Before you start any treatment, visit a doctor to be sure allergies are causing your child’s troubles. Once you know he really has seasonal allergies, these quick tips can offer much-needed relief.
- Stay Inside. The best way to treat allergy symptoms is to avoid allergens to begin with. So when pollen counts soar, keep kids indoors as much as possible. Pollen is usually at its peak mid-morning, early evening, and when the wind is blowing.
- Use Saltwater. Having a plugged-up nose can be one of the toughest symptoms for children with allergies. For relief, older children might want to try nasal irrigation with a saline solution. You can buy saline at the drugstore or make your own by mixing in a squirt bottle 8 ounces of boiled water to 1 teaspoon non-iodized salt.
- Stay Hydrated. All that sneezing and blowing can leave a child parched. Keep a water bottle full and close to hand and encourage your children to keep sipping.
- Warm It Up. Steam from a warm shower or bath seems to offer allergy symptom relief for some so encourage kids to enjoy a little tub time. Just be careful to make sure the shower is not too hot.
- 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. A little moisture in the air makes breathing easier for most, so if the air in your house is dry, get a humidifier. But be careful: Humidity over 40% can encourage the growth of indoor allergens like mold and dust mites.
- Go Cold. When itchy eyes are driving your kid crazy, try a cold compress, which may help reduce the itch and soreness.
- Keep Your Hands to Yourself. Help kids to avoid rubbing their itchy eyes. Rubbing will only irritate them -- and could make the itchiness even worse.
- Spice It Up. If your kids will eat spicy foods, a dish made with cayenne pepper, hot ginger, fenugreek, onions, or garlic may help thin mucus and clear nasal passages.
- Use Top Tissues. When kids’ allergies are at their peak, tender noses can get sore pretty fast. Look for tissues with lotion or aloe.
- Rub Jelly on It. And if your child’s nose is raw and red from blowing, you can soothe his sniffer with a dab of petroleum jelly.
- Gargle to Relieve Sore Throats. If drainage leaves your child with a sore throat, gargling with warm saltwater made of 1-2 tablespoons of table salt in 8 ounces of water may ease the pain.
- Drink Warm Tea. Drinking more fluids can also help soothe tender throats. Try a weak tea with honey and lemon. Bonus: The steam may relieve sinus congestion, too.
- 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 an allergic sensitivity to some foods that may include bananas, melons, chamomile tea, sunflower seeds, and cucumbers.