Most everyone enjoys the warmer days of spring and the budding flowers and trees all around. But this also means that the pollen count is high and allergy season is back too. For parents, it’s always nice to send the kids outside to play. But when kids experience allergies, it can be frustrating. The sneezing, runny nose, itchy watery eyes, and nasal congestion can seem endless.
Scott Sicherer, MD
Managing spring allergies doesn’t need to be so difficult, and if you understand what triggers your child’s allergies, you can help them feel better. The key is to try to limit your child’s exposure to pollen from trees, flowers, grasses, weeds, and mold.
Here are the top ten ways to help give you child—and you—relief from seasonal allergies from a a leading pediatric allergist, Scott Sicherer, MD, Director of the Elliot and Roslyn Jaffe Food Allergy Institute and Chief of the Division of Allergy and Immunology in the Department of Pediatrics.
- Plan ahead and follow the weather and pollen counts. When the counts are elevated or when it is windy, plan for indoor activities and go outdoors when the counts go down and wind lessens. If traveling, look at the pollen count in that area and plan accordingly.
- Keep the windows closed at home and in the car and use the air conditioner instead. Make sure to clean the filters often to keep the pollen away.
- After being outdoors, change clothes and rinse off, and shower to wash away the pollen that may be on your child’s body.
- Pets can bring pollen inside the home, so wipe them down with a damp cloth and bathe them regularly.
- Wash your child’s hands after playing outdoors so pollen particles don’t go on the face or in the eyes. If your child plays outdoors, have them avoid wet moist areas where mold can grow and tall areas of grass. Keep your child indoors when the grass is mowed.
- Use nasal rinses to eliminate the irritants.
- Drink lots of fluids and stay well hydrated.
- Wear a hat and sunglasses to avoid pollen going in the eyes when outdoors.
- You can try to lessen your child’s symptoms by giving them over-the-counter medications like antihistamines, decongestants, nasal steroids, and eye drops.
- Notify your child’s school about their allergies and symptoms and be sure an allergy treatment plan is in place.
If you have questions or if you are concerned that your child may have allergies, contact your child’s pediatrician and/or a pediatric allergy specialist.