Allergy season has officially hit at the Williams’ house and it is definitely not very fun! Our days are filled with runny noses, sore throats, and itchy eyes. Tissues are in short supply and it tends to make us both a little grumpy. It can be easy to mistake your child’s sniffles for the common cold, but if the symptoms persist for more than a couple weeks you may want to talk to your pediatrician about the possibility of testing for allergies. If left untreated allergies can make children more susceptible to ear and sinus infections and can even cause orthodontic issues in some children. As many as 40% of children today suffer from seasonal allergies such as these.
While children under the age of four don’t typically develop outdoor allergies, they may have an irritation to indoor things such as dust and pets before that. Talk to your child’s pediatrician about what is the best treatment option for your child. If the problem persists you may want to consider talking to an allergist to help pinpoint exactly what your child is allergic too. There are many treatment options available. Some children respond well to an over the counter antihistamine such as Claritin or Benadryl. For others a nasal spray such as Flonase may be more effective. If your child’s allergies don’t respond to these types of medications, their doctor may decide to try a more aggressive form of treatment such as allergy shots in which the allergen is actually injected until the child becomes less sensitive to it.
Don’t ignore your child’s allergies. Children with allergies often struggle in school, not because of the allergies themselves, but because they are unable to get the quality sleep they need as a result of the allergies. If your child’s dry cough or runny nose persists for more than seven to ten days talk to your child’s pediatrician to see what the next step is. With all the different treatment options out there these days, there’s no reason for your child to suffer anymore.