Signs Your Child Has Seasonal Allergies

Allergies are miserable enough to deal with when you have them yourself. Nobody wants their kids to have to deal with allergies that make them miserable too. Unfortunately, seasonal allergies are quite common in kids, but that doesn’t mean there’s nothing you can do for them. There are several ways you can treat seasonal allergies in kids to ensure they can enjoy the outdoors instead of suffering from allergy symptoms.

What Are Seasonal Allergies?

Seasonal allergies are an immune system response to a perceived threat. The immune system will react to substances with antibodies and histamine, which will lead to the external symptoms we experience when we have allergies. Pollen from trees, grass, and weeds are often the primary allergens. Typically, allergies can be prominent during spring, summer, and fall depending on what you’re allergic to, but winter allergies can also pop up if you have indoor allergies or certain environmental allergies that are prevalent in the winter, like cedar fever.

Will Kids Outgrow Allergies?

The good news is that kids do sometimes outgrow their allergies. Being exposed to their allergen as the immune system develops can sometimes help it learn that the substances are harmless. But as they are building this tolerance, they may experience allergies, which you can treat.

Not every kid will outgrow their allergies, though, and some will develop them later. So it’s always a good idea to properly treat them to help them find relief.

Symptoms to Look Out For

Here are a few symptoms that your child might experience if they have allergies:

• Stuffy nose
• Runny nose
• Itchy and watery eyes
• Scratchy throat
• Sneezing
• Coughing
• Swelling around the eyes
• Hives or a skin rash

If your child is experiencing symptoms from their allergies, then it’s time to seek treatment.

At What Age Should You Start Treatment?

Treatment can essentially start at any age, depending on what treatment you’re planning to pursue. Preventive measures such as cleaning your home thoroughly, using HEPA air filters, and keeping your child’s clothes and bedding clean can start at any age. There are also over-the-counter allergy meds that are made for children as young as two years old.

Certain homeopathic remedies, such as herbal remedies and locally sourced honey, can also be safe for children, although it is important to keep in mind that these treatments are not clinically proven to fix allergies.

If you’re interested in relief for your child that can last for decades, you’ll want to try immunotherapy. At Wyndly, our doctors can treat children as young as five years of age with allergy drops.

How to Alleviate Allergies in Children

Let’s look at allergy relief for children in greater detail. The following treatments can be used to help your children find relief.

Antihistamines: Antihistamines are the basic over-the-counter treatment for allergies. They aren’t used to prevent allergic reactions, but they can be used to reduce histamine levels and allergy symptoms. Make sure to talk to your doctor if you’re wanting to give these to younger children. As we mentioned, children as young as two years can take them.

The antihistamines made for children are designed so they don’t cause drowsiness or hyperactivity in children, but you’ll still want to monitor them to make sure these side effects aren’t an issue.

Prescriptions: If over-the-counter antihistamines aren’t cutting it, you may want to consider prescription meds. Talk to your pediatrician about your child’s allergy symptoms to see if prescriptions are worth looking into. Typically these will come in the form of nasal sprays or chewable or liquid medications. These prescription meds will be stronger and likely won’t have to be administered more than once per day.

Nasal sprays: Nasal sprays can be used to reduce inflammation over time and alleviate symptoms of a runny and stuffy nose. You’ll need to use them daily to get the full effects.

Eye drops: Eye drops can help clear the eyes of pollen, helping to reduce itchy and watery eyes.

Finally, there’s immunotherapy. This is the best method to help a child achieve more long-term allergy relief.

What Is Immunotherapy?

When over-the-counter options and prescriptions aren’t working, it is possible to get immunotherapy for your kids. Immunotherapy uses a small, increasing dose of an allergen to teach your child’s immune system to tolerate the substance instead of responding with antibodies and histamine.

Immunotherapy leads to long-term relief. There are two different options for immunotherapy for kids.

Allergy Shots

The first option is allergy shots. These require doctor appointments and an injection to administer the allergen dose. Most kids aren’t going to love the idea of going to a doctor regularly for a shot, and it can also be difficult for a parent or guardian to find the time to take them. Allergy shots can also be painful and cause uncomfortable site reactions.

Allergy Drops

The other option is at-home sublingual immunotherapy, which involves allergy drops that can be administered under the tongue. Kids will likely prefer allergy drops to allergy shots because they can be taken from the comfort of your own home instead of a doctor’s office. Allergy drops are also just as effective and safe. If your child has an allergic response that allergy drops can alleviate, then you can get them delivered to your home using Wyndly. Start by getting your child a personalized treatment plan today!

Is Immunotherapy for Kids Safe?

Immunotherapy is amongst the safest methods for allergy treatment. Numerous studies have been conducted to prove this. The AAAAI/ACAAI Sublingual Immunotherapy (SLIT) task force compiled 66 studies, which totaled over one million doses of allergy drops. Of these doses, no fatal side effects were observed and reactions only occurred in 0.056%. These reactions were relatively mild, with the common side effects being oral itching, runny nose, nausea, and the rare case of abdominal pain. A further study in 2012 looked at a larger number of doses, revealing bad reactions happened approximately once per 100 million doses. In short, allergy drops are extremely safe.

What if Your Child Also Has Asthma?

If your child has allergic asthma, then you’ll need to talk with your pediatrician or allergist to come up with a specific treatment plan. This plan will ensure you have the right medications for your child and confirm you know what to do during an asthma attack.

Typically there will be quick-relief medications and long-term controller medications. Quick-relief medications help to stop asthma attacks when they occur, and long-term medications help with prevention. It’s common for kids to use both. Usually, they will use a nebulizer, inhaler, or pills to ingest their medication.

Immunotherapy has also been shown to help manage asthma symptoms. Allergens can often induce asthma attacks in children, so fixing their allergies through allergy drops can reduce their asthma symptoms and their use of asthma medications in general.

Finding Long-Term Relief

If you’re ready to find long-term relief for your child, then immunotherapy is the best solution. Using allergy drops, you can save time by avoiding trips to the doctor, and you can get your allergy drops delivered straight to your home. If you’re ready to create a personalized treatment plan for your child, choose Wyndly.

Get Your Child’s Personalized Treatment Plan Today

Wyndly can provide a simpler and more pain-free path to fixing your child’s allergies. At Wyndly, a dedicated doctor will personalize a treatment plan for your child to bring them long-term relief that can last for decades. If they’re a candidate for immunotherapy we can provide allergy drops, so they can avoid doctor’s visits and painful allergy shots. Wyndly can help your child live better.

Get your child a personalized treatment plan today.