Charlie Hastreiter waters flowers with his granddaughter at their home garden in Marshfield, WI
Coughing, sniffling, sneezing and watery eyes.
Many of the same symptoms that make winter colds miserable come back in the spring and summer for seasonal allergy sufferers.
That’s a real bummer for kids who want to enjoy the sunshine and fresh air.
Care My Way® gives quick treatment for common conditions like seasonal allergies. Download the app to get started.
If your kids have seasonal allergies, try these tips from Marshfield Clinic allergist Dr. Mark Huftel for some much-needed relief.
Tips for allergy relief
- Know what your kids are allergic to and when different allergens are active. Tree pollen allergies are common in April, May and early June. Grass allergies flare up in June and July, while ragweed dominates in the fall. An antihistamine, nasal spray and other medication your child’s doctor prescribes should keep allergies under control.
- Be consistent with allergy medicine. Pollen and mold counts vary daily with the weather, causing symptoms to fluctuate. Use allergy medicine every day during the months your kids’ allergies are active.
- Ask kids to shower in the evening, especially after playing outside. Rinsing off before bedtime removes allergens from kids’ skin, hair and eyelashes.
- Practice hand washing. Prevent itchy eyes by having your kids wash their hands after they’ve been outside.
- Use saline nose spray to remove pollen from inside kids’ noses
- Dry clothes and bed sheets indoors. Crisp sheets dried in the sunshine sound inviting, but not if they’re coated with pollen.
- Keep pets off the bed. Pets that have been outside bring in pollen, dust and mold spores. Snuggling with Fido all night can trigger allergy symptoms.
- Close windows and turn on the air conditioner. Keeping pollen out of the house will make it more comfortable when allergy symptoms flare up.
- Ask your child’s doctor about allergy shots if antihistamines and nasal sprays aren’t working well.
Share your advice
Do you have a tip for providing allergy relief for your children? Share it with us in the comments section.