneezing or itching peaks: This can clue you in to what’s responsible. For example, dust mites live in bedding and furniture, so if your child is allergic to dust mites, she’ll probably wake up with itchy eyes and a runny nose after inhaling them overnight. Or if your baby can’t tolerate pet dander, you might notice that her symptoms erupt when you’re visiting Grandma and her cats.

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Treating Allergies In Babies And Toddlers

Your child’s treatment may depend on the type of allergy they have. In general, the doctor may recommend the following to help with symptoms:

• Pills or liquids called antihistamines to ease skin rashes or a runny nose
• Inhalers to use when your child has trouble breathing
• An EpiPen for emergency treatment of a life-threatening reaction
• Administering peanut immunotherapy drops under the tongue

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How Can You Minimize Exposure To Seasonal Allergy Triggers

In springtime, pollen blankets everything in its path, from cars to clothing. What can you do to minimize your childs exposure to allergy triggers? Here are some steps you can take to make your child more comfortable during allergy season.

• Have your child wash their hands and face as soon as they come in from playing outside so they dont rub pollen in their eyes and nose.
• If your childs eyes are puffy and swollen from pollen, start by rinsing their eyes gently using tap water. Have your child take a shower to remove all of the pollen theyve been exposed to.
• Check the forecast for pollen levels, and limit outdoor activities when pollen counts are at their highest.
• Dry clothes in the dryer, not by hanging them outside, where theyll get covered in pollen dust.
• Have your child take their bath at bedtime, which may help wash off allergens and prevent nighttime allergy problems.
• Keep windows in your home and car closed, which can lower your childs exposure to pollen. Use air conditioning to keep your home and vehicle cool, but make sure its on re-circulating mode, if possible, to keep outdoor air out.

If your child has asthma in addition to seasonal allergies, these preventative measures can help reduce exposure to pollen and prevent asthma symptoms from worsening.

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