Parenting through Pollen: Tips to Help Your Child With Seasonal Allergies

April pollen brings May flowers. Is that how the old saying goes? Well maybe not, but that’s how it feels. It seems like pollen is the thing we all must to endure to enjoy the beauty of the Spring and Sumer months. I’ll let you decide if it’s a fair trade off. 

Pollen in of itself isn’t thought to be dangerous to the body. It’s the body’s response to the presence of pollen that makes us miserable. Allergy symptoms occur when the body assumes an allergen, like pollen, is a foreign substance, and activates an immune response. It’s this immune response that we colloquially call “hay fever” or seasonal allergies or allergic rhinitis in the medical world.  Hay fever is characterized by runny nose, sneezing, congestion, red, itchy eyes and sometimes fatigue.

In this blog post, I'll share essential tips to make allergy season less miserable and a little more tolerable.

 

Know Your Child's Allergy Triggers

Pollen is the most common cause of seasonal allergies or allergic rhinitis.  Yet, a child can also exhibit allergy symptoms in relation to indoor allergens like mold, cockroaches, dust mites, or pet dander.  An awareness of which allergen affects your child will allow you to develop a plan to mitigate or avoid the allergen.

Track your child's symptoms and be mindful of which exposures seem to aggravate their allergies.  Children who do not respond to first line measure may need formal allergy testing with an allergist or pediatrician.

Monitor Pollen Counts

 Invisible particles of pollen are carried in the air, and when they accumulate in large volumes, we can actually see them on the surfaces of our cars, porches and sidewalks.  The amount of pollen in the environment changes day to day. Knowing the daily pollen can help you decide how much time your child may spend outside, and or to what extent you may need to beef up their “allergy action plan”.  We know that due to changes in our environment, pollen counts have been increasing of the past few years (1). Therefore, it’s increasingly important that parents to children with allergies be mindful of this value when planning for the day.

 Schedule Around High Pollen Periods

 Pollen levels are typically highest in the early morning and late afternoon, so aim to schedule outdoor playtime during midday when pollen counts are lower. If possible, choose outdoor locations with minimal pollen exposure, such as parks away from trees or grassy fields.

Wash Hands to Limit Allergies

Assume that all clothes and exposed skin may have come in contact with pollen after being outdoors. Encourage your child to wash their hands and face thoroughly after outdoor play to remove pollen particles from their skin. Also encourage them to avoid rubbing their eyes and nose with their hands while outside as this may introduce pollen and allergens to their face.

Shower and Bath at Night

A bath at night is also really important to remove any accumulated allergens that have accumulated over the day.  If not, your child is essentially sleeping in pollen, pet hair and whatever other interesting things they may have come in contact with over the course of the day. Also, consider using saline nasal sprays or rinses to flush out any pollen that may have entered their nasal passages.

Use Indoor Air Purifier to Lower Allergen Counts

During peak allergen time frames, try to keep windows and doors closed to prevent pollen from flowing indoors. Use of HEPA air purifiers can help decrease indoor allergens by removing allergens from the air. HEPA air purifiers are effective in eliminating pollen, dust mites, pet dander, and smoke from indoor environments.

Clean to Reduce Pollen, Allergens and Improve Indoor Air Quality

Vacuum carpets regularly using a vacuum cleaner equipped with a HEPA filter, and wash bedding and curtains frequently to remove pollen particles.  Also, be sure to wash pillows each monthly and linens and bedding weekly. Pillows should be replaced every 1-2 years.

Be sure that your child with allergies or asthma is not in the room with you when you are vacuuming or dusting. These actions may cause particles of allergens to become airborne and make cause allergies or asthma symptoms flare.

 Treatment With Allergy Medications

Over the counter antihistamines like Zyrtec, Allegra, Claritin, and Benadryl that can be used to decrease the immune response and alleviate allergy symptoms such as sneezing, itching, and congestion. Nasal corticosteroids such as Nasonex and Flonase can also help with symptoms that are more localized symptoms.  

Children with severe allergies may require allergy shots or “immunotherapy” to desensitize the body to the allergen trigger. Allergy shots are typically provided to eligible patients by Allergist physicians after formal allergy testing. Unfortunately, not all children are candidates for immunotherapy.

Talk to your pediatrician about an appropriate allergy medication regime for your child. Your pediatrician can recommend the best treatment plan based on your child's age, symptoms, and medical history.

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Talk To Your Pediatrician

These tips to help your child with seasonal allergies may help to reduce your child’s exposure to pollen. These are general tips that tend to help with children with allergies.  However, it’s important to talk to your child’s pediatrician. The pediatrician can help curate an allergy treatment plan tailored to your child’s age, symptoms, and medical history. With the right allergy plan in place, you can help your child navigate through allergy season more comfortably.

References

Allergic rhinitis: reducing allergen exposure in a changing environment. (n.d.). https://www.aaaai.org/tools-for-the-public/conditions-library/allergies/allergic-rhinitis