It’s springtime, but it’s also allergy season., and unfortunately, the 2024 allergy season is expected to start earlier and last longer than previous allergy seasons. An estimated one in four children struggles with seasonal allergies and in years like this, where climate change has had a significant effect on temperatures and plant growth (also known as allergy triggers). It’s no wonder some of us are struggling with uncomfortable allergy symptoms.
Runny nose, sneezing, itchy eyes, scratchy throats, and even skin rashes can all occur as a result of seasonal allergies and can be quite disruptive when it comes to how we feel. Kids especially may be very uncomfortable. Here are some top tips for dealing with allergy season and helping your children enjoy the spring.
Understand the symptoms and their causes
Sometimes it can be difficult to know if children are suffering from allergies or something more serious. Allergy symptoms tend to mimic cold and flu symptoms, so it’s important to rule out severe illness before jumping to allergies as the main culprit. Typically, allergies are not accompanied by fevers. They also tend to happen with exposure to allergens such as pollen and are longer-lasting symptoms than what a person with a cold would typically experience. If you fear that your child may have allergies try to make note of what symptoms they experience, when the symptoms occur, when they are most severe, and how long they last to determine the root cause.
Consult your primary care physician
After you have some understanding of your kids’ symptoms it is best to consult with their primary care doctor. Pediatricians can help determine the exact cause of the allergies as well as ways to manage the symptoms. Some management routines will include allergy medication, nasal spray, eye drops, anti-itch ointment, and/or even avoidance of the allergens. Typically, outdoor allergies can be easily managed so that your child can continue enjoying their time outdoors.
Minimize exposure to allergy triggers
The best way to deal with seasonal allergies is to keep the outdoors outdoors. That means keeping windows closed and limiting outside contamination. Make sure your kids wash their hands when they come in from outside after playing. When they are inside for the day, make sure they shower to wash any pollen off their skin and hair and change their clothes to avoid cross-contaminating indoor spaces.
Communicate
If your child is suffering from seasonal allergies parents and childcare providers need to communicate about various symptoms and the management of those symptoms. Childwatch has great parental engagement tools for facilitating parent and childcare communication. With Childwatch’s eServices, it is easier for childcare businesses to stay in close touch with parents and keep them informed throughout the day. Parents and providers can easily discuss how allergy symptoms may be affecting behavior and performance as well as communicate about any medication schedules etc.
Take advantage of technology
Dealing with seasonal allergies does not mean that your child can’t go outdoors, just that you’ll need to be more strategic about when and how to go outside. Take advantage of technology to know the best times for going outdoors. Typically peak allergen hours are between 10 am to 4 pm, but some apps can provide local pollen counts so you can know when and when not to take your children outside. Additionally, there are allergy apps that not only provide pollen predictions but also provide allergy symptom trackers to help you keep track of symptoms and the conditions that make them worse.
Allergy symptoms can be painful but they don’t have to ruin outdoor time. With proper identification and management, it is possible to fight back against allergy symptoms and enjoy the spring both outdoors and indoors.