Helping Your Child With Allergies

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Nothing is worse than watching your child suffer. Most of us are lucky that this only happens once or twice a year with the annual flu bugs. Some children aren’t so fortunate, developing allergies that can affect them all year round and in severe ways. 

Parenting through this is hard; we want to protect our children and can start to feel a little helpless. You may have frequent trips to medical centres or visiting specialists to try and find the source of the issue and discover new ways to ease their symptoms. Having an allergy sufferer in the home can force you to make severe changes, particularly if they are allergic to animal fur or certain foods. 

There are lots of ways you can help your child and make life more comfortable for them from natural medicines to medical interventions. 

If your child has allergy-induced asthma or other respiratory responses, water can really help to reduce the severity of the symptoms. This type of allergy flares up when your child is exposed to the substance they are allergic to. Keeping the mucous membranes lubricated will help ease the symptoms of a cough, sore throat or congestion. You may find that room temperature water or even a thin soup such as chicken broth has a more soothing effect. 

If your child is allergic to dander from pets, you may find they flare up suddenly. While you don’t own any pets, we can’t protect our children from coming into contact with a cat or a dog. One of the symptoms of this type of allergy includes dry, itchy eyes. This can be eased using a cold compress. You may also find keeping eye drops in the refrigerator yields better results in calming the issue. 

Sleep is vital for our health. This includes dealing with allergy symptoms. When your body is well-rested, it can fight off any contaminants that enter the body. It is recommended that children get 8-10 hours of sleep every night and on a routine. Of course, you may find this hard if your children are struggling to sleep at night due to a cough. Try using honey to soothe the condition. It lubricates the throat and can help calm any issues. You could also find the steam from a warm shower eases respiratory conditions. Investing in a humidifier and placing it in your child’s room at night will also benefit them and help with allergies. If you are concerned, then speak to a medical health care professional. 

It’s essential to work with your child’s medical care team. Some fantastic medications can be taken ahead of exposure to allergens to help your child live a symptom-free lifestyle. Cetirizine is a great hayfever medicine that you take once a day and has outstanding results. However, you must speak to your healthcare team to ensure it is the right choice for your child. There are also eye drops and nasal sprays which can be used in the short term during more severe symptoms. These should only be used when things get really bad and not as a daily solution. Long term use can cause worse symptoms. 

While it can be hard to encourage your child outside if they are feeling run down, taking exercise can help in multiple ways. You will improve the blood flow and breathing rate, which can help the immune system fight any allergens that enter the body. Exercise is also a great distraction from minor symptoms and will also tire your child, which could promote better sleep. 

Of course, prevention is better than a cure, so make sure you eliminate any source of allergen in your home. If your child has a dust allergy, have your home professionally cleaned on a regular basis. If they suffer from hayfever, then keep them indoors on high pollen days. Speak to friends and relatives that may have pets and if you do need to visit a home that has a dog or cat, ask that they keep their pet out of the room you are going to be in. If they can do this in advance of your visit, it will help. 

Caring for children with allergies is hard and watching your child suffer is one of the worst things for a parent to see, but with the right support, you can lower the impact on their lives. Your local medical centre can give you all the support you need to help you and your family find the best ways to alleviate symptoms.