Child Care

Keeping Kids Happy Despite Allergy Symptoms

Perk up kids with these simple home treatments for seasonal allergies.

Do seasonal allergy symptoms have your kids down for the count? The runny nose, itchy eyes, and nasal congestion can leave even the most even-tempered kid tired and out of sorts.

The next time seasonal allergic rhinitis -- the term allergists use for the symptoms we call hay fever -- has your children feeling bad, you’ve got the tools to make them feel better: These simple tips gathered by WebMD from allergists and others can help you soothe kids’ allergy symptoms in no time.

16 Tips to Help Kids Cope With Allergy Symptoms

Managing allergies starts with a medical assessment, says Rod Moser, PA, PhD, in his All Ears blog for WebMD. So before you treat symptoms you think are allergies, be sure that’s what they are with a visit to an allergist. Once you know seasonal allergies are what you’re child is dealing with, these quick tips can offer kids much-needed symptom relief.

1. Stay Inside. The best way to treat allergy symptoms is to avoid allergens to begin with, say the experts at the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (ACAAI). 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.
2. Use Saltwater. Nasal congestion can be one of the most exhausting symptoms for children with allergies. For relief, older children might want to try nasal irrigation with a saline solution, one of the “best home remedy of all,” says Alan Goldsobel, MD, a California physician and spokesman for the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. You can buy saline at the drugstore or make your own by mixing in a squirt bottle eight ounces of water to one teaspoon non-iodized salt.
3. 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 stay well-hydrated.
4. Warm It Up. A hot shower or bath seems to offer allergy symptom relief for some, says Asriani Chiu, MD, associate professor of pediatrics and medicine at the College of Wisconsin, so encourage kids to enjoy a little tub time.
5. Keep It Cool. To keep pollen out when the weather’s hot, air condition your car and home and keep windows closed.
6. Deal With Dry Air. A little moisture in the air makes breathing easier for most, so if you suspect the air in your house is dry, you may want to turn on a humidifier. But be careful: Humidity over 40% can encourage the growth of indoor allergens like mold and dust mites.
7. Go Cold. When itchy eyes are driving your kid crazy, try a cold compress, says Chiu, which may help reduce the itch and inflammation.
8. Keep Your Hands to Yourself. And encourage kids to avoid rubbing their itchy eyes. Rubbing will only irritate them -- and could make the itchiness even worse.
9. Spice It Up. If your kids enjoy spicy foods, a piquant dish made with cayenne pepper, hot ginger, fenugreek, onions, or garlic may help thin mucus and clear nasal passages.
10. Use Top Tissues. When kids’ allergies are at their peak, tender noses can get sore pretty fast. Look for tissues with lotion or other soothing additives.
11. Rub Jelly On It. And if your child’s nose is raw and red from blowing, you can soothe their sniffer with a dab of petroleum jelly.
12. Gargle to Relieve Sore Throats . If postnasal drip leaves your child with a sore throat, gargling with warm salt water made of 1-2 tablespoons of table salt in 8 ounces of water may ease the pain.
13. Drink Warm Tea . Drinking more fluids can also help sooth tender throats. Try a weak tea with honey and lemon. Bonus: The steam from a piping hot cup may relieve sinus congestion, too.
14. Get Face Time. Warm compresses applied to the face may also help soothe a child’s sinus pressure and pain.
15. Avoid Milk. Some folks may find milk can make mucus worse, though “that’s not a proven concept,” says Goldsobel. If in doubt, it may be a good idea to steer clear of milky goodies when kids are coping with allergy symptoms.
16. Avoid Certain Foods . If your child is allergic to ragweed, they may also have an allergic sensitivity to certain foods. Symptom-provoking foods to avoid may include bananas, melons, chamomile tea, sunflower seeds, and cucumbers.

10 Tips to Help Prevent Allergy Symptoms in Your Kids

The best allergy symptoms are the ones that never occur. Here are a few tips to help you prevent symptoms before they take hold.

1. Go Take a Shower! If the kids were outdoors, they almost certainly brought allergens back inside on their clothes and hair. That’s why it’s a great idea for them to take a shower or bath and change their clothes when they come back inside, suggests Chiu.
2. Wash Your Hands . If the kids pop in and out during high pollen days, the very least they should do is wash their hands often, suggests the ACAAI, a prime way to remove clinging pollen.
3. Protect the Eyes . Encourage your kids to wear glasses or sunglasses when outdoors to minimize pollen getting into their eyes.
4. Clean Up . We all track in allergens, on our shoes, clothes, hands, and hair. To keep them at bay, try to keep floors clean with a damp rag or mop rather than dry dusting or sweeping; vacuum rugs and carpets often; and change bedding frequently.
5. Get Better Bedding. To help control allergies, Goldsobel recommends looking into special bedding designed to be less permeable to allergens.
6. Keep Laundry Indoors. If you’ve got kids susceptible to outdoor allergens, don’t hang sheets or clothes outside to dry. They make excellent pollen and mold collectors.
7. Keep an Eye on Indoor Plants. An abundance of overwatered plants inside the house can encourage mold growth. So manage your green menagerie: avoid sopping wet soil and don’t collect too many plants.
8. Talk to Your Child’s Doctor . There are over-the-counter and prescription medications and eye drops to help treat children with allergies. Talk to your child’s allergist or pediatrician to find out which medicines are best for your child’s allergy symptoms.
9. Be Faithful -- and Smart -- With Medication . Don’t forget to encourage kids to take the medications prescribed by their doctor -- but remember more medicine doesn’t mean fewer symptoms. Take only as much as recommended.
10. Get Teary . If recommended by your child’s doctor, eye drops/artificial tears can help flush allergens out of kids’ eyes.

It’s not always easy, but with a little time and effort you can help your kids manage -- and avoid -- allergy symptoms all year, every year.