How To Know If Your Baby Has Seasonal Allergies

What Are The Symptoms Of Seasonal Allergies In Babies And Toddlers

According to Chen, allergies can trigger a variety of symptoms. Here are some of the most common tell-tale signs:

• Watery and/or itchy eyes.

• Runny or congested nose.

• Frequent eye and nose rubbing. Toddlers often rub their faces when they have allergies, due to itchiness, says Chen.

Chen also notes that allergies can trigger asthma symptoms, including a cough, for some. According to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America , allergic asthma , is the most common type of asthma, accounting for about 60% of people with asthma.

Allergy Symptoms In Babies And Toddlers

A child with allergies may have any or all of the following symptoms:

• Dark under-eye circles
• Irritability, restlessness or excessive fatigue

She may also complain about:

• An itchy, runny or stuffy nose
• Itchy eyes, skin, throat or roof of the mouth
• Trouble sleeping
• Shortness of breath or tightness in the chest
• Itchy ear canals

If the same symptoms occur around the same time every spring, summer or fall, it may be a sign that your childs body is reacting to outdoor allergens. If you or your partner have a family history of allergies, theres a good chance your little one is predisposed to those seasonal sneezes and sniffles, too.

How To Know If Your Child Has Seasonal Allergies

Seasonal allergies can be difficult to diagnose because they often manifest in symptoms similar to the common cold such as runny noses, sneezing, coughing, and congestion, or in ways your little one cant express such as irritability, itchy ears and throat, and restlessness. Your child may exhibit just a few or many of these symptoms if they are experiencing allergies.

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Lurie Childrens Division Of Allergy And Immunology

Lurie Childrens Division of Allergy and Immunology is a leader in the field, having worked with national organizations to improve the understanding and care of pediatric asthma, allergies and immune deficiencies. Our physicians treat more children for allergies and asthma than any other hospital in Illinois.

Is It Possible For Babies To Have Seasonal Allergies

Many people don’t realize that babies can suffer from seasonal allergies, just like adults. Allergies are caused by an overreaction of the immune system to a foreign substance, such as pollen or pet dander. When a baby is exposed to an allergen, their immune system produces antibodies to fight it off.

However, this reaction can also cause symptoms like sneezing, coughing, and watery eyes. Seasonal allergies usually develop when a baby is between 6 and 12 months old, although they can occasionally appear earlier.

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How Do You Know If Your Child Has Seasonal Allergies

Its best to visit your childs provider rather than self-diagnosing and risking treating your child with the wrong medication. When diagnosing allergies, your childs healthcare provider will take several factors into consideration:

• Previous treatment
• Findings on examination

Your childs provider may suggest allergy testing if your child experiences these symptoms regularly at certain times of year. Allergy testing is usually performed by an allergy specialist by applying allergens to the skin or by running blood tests.

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Allergies In Children How Does It Happen

The greatest risk factor for the occurrence of allergies is the predisposition. In parents with allergies. There is a 60-80% risk that allergies will also occur in the child.

Also, allergies have spread due to the high hygiene standards. Children need dirt to train their immune systems: digging in the mud and romping in the park, petting animals and exploring the environment with their mouths the countless, mostly harmless microorganisms in our natural environment are important stimuli for the developing immune system. If this training is lacking, the immune defense is also directed against harmless substances such as pollen, animal hair or house dust mites.

Our previous article How to treat eczema in babies in the title cold urticaria cure treatment ve How to treat eczema information is provided..

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Infants And Allergies: What Should Parents Watch For

While infants rarely suffer from environmental allergies, they can experience traditional allergy symptoms, like rashes and nasal congestion, from other causes. Learn the signs of infant allergies and how to monitor them as they get older.

As any parent can attest, when your young child comes down with a stuffy nose or a rash, it can be difficult to pinpoint the actual cause is it due to a cold, an allergy, or something else? In fact, allergies are the most frequently reported chronic medical condition children experience and food allergies may affect as many as 8 percent of all children.

An allergy is the bodys overreaction to a substance in a food thats either ingested or just present in the environment. And these culprit substances are called allergens. The causes of allergies in young children arent always clear, but allergists have determined that genes can play a strong role. If both parents suffer from allergies, the risk of their child having allergies is about 70 percent. If one parent has allergies, the risk is lower, at about 33 percent.

Infant Allergies to Foods

“Foods are the most common cause of allergies in children under age 1,” explains Dr. Renner. Mothers who breastfeed may see signs of food allergy when they start to introduce solid foods at about 4 to 6 months.”

The most common food allergies in young children are:

How Breastfeeding Can Help Prevent Infant Allergies

Fun fact: Your breastmilk takes on the flavors of the foods you eat, from curry to licorice to garlic.

But breastmilk doesnt just taste like the foods you consumethe specific foods you consume can help protect your nursing baby against food allergies. According to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association Pediatrics, babies who were exclusively breastfed were 54 percent less likely to develop and allergies during their teen years.

This is a big revelation, but lets back up just a bit.

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How Are Seasonal Allergies Treated

There are many ways to treat seasonal allergies, depending on how bothersome the symptoms are. An important part of treatment is knowing what someone is allergic to. Some kids can get relief by reducing or eliminating exposure to the allergens that bother them.

If certain seasons cause symptoms, keep the windows closed, use air conditioning instead of fresh air when possible, and stay indoors when pollen counts are high. It’s also a good idea for kids with seasonal allergies to wash their hands or shower and change clothes after playing outside.

If reducing exposure isn’t possible or doesn’t help, doctors may recommend medicines for allergy symptoms. These can include oral, nasal, and ocular antihistamines and nasal steroid sprays. If these don’t help or a child has to take multiple medicines to ease symptoms, the doctor may recommend seeing an allergist. The allergist can decide whether allergy shots could help.

Seasonal Allergies: Keeping Symptoms In Check

For many kids and adults, seasonal allergies are the pits. They can be unpleasant and difficult to manage. According to the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology , seasonal allergies may affect up to 40 percent of children and 30 percent of adults.

Also known as allergic rhinitis or hay fever, seasonal allergy symptoms usually start when airborne pollen from trees, grass, flowers and weeds enters the eyes, nose and throat and sets off an allergic reaction.

Lets break down what seasonal allergies are, what you can do to minimize triggers, and how to treat your childs allergy symptoms.

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Clean And Change Air Filters

Dont let pollen or other irritating allergens collect on vents, bookshelves, dressers, carpets, fans, or air filters.

Regularly clean your home, especially your childs bedroom and play area. Be sure to dust, sweep, and vacuum daily during your childs toughest allergy season. This will help you get rid of many allergy triggers and help relieve your childs symptoms. Clean or change out the air filters in your home often. Change your pillowcase and bed sheets regularly allergens can transfer from your hair to your pillow on a nightly basis. You might also consider adding an air purifier to your home.

Diagnosing Allergies In Babies And Toddlers

Keep a diary of your little one’s symptoms — what they are and when they happen — to help the doctor figure out what kind of allergy your child has and how to treat it.

You may need to take them to an allergist . They’ll ask about symptoms and personal and family health history. Be sure to tell them when symptoms happen, like after meals or during specific seasons.

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Treating Seasonal Allergies In Children

• Minimize symptoms at home by washing clothes after being outside, vacuuming often and using air filters and purifiers.
• Try a non-sedating oral antihistamine, such as Zyrtec or Claritin. Your child should get relief within a day or two.
• If the antihistamine helps, but not much, add a nasal steroid such as over-the-counter Flonase which you spray into the nose. Sometimes you need both antihistamine and nasal spray to control allergies.
• You can also try nasal spray only. If your child gets relief, skip the oral antihistamine.

How Are Seasonal Allergies Diagnosed

Talk with your doctor if you think your child might have seasonal allergies. The doctor will ask if the same symptoms happen at the same time each year after your child is around an allergen, and do an exam. The doctor may be able to make a diagnosis, or might refer you to an allergy doctor for allergy skin testing or a blood test.

To find which allergens cause a person’s symptoms, allergists usually do skin testing. During skin prick testing, an allergist or nurse puts a tiny bit of a liquid containing an allergen into the skin by making a small scratch or prick on the skin. They usually do skin testing on a person’s forearm or back. The allergist then waits 15 minutes or so to see if a red, raised bump, called a wheal, forms. If it does, there might be an allergy. The allergist uses a ruler to measure the wheal and the redness around it.

Even if a skin test or a blood test shows an allergy, a child must also have symptoms to be diagnosed with an allergy for sure. For example, a child who has a positive test for grass pollen and sneezes a lot while playing in the grass would be considered allergic to grass pollen.

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When Do Allergies Start

If you have allergies, there may be an increased risk for your child to have allergies. Your child may have allergies similar to yours, but parents pass on the ability to become allergic to things, not necessarily the specific allergen sensitivity. So, your child could react to completely different allergens. Even if you dont experience allergies, a child still can develop allergy symptoms.

Kids ages 1 to 2 can start showing signs of being allergic to indoor allergens such as dust mites, mold, cockroaches and pet dander. Seasonal allergies, such as those caused by tree pollen, grass and ragweed, are usually rare in babies. Because of this, children often begin showing signs of seasonal allergies as toddlers, usually between the ages of 2 and 3.

Symptoms That Suggest A Cold

Some symptoms strongly suggest that your child has a cold. These include:

Fever. If your child has a fever, you don’t need to wonder any longer. Allergies never cause fever. Colds sometimes do. A fever may also make your child listless or achy. Allergies seldom cause these symptoms.

Red nasal membranes. If you look inside your child’s nose like a doctor would, you may uncover another clue. Nasal tissues that are red, swollen, and inflamed suggest a cold. Thick, yellow mucus also indicates a cold, but the mucus may also be thin and clear.

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Minimizing Exposure To Allergens

This might seem an impossible task if your child is begging to go outside when the warm weather finally arrives. There are some ways to lessen his or her exposure.

• Have your child take a shower as soon as they come inside. This will remove any pollen from their hair and body. Put their clothes in the laundry. They should also shower before bedtime. In addition, the steam from a shower or bath seems to help relieve some of the symptoms.
• Washing their face and hands immediately should be routine.
• Keep the windows in the house and car closed.
• Keep your child hydrated.
• A cold compress over their eyes can soothe the itchiness in their eyes, and help them to avoid rubbing their eyes.
• If they suffer from sinus issues, use a warm compress.
• If your childs nose is raw and red from blowing, rub some petroleum jelly on the area. Be sure to look for tissues with lotion or aloe.
• If the pollen count is especially high, create some games and diversions inside the house.

With a little creativity and diligence you can make it through the worst of allergy season.

Schedule a visit with Pediatric Associates if your child suffers with seasonal allergies and cant find relief.

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How Can You Minimize Exposure To Seasonal Allergy Triggers

Even when pollen seems to be blanketing everything in its path, there are steps you can take to prevent allergies from acting up:

• 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. Better yet, rinse them off in the shower.
• Check the forecast for pollen levels, and limit outdoor activities when pollen counts are at their highest.
• Dry laundry in the dryer. Since pollen can coat clothing, avoid hanging laundry outside to dry.
• Have your child take their bath at bedtime. This will help with nighttime allergy problems.
• Keep windows in your home and car closed and use air conditioning to filter the air. Make sure the air conditioner is on re-circulating mode.

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Whats Up With Their Buddies

Your childâs friends could be a big clue. Have you noticed any of them sniffling lately? Kids tend to pass colds and other illnesses back and forth.

âMost parents know who their kids have been around. We know whatâs going through the community,â McMorris says.

If other children aren’t sick around your child, then you may have to think of other issues that might be causing their symptoms.

Consider Air Filters To Help Reduce Allergens

Air filters can significantly reduce pollen and help manage allergy symptoms in children. For indoor exposure to potential allergens, you can invest in an in-home air cleaner with a HEPA filter. These devices work well in single rooms, such as your childs bedroom, but one filter wont effectively clean allergens out of an entire house. If you want to filter the whole house, and if you already have central heating or air conditioning, you can install a permanent or disposable air filter into your existing system to catch pollen particles and other potential allergens.10Just remember to change or clean them as recommended.

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What To Do If Your Baby Has Spring Allergies

Your little ones runny nose has not let up for several days. The poor baby keeps sneezing and rubbing her itchy, red, watery eyes. Instead of suffering from a cold, your baby may be suffering from seasonal allergies.

Seasonal allergens affect lots of children, although newborn seasonal allergies are rare. These types of allergies tend to develop after a cumulative exposure to particular allergens. Newborns dont tend to spend enough time outdoors to develop reactions to ragweed, grass or tree pollen. Of course, that being said, allergies can develop in children at any age, so if you notice newborn allergy symptoms, call your pediatrician.

Symptoms of Allergies in Babies and Toddlers

If your child is suffering from seasonal allergies, they may have all or some of the following symptoms:

• Itchy eyes, throat and/or nose
• Puffy, red or watery eyes
• Dry, hacking cough with clear mucous
• Mouth breathing
• Trouble sleeping

Relieving Seasonal Allergy Symptoms in Young Children

The best way to relieve the symptoms of seasonal allergies in babies and toddlers is to try to avoid allergens whenever it is possible. A few tips include:

If seasonal allergy symptoms still persist, your pediatrician may recommend a safe over the counter or prescription antihistamine or nasal spray.

When to Call Your Pediatrician at Pediatric Partners

Cold Vs Allergy In Children: How To Tell The Difference

Colds are infections of the upper respiratory tract . They are caused by several different viruses. They are spread by:

• Touching a person with a cold

• Touching an object that someone with a cold has touched

• Breathing the virus in the air after someone with a cold has coughed or sneezed into the air

Seasonal allergies are caused by the immune system reacting to pollen from trees, grasses, and weeds as if it were harmful to the body. This reaction causes symptoms that can seem like a cold. Allergies often run in families. Seasonal allergies occur at the same time each year. If your child has allergy symptoms all year, they may be allergic to things in the home. These can include dust mites, animals, mold, and cockroaches.

The table below is a guide to symptoms. See your child’s healthcare provider for a diagnosis.

Symptoms

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