ALLERGIES, ALLERGIES, ALLERGIES
It is so exciting that Spring is arriving but with Spring comes allergies. I found some helpful tips regarding children and allergies.
- Use saltwater. Having a plugged up nose can be one of the hardest symptom for children with allergies. For relief, older children can try nasal irrigation with a saline solution. You can buy saline at the drug store. Some are called Simply saline and they are easy to use. If you don’t want to buy saline at the store you can make your own by mixing in a squirt bottle 8 ounces of boiled water to 1 teaspoon of non-iodized salt.
- Stay hydrated. When you are sneezing and blowing your nose a lot, it can leave a child parched. Keep a water bottle full or sippy cup on hand to encourage lots of fluid intake.
- One of my favorite thing is warm showers. Steam from a warm shower or bath seems to offer allergy symptoms relief for some kidos. Encourage your kids to enjoy some tub time. Make sure the water is not too warm. Bring special toys, bath paints, or bubbles in to make them want to stay for awhile.
- Sorry to say, but staying inside is the best way to treat allergy symptoms and avoid allergens. When the pollen count soars keep the kids indoors as much as possible. Pollen is at it’s peak mid morning and early evening and when there is a breeze.
- Keep it cool. To keep pollen out when the weather’s hot. Air condition your car and home and keep windows closed.
- Deal with dry air. Moisture in the air makes breathing easier. So if the air in your house is dry, get a humidifier. Be very careful though humidity over 40% can encourage growth of indoor allergens like mold and dust mites.
- Keep your hands to yourself. Encourage kids to avoid rubbing their itchy eyes. Rubbing will irritate the eyes and make the itchiness worse.
- GO COLD. If their eyes are driving them crazy try a cold compress, place a thin soft barrier over their eyes and then a cold compress.
- Spice it up. If your kids will eat spicy foods, a dish made with cayenne pepper, hot ginger, fenugreek, onions or garlic can help thin mucus and clear the nasal passages.
- Use top tissues. When the allergies are peaking, tender noses can get really sore very fast. Get the tissues with lotion or aloe.
- Rub jelly on it. If your child’s nose is raw and red from blowing you can soothe his sniffer with a dab of petroleum jelly. Don’t use petroleum based products if your child is on Oxygen.
- Gargle to relieve sore throat. Drainage from the nasal/sinus passages can leave a child’s throat sore, gargling with warm saltwater made of 1-2 teaspoons of table salt in 8 ounces of water may ease the pain.
- Drink warm tea. Drinking more fluids can also soothe tender throats. You can try a weak tea with honey and lemon. Bonus: the steam may relieve sinus congestion, too. You could try warm cocoa but sometimes the milk product can make more mucus.
- Get face time. Warm compresses applied to the face may also help soothe a child’s sinus pressure and pain.
- Watch out for certain foods. If your child is allergic to ragweed, he may also have allergic sensitivity to some foods that may include bananas, melons, chamomile tea, sunflower seed and cucumbers. From: Web MD Wendy C. Fries.
